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Glite Dictionary
first-class honours degree

first-class honours degree

1 6.3
A university undergraduate degree given to students with the highest grades
  • noun
  • /ˈfɜːrst klɑːs ˈɒnəz dɪˈɡriː/
  • UK
translation icon : título de honor de primera clase
  • He achieved a first-class honours degree in history, which opened many doors for his career.

So you had a first class honors degree in physics and astrophysics.

Examples

  • The result was a career shift from architecture to teaching, and he graduated with a first-class honours degree in technology education in 1998.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Mendes attended Cambridge University and graduated in 1987 with a first-class honours degree in English.

    Blog text (29)

  • So you had a first class honors degree in physics and astrophysics.

    StarTalk

  • She gets her first class honours degree in law then, and she wants to become a barrister like her father.

  • After years of hard work, she proudly received her first-class honours degree in biology from a prestigious university.

  • Earning a first-class honours degree in mathematics is a significant accomplishment for any student.

Synonyms

first
vsfirst-class honours degree
  • UK
1 7.7

A top university degree given in Britain

is the same award but named more fully and used in other countries

How Prestigious

first-class honours degree
  • UK
1 6.3
honours
  • UK
1 4.5

Surface Forms

first-class honours degree singular
first-class honours degrees plural
first-class honors degrees plural
first-class honors degree singular

Morphology

first-class + honours + degree

The components 'first-class' (top-ranking), 'honours' (award for exceptional performance), and 'degree' (university qualification) combine in a predictable, compositional way to denote an undergraduate degree awarded with highest distinction. This is a regular academic collocation with clear cross-linguistic equivalents, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings should be able to infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

First-class honours degree comes from old British university marks. The best students were put into the first-class group and given a special award called honours, so the phrase now means a university degree at the 'top' level of success.