Difference between Honours and Ordinary Course?

[Nazca]

My housemate got a letter from the University this morning saying that his place in his course has been terminated and he'll be transferred from Joint Honours to Ordinary. He's pretty confused at the moment. He doesn't know what the difference is. He's just starting his second year in Biochemistry.

 

[Nazca]

So it's just a lable? I've been scouring the uni website and there seems to be no difference in the course itself. Weird.

Although now I've just checked Wiki.

Most universities award a class of degree based on the average mark of the assessed work a candidate has completed. Below is a list of the possible classifications with common abbreviations. Honours degrees are in bold:

• First-Class Honours (First or 1st) - a "Geoff" (as in Geoff Hurst)
• Upper Second-Class Honours (2:1) - an "Attilla" (as in Attilla the Hun)
• Lower Second-Class Honours (2:2) - a "Desmond" (as in Desmond TuTu)
• Third-Class Honours (Third or 3rd) - a "Douglas" (as in Douglas Hurd)
• Ordinary degree (Pass)
• Fail (no degree is awarded)

Hmm, that doesn't look good for him. I suggested he contact the university.