What are the differences between an honours degree and a PhD? Updated 08/12/2020 02.27 PM A bachelor degree with honours is a level 8 qualification on the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), a PhD is level 10 and is the highest qualification recognised by AQF. In terms of work load, an honours degree generally combines one trimester of research with one trimester of coursework over one year, while a PhD is usually pure research undertaken over three or four years. It is comparable to working full-time in the workforce where you can work from 9 am to 5 pm on your project and are no longer bound by the traditional trimester system as you would as an honours student. In that sense, honours degrees can be less intense but are no less challenging and rewarding.