You must have seen various articles floating on the internet or even social media posts that claim Guinness has recognised a particular subject as the hardest. However, that is not true and there is no such thing as the hardest degree in Guinness World Record. But, there are certain degrees that we can all collectively agree that should be on a list of this nature.
The difficulty level of a degree is subjective and depends on the person. This article in no way wants to be little any course, I know it takes a village to complete any degree.
However, we will focus on a few intense degree programs in this article as a token of appreciation for the students who take it up.
Let us begin and try to understand some challenging academic programs and the reason for their tough reputation.
15 Hardest Degree in Guinness World Record
1. Dentistry, Medicine
Dentistry is the study of oral medicine and deals with the various ailments that plague the human oral cavity. This degree will help you become a dentist, and it deals with general human anatomy along with dental anatomy dental Pharmacology and Therapeutics. However, this is just a general idea of an entire four-year course in just three words, which hardly do any justice to it.
This degree is demanding due to various reasons, firstly the academic syllabus is huge and focuses not only on the minute details of the human oral structure but also on the branches of basic science like biology, chemistry, physics. Furthermore, the admission to any dentistry university or college is highly competitive and requires the student to sit through various entrance tests.
Secondly, the aftermath of finishing this course is not easy either. Apart from being well aware of the multiple ailments that haunt the human oral cavity, you also need to deal with patients who are in extreme pain or agony. Hence, maintaining a cool yet empathetic tone is always a non-negotiable.
As a dentist, it is of utmost importance that you have impeccable eye hand coordination from day one. Since you will have to perform multiple practicals in front of an experienced dentist to get this degree and later deal with live patients who can suffer life changing consequences if you aren’t coordinated.
Lastly, your emotional well-being might be challenged sporadically as a dentist. Since, it is an overwhelming process to start your own practise and build a trust with the patients. Moreover, some patients can be very difficult and anxious to deal with, since the human oral scene is a delicate spot.
2. Nursing
In the case of nursing, it is fair to say that its reputation of being tough never leaves its shadow even after you have completed the degree. It not only has a rigorous curriculum, but it is a very emotionally challenging career too. As a nurse, you will be the first responder in any medical emergency or accident, regardless of its nature.
Not many people know that, but in India, a doctor and a nurse both have to crack the NEET exam to be able to pursue their degree. Apart from that, the degree itself combines various principles of core science and nursing theories.
Undoubtedly, it is a fulfilling career since it will enable you to save lives and help people in a crisis. But it will also demand you to be extremely resilient and always have your quick-thinking cap on. Furthermore, you need to be physically fit to deal with highly critical patients logistically.
Besides, as a nurse, your learning stage never really goes away since you will have to constantly keep yourself updated with the various advancements in the medical field. Apart from that, you have to be a very active person who is constantly on their foot 24*7 and manages gracefully through ungodly work hours and situations.
3. Biomedical Studies, Neurosciences, Biochemistry
Even though it seems like it is the same branch of study, they are distinctively different form each other. The Biomedical study is the study of understanding the various health and biological processes of a human body. It is a combination of biology along with research and technology to develop new resources and technology to combat health issues.
Whereas Neuroscience mainly focuses on our nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and the neural network, and studies neural function, as well as neurological disorders. Whereas biochemistry is the study of all the chemical reaction that happens inside our body.
It is difficult to assert the vastness of the above degrees and the minute details involved in its curriculum. It is a complex set of academic studies owing to the complexity of the subject and the dedication required to understand it.
This academic line needs your utmost dedication and precision since you will be involved in research or academic work that can affect the lives of millions. Furthermore, you also have to be updated with every recent change in the technology and adapt it around your study accordingly.
Suppose you do not have a genuine passion for scientific discovery. In that case, it is going to be very difficult since it demands dedication, a will to balance intense academic research with practicals, and an undying need to seek knowledge.
4. Aerospace/Aeronautical Studies, Engineering
All of us somehow have a preconceived notion that engineering is a difficult career option, but what takes the cake is Aerospace engineering. It is the study of producing aircraft, and spacecraft, and their design and development. Needless to say, a degreelike this will demand your undivided attention to achieve a high level of accuracy and precision.
You have to go through intense academic research and understanding, assessing the various principles of a high-functioning aircraft and its interactions. You have to be completely immersed in this experience since small errors in design or calculations can lead to catastrophic failures.
There is a high stake for safety involved in this line of study, along with a deep understanding of both theoretical and practical aspects. You will have to endure long and tiring hours of study along with making sure you are updated with every hands-on practice and lab work.
5. Law
Ideally, law might seem like only learning a bunch of rules and statements, but it is more than that. A Law student needs to have a sea of legal principles memorized and at their fingertips. Furthermore, they need to possess excellent oratory and writing skills to put forward their point.
One incorrect decision or judgment by a lawyer can end up in life-changing consequences for the client, and hence they always have to be extra vigilant and critical with any ongoing case. The struggle doesn’t end here, to establish oneself as a good lawyer and build that trust to gain clients takes years of reputation building and casework.
Law is known for having a tough rigorous academic curriculum that requires critical thinking and a sharp presence of mind. It constantly urges a lawyer to keep thinking about various alternatives to a problem while maintaining a strong sense of professional ethics.
6. Quantum Mechanics
Another complicated subject in this list is Quantum Mechanics. Even though the concepts of it are all around us, we do not see it in our daily lives. It is the study of matter and energy on an atomic level. Hence, not only does it involve complex concepts of physics and math but also a series of trial and error to arrive at a solution.
Quantum Mechanics is different from your regular field of study because it mostly deals with ideas and concepts and gives them a shape through complex math. It is based on the uncertainty principle, where you are unaware of how an object is going to react in an environment.
Every other subject in the world has years of proven theory to back up its facts, which makes it a bit easier for the students to approach it. But Quantum Mechanics tries to bridge the disconnect that we have about our universe and its laws. Hence, it is a largely experimental and research-based subject that demands a lot of trial and error along with deep understanding of the laws and principles.
7. Astrophysics
As the name suggests, Astrophysics is the combined study of the complex structure of our universe along with complex maths and principles of physics. It tries to understand how various entities of our universe, several light years away, are structured and tries to predict their behavior.
Astrophysics is a challenging line since it not only combines extensive knowledge of various scientific principles but also demands a high level of accuracy. Any incorrect assumption can be fatal since it will lead to incorrect data analysis.
Apart from the highest level of precision, it also demands you to master the complex principles of physics and sometimes astrobiology. Furthermore, it is an ever-evolving concept, with discoveries made in this field quite often. As a student, you need to not only be aware but also ready to modify your study accordingly which can be a pretty challenging environment to thrive in.
8. Chartered Accountancy
Deemed as one of the toughest traditional lines of study, a Chartered Accountancy degree will enable you to become a Chartered Accountant. However, it is not as easy as it sounds since it involves a series of exams and a lot of coursework for you to cover.
The degree consists of two sets of national-level exams, one in the intermediate stage and another in the final stage, for you to become a chartered accountant. Not only does it have thousands of people sitting for the exam, but it also has a huge syllabus which will demand a lot of planning and an undying dedication from you to succeed.
The CA syllabus consists of the principles of taxation, audit, business laws, inventories, business law, and many more such intricate topics that you need to cover for you to successfully pass the exams and reach your goal.
9. Mathematics
Considering Mathematics as the toughest subject has been the age-old tradition for the students. There is no need to assert the importance of math, since all the scientific development and progress in the world has taken place owing to it. But as a subject, math couldn’t get rid of its reputation owing to its sequential learning process.
Math revolves around the concept of the abstract, which is rarely based on the real world, that makes it difficult to comprehend. Furthermore, with math there is only one correct answer and there is absolutely zero room for error, which makes learning it a difficult process.
With this subject you have to be very clear with your foundation otherwise you will never be able to grasp it and your understanding will most definitely lead to nothing. It requires you to break down complex problems in simpler steps with critical thinking and analytical skills, which might be a challenge for many students owing to anxiety and lack of positive attitude that comes with this subject.
10. Engineering
Engineering is the subject of building things, be it buildings, machines, or software. It is divided into multiple branches of study and even though it is one of the popular choices among the students, engineering is considered a hard nut to crack.
Many students consider engineering as something unattainable owing to its vast academic curriculum. It is almost a four-year-long course that focuses on not only advanced mathematical principles but on ideas of advanced physics, chemistry, and computer science too. But it is not only that, a student must have high analytical skills and a habit of precision to succeed.
But unlike any other course, the knowledge-gaining experience doesn’t end in engineering with the degree. As an engineer, one must be open to learning new things and advancing themselves throughout their entire career.
This course is known to be tough owing to all these things along with the intensely competitive job market. Furthermore, the academic pressure becomes unbearable sometimes owing to the curriculum that demands a student to know advanced-level principles of science and be indispensably precise with every step.
11. Physics
We have read about Quantum Mechanics, Astrophysics, and Engineering and seen why these subjects are considered tough. So needless to say, the basis for these subjects is going to be equally difficult to grasp and comprehend. The idea of Physics revolved around advanced mathematical concepts and rigorous problem-solving. Hence, to win over Physics one must also excel in Math, which makes it more difficult.
Physics branches out to many complex concepts like mechanics, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics and so many more streams which can be a hindrance to concluding a problem at hand. Furthermore, another major challenge with physics is it is mainly based on abstract situations, and it demands you to be precise when dealing with the abstract.
The difficulty level of physics is concerning owing to its cumulative nature, whereas as a student you have to ensure your foundation skills never fail you. But most importantly, you have to make sure that there is no gap for any error in Physics otherwise it can lead to disaster.
12. Chemistry
Traditionally, chemistry should have been the subject to be regarded as the toughest owing to its complete existence based on invisible particles. Learning about atoms and molecules and their behavior in a situation can be a challenging idea for many students owing to its abstract nature. But the struggle with chemistry doesn’t end here, it demands you to be fairly good at math to understand energy change in reactions.
To look at the bigger picture as a student, you need to be thorough with numerous elements and their behavior to succeed in this subject. Not only that, you must always be ready to recall and apply your knowledge whenever necessary, especially during intense lab sessions in nature with chemistry.
Another evident side of chemistry that adds to its tough reputation is sometimes it overlaps with other disciplines of science. As a student you are to be expected to follow all the principles and execute them with proper precision.
13. Statistics
Statistics is considered hard by many students since it can’t be taught. Surely you need to learn various formulas and arrive at a conclusion, but it relies more on your analytical and problem-solving skills to arrive at a conclusion.
Statistics is based on arriving at a logical conclusion through randomness of data and probability, which makes it tough to comprehend. Furthermore, it requires many complex formulas and computations, particularly in areas like regression analysis, which requires advanced mathematical knowledge.
Hence, statistics is a combination of abstract and probability along with concrete math, along with concepts that involve making decisions based on sample data, which is not straightforward. But most importantly there is no room for even a single error in statistics, otherwise you will be driven far away from the actual result.
14. Psychology
Psychology is the study of the human mind and a scientific analysis of its behavior along with its various processes, emotional cycle, brain function, the unconscious, and others. It is considered to be a tough subject since no individual is the same, so the conclusion in psychology arrives late compared to other subjects. Furthermore, it is a dynamic study of how the human brain reacts to the environment and various situations throughout a lifetime hence there is no end to the study of Psychology.
A student of Psychology needs to always have a research sense along with deep critical analysis, otherwise their diagnosis of a situation will falter critically. Furthermore, combining information from different studies and theories to conclude is mentally challenging.
Ethical rules, using knowledge in real-life situations, and constant new developments make psychology complex. Furthermore, understanding the human brain is complicated since there are only theories and no hard and fast one-click solution to the problem like in math or in any other subject. It needs careful scientific research and strong critical thinking, and knowledge from many fields. Without Psychology, we would have never been able to figure out the unseen, which makes it tougher and an important line of study to recon with.
15. Foreign Languages
For most people in the world, the rule of grammar in their language is a challenge so one can only imagine how difficult it is to comprehend a foreign language. Each language is built differently with different structure and nuances of grammar that makes it a very difficult idea to execute.
The idea of being bilingual or multilingual seems interesting, but it demands a lot of dedication and challenge and a ton of learning capability and memory to execute it in real life. Furthermore, every language has its accent, which needs to be accepted flawlessly by the speaker. Also, sometimes if you don’t keep practicing regularly, you will miss out on the context and will lack in your understanding of the language.
Learning a new language is tough because you need to learn complicated grammar and lots of new words, get used to different sounds, understand cultural details, and practice a lot.
Conclusion
As we were discussing in the beginning of this article, there is no tough degree per se and it is all a subjective analysis. But it is interesting to dive deep into details and see how the traditional known subjects or the new emerging ones have so many layers into them.
Always remember that as a student the subject that you don’t put effort into is always going to be tough as compared to the subject you are willing to learn and practice.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. How is the hardest degree determined by Guinness World Records?
There is no such measure implemented by the Guinness World Records to measure the subjective nature of a degree.
2. What are the key challenges of the Bachelor of Science in Architecture?
The major challenges of the Bachelor of Science in Architecture is the fast changing construction and legal environment along with new development in the field.
3. How long does it take to complete the Bachelor of Science in Architecture?
It takes five years to complete Bachelor of Science in Architecture.
4. What are the academic requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Architecture?
The academic requirements for pursuing Bachelpr of Architecture are passing 10+2 from any recognized board and cracking the NATA exam.
5. Are there any specific skills needed to pursue the Bachelor of Science in Architecture?
One must have excellent numerical and Geometrical skills to pursue the Bachelor of Science in Architecture?
6. Who are some notable graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Architecture?
Rahul Mehrotra, Hafeez Contractor, B. V. Doshi
7. How does the Bachelor of Science in Architecture compare to other challenging degrees?
The Bachelor of Science in Architecture is challenging due to its combination of technical skills, creativity, and extensive design projects, similar to other demanding degrees.
8. What career opportunities are available for graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Architecture?
The various career opportunities that one can pursue after Bachelor of Science in Architecture is Architect, Urban Planner, Construction Manager and others.
9. How can students prepare for the Bachelor of Science in Architecture program?
One can prepare for the Bachelor of Science in Architecture program by developing strong drawing and design skills, familiarizing themselves with architectural software, and studying basic principles of architecture.