Bachelors, I see, are pretty fundamental (5)

I believe the answer is:

basic

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'pretty fundamental' is the definition.
'basic' can be an answer for 'fundamental' (similar in meaning). I'm not certain of the 'pretty' bit.

'bachelors i see' is the wordplay.
'bachelors' becomes 'bas' (people with Bachelor of Arts degrees).
'see' becomes 'C' (the word for the letter, according to Chambers).
'bas'+'i'+'c'='BASIC'

'are' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for basic that I've seen before include "Radical" , "Key" , "Simple, unadorned" , "Popular programming language" , "Plain" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

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