Following degree study fear (5)
I believe the answer is:
dread
'fear' is the definition.
(I know that fear can be written as dread)
'following degree study' is the wordplay.
'following' says to put letters next to each other.
'degree' becomes 'd' (abbreviation for the degree in measuring angles).
'study' becomes 'read' (synonyms).
'd' next to 'read' is 'DREAD'.
(Other definitions for dread that I've seen before include "Affright" , "Disquiet" , "Get cold feet" , "quail" , "Fear - dire" .)