Heading north, graduate gripped compass (5)
I believe the answer is:
ambit
'compass' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'heading north graduate gripped' is the wordplay.
'heading north' shows that the letters should be reversed in order (in a down clue, letters go up).
'graduate' becomes 'MA' (abbreviation for Master of Arts).
'gripped' becomes 'bit' (biting is a kind of gripping).
'ma' in reverse letter order is 'am'.
'am'+'bit'='AMBIT'
(Other definitions for ambit that I've seen before include "Compass, scope" , "Scope or confines" , "round" , "Circumference" , "Scope, extent, or bounds of something" .)