The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 3 plus 5 letter word MAGNA CUM LAUDE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
M
A
G
N
A
C
U
M
L
A
U
D
E
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "degree citation" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case degree citation = magna cum laude.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.