When referring to angles, spell out “degrees” (as for any other unit):

The tower at Pisa has a tilt of more than 5 degrees

For temperature, use °C

Ethanol boils at 79 °C

For latitude and longitude use ° (closed up to the numeral)

Switzerland lies at latitude 47° north

(note the lower case for north – or south, east or west)

To make a degree (°) symbol on a Mac or a PC, use the key combination Alt-Shift-8 or Alt-0176.