<p>A lot of nice liberal arts colleges I've looked at only offer a B.A., but I want to major in Computer Science. Does it really matter if I get a B.A. instead of a B.S.? Namely, will it hurt my chances to get into a good grad school or slate me for lower-level work?</p>
<p>I'm not sure, but I have a related question. Does it look bad to get a B.A. when a B.S. is availabe in the same major?</p>
<p>It hardly matters. Nobody is going to care.</p>
<p>I don't even know what the differences are besides the names, curriculum differences?</p>
<p>Depends on the school. Mostly, the differences are results of historically based policy decisions. Many of these are arbitrary ("we only grant BA degrees!" The requirements tend to be fairly similar, and from what I've seen and read on the various threads on this site, if there's a difference at the same school, usually the BA has a few more broad, liberal arts education requirements and a few less advanced major requirements and the BS has the opposite (more advanced class requirements in the major, fewer liberal arts/broad education classes). However, it's quite possible that the curricula of students in the two different tracks end up matching up almost identically. Listen to sakky on this one.</p>
<p>It will matter little to none. I know it doesn't matter at all for medical school admission.</p>
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Does it look bad to get a B.A. when a B.S. is availabe in the same major?
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If you plan to go to grad school or be employed in that field, get the BS if it's offered. The BA will be less intensive and have more electives.</p>
<p>I second warbler.</p>
<p>BS, BSN, BSW, and BM degrees are generally considered more "professional" degrees, whereas the BA is more of a broad degree and will require additional education and specialization later on down the road (i.e., in grad school).
Look at the curriculum, but I know that our School of Business and Dept of Computer Science both offer BAs in the general areas of Business Admin and Computer Science and then further specialization (and lots more classes than the BA) in things like Accounting, Finance, etc. (I forget the ones for computer science, lol)
In addition, the BA is excellent for double-majoring since it's often a bit smaller, so if you want to specialize, go for the BS, but if you want to double major or teach, do the BA!</p>
<p>Alright, let us assume that I don't get into Carnegie Mellon or Stanford, which is a perfectly reasonable expectation. I am not really a science or math nut--in fact, I've displayed consistently better grades in English and History--and I don't particularly want to go to a full-out technical school. Huge student populations don't agree with me, so major state schools aren't a path I'd like to take either.</p>
<p>Therefore, aside from the top schools, my main avenue appears to be the standard LAC. Currently, I favor Carleton, for whatever reason. and they don't grant B.S.s Their CS program doesn't look horrible ( <a href="http://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/cs/%5B/url%5D">http://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/cs/</a> ), although I may be missing some glaring flaw. Definitely less intensive than CMU though.</p>
<p>Pending massive financial problems, I would like to attend grad school for at least an M.S.</p>
<p>Carleton is considered a very good LAC & pretty selective. Their senior thesis is pretty intensive from what I've heard from a Carleton geology grad (he loved his years there, including the thesis he said was hard work & his advisor said would have earned him a master's anywhere else).</p>
<p>Getting a BA in Computer Science from Carleton will not be a problem for you in getting admitted to grad school. When you apply to grad school they will look at your transcript and see how you did in the classes that they care about the most. Whether you have a BA or a BS won't matter. Your transcript, GPA, and GRE scores will.</p>
<p>
[quote]
BS, BSN, BSW, and BM degrees are generally considered more "professional" degrees, whereas the BA is more of a broad degree and will require additional education and specialization later on down the road (i.e., in grad school).
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</p>
<p>I still argue that it hardly matters. </p>
<p>Case in point. Berkeley offers a BA in Computer Science and a BS in EECS. Yet, the BA students actually get paid more than the BS students do. Furthermore the BA students seem to give up nothing when it comes to the quality of graduate schools they go to and the employers they get into, relative to the BS students do. I also see no evidence that these BA students required additional education and specialization. </p>
<p><a href="http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/CompSci.stm%5B/url%5D">http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/CompSci.stm</a>
<a href="http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/EECS.stm%5B/url%5D">http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/EECS.stm</a></p>
<p>Now of course, there are reasons for this. For example, some EECS students may take lower-paid EE jobs (as opposed to CS jobs). The BA CS major at Berkeley is arguably harder to get into than the BS EECS major, hence the BA students are probably better students (with better grades and better dedication). </p>
<p>But none of that takes away from the fact that simply having a BA by itself doesn't mean that you're going to be hurt, relative to those with a BS.</p>
<p>There are schools that offer your choice of BA and BS for the same major, with the BS being more strenuous, especially in regard to math background. Many schools offer no choice of degree, maybe BA only, but suggest that if you intend to go to grad school in that field then certain tracks within the major, or any any case an overload and extra math, may be advisable. Potential employers who care can always ask for a transcript.</p>
<p>Lets face it, the only reason anyone wants a BS is so they can say "I have a BS..." (BS meaning bull....)</p>
<p>I'm prouder of my A.B.</p>