<p>Okay, I've held off asking for advice as long as possible (both here and from my school) and tried to figure things out on my own, but I give in. Please give any advice!</p>
<p>Here's my situation. I'm a second-semester sophomore at my school. Right now I just switched back to double-majoring in International Relations and Criminal Justice after just doing IR for last semester and switching to just CJ for the first little bit of this one. I'm pretty set on these; I love them both and have not been able to decide between them, so despite the fact that they are pretty unrelated to each other, I'd prefer to keep both. I did not plan my classes well for the first two years of school, so I'm resigned to taking another three to graduate, especially because I intend on studying abroad in South Korea next winter. Anyways, my school offers a choice between a BA in Criminal Justice and a BS in Criminal Justice. The only difference is that the BA requires a third-semester proficiency in a foreign language (completed, I took Japanese until this semester) and the BS requires a statistics class and two CJ research classes. So I'm set there for the BA while the BS would add three classes on, but I was just wondering if it would look better on a resume to go for the BS since I'm already getting a BA in IR. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I am also very interested in these 2 subjects - I ended up majoring in international relations and economics instead, but sometimes I wish I did CJ instead of economics. Anyways, these two disciplines actually can be quite related, especially if you are interested in law enforcement/intelligence analysis. If I were you, I’d do the BS with just the extra 3 classes. For jobs, a greater statistical/research background is only going to help you (especially since CJ/IR tend to be very qualitative subjects). Of course - if this means that you have to take an extra semester past 5 years of college, I’d just stick with the BA. Just my opinion, good luck!</p>
<p>^Agreed. The BS is more rigorous and better prep, but it’s ultimately a practical decision as well.</p>
<p>Be careful if you’re double majoring. A lot of schools have requirements that the two majors be in the same degree (i.e. both BA or both BS) or else tack on extra requirements. (There was a thread about this on here just the other day if you want to go find it…)</p>
<p>I would maybe ask some professors in the field if there’s a huge difference. Will a BA restrict the kind of work you’re able to do or will a BS just look better for getting jobs, therefore not really mattering once you’ve had a few years of experience? If the BS opens more job options for the rest of your career, I would say go for it. But if its just a way to draw attention to your resume, I don’t think it will matter all that much in the long run so don’t go for it if it’s going to cause a lot of undue stress and an added semester of school, when you could be gaining valuable experience!</p>