<p>Hello,</p>
<p>I am interested in pursuing a degree in Biology. I am in a regional, tier 2 college currently - finishing my general education requirements.</p>
<p>My two choices are Bachelor of Arts vs Bachelor of Science in Biology..</p>
<p>Does it truly matter WHICH type of Bachelors degree I go for (BA vs BS), or do most employers and graduate schools like to see that you have a great gpa, ranked high in your graduating class and worked towards something that you finished and achieved?</p>
<p>What is the difference in course work between the two degrees?</p>
<p>Biology does not have the greatest of job and career prospects, according to <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/internships-careers-employment/1121619-university-graduate-career-surveys.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/internships-careers-employment/1121619-university-graduate-career-surveys.html</a> .</p>
<p>i always thought biology was meant to prepare you for the next big thing, med school.</p>
<p>in B.A. you have slightly different coursework. it varies in which you take a couple history courses</p>
<p>In the US, there are way more biology majors graduating than there are spaces in medical school admission classes. And no particular undergraduate major is required for medical school.</p>
<p>I am not even wanting to work in the Bio field. The school I am attending just has a good biology program and it’s been my only interest at my college, also - I am doing good in my science courses. In my opinion and it’d be more convenient for me to get a BA in Biology than it would a BS in Bio, since I am potentially half way throughout the program’s requirements and won’t have to take a semester more of courses to catch up.</p>
<p>I wanted to use the Bio degree to go to Law School, Pharmacy, or MBA… so it’s just a stepping stone. Is this a good plan?</p>
<p>Law school: get high LSAT and GPA, regardless of major.
MBA: get good work experience – may be tough with a biology degree.</p>
<p>"I am not even wanting to work in the Bio field. The school I am attending just has a good biology program and it’s been my only interest at my college, also - I am doing good in my science courses. In my opinion and it’d be more convenient for me to get a BA in Biology than it would a BS in Bio, since I am potentially half way throughout the program’s requirements and won’t have to take a semester more of courses to catch up.</p>
<p>I wanted to use the Bio degree to go to Law School, Pharmacy, or MBA… so it’s just a stepping stone. Is this a good plan?"</p>
<p>NO. Stay far, I repeat, FAR AWAY from majoring in Bio.</p>
<p>How come stay far away from Bio? if you don’t mind me asking</p>
<p>The job prospects for any iteration of bio and chem are terrible. You will be fighting for a temp lab jerk job for $15-20 an hour with no benefits at all and no chance at career growth. There have been a ton of threads on this. Bio and Chem BS is only good as a stepping stone for professional school or business school otherwise it is nearly as useless as a ____-American Studies BA.</p>
<p>As a biology major I must say that the main reason why people major in it is because of medical school. I’m a pre med student as well, but I love biology and thats the thing that counts. If you don’t have any interest in med school, lab work, or any health profession, then a bio major really wouldn’t help you in other carriers. HOWEVER, most employers take into consideration what you majored in, even if it was nothing to do with the job you applied for. A bio major could be a challenge for most people as I have seen. More then half the students in my bio class dropped out because they couldn’t handle the work. I think somewhere on a side note I saw that the top grossing jobs, most of them are health related profession that are heavily centered in biology. But in no way is a bio major as useless as an American studies BA as the previous post stated</p>
<p>Really tell that to all these people. </p>
<p>[Bachelors</a> degree in Biology, what can you do with it? - Career Advice | Indeed.com](<a href=“http://www.indeed.com/forum/gen/Career-Advice/Bachelors-degree-Biology-can-you-do-it/t132436]Bachelors”>http://www.indeed.com/forum/gen/Career-Advice/Bachelors-degree-Biology-can-you-do-it/t132436)</p>
<p>Everyone who didn’t get into Med school is competing for jobs with their BioS BS. There are not many jobs available for BioS BS and a lot of the ones that their are actually prefer chem majors as they tend to have better lab equipment and quantitative skills.</p>
<p>So basically, even if it keeps me an extra semester of work throughout the summer semester, I should go for the BS - not the BA in Biology?</p>
<p>You say that biology is the only area that is really interesting you; yet you have no interest in a bio type job? This seems a bit odd- if you want to go to pharm school you ought to enjoy chemistry as well- same thing with any other area of interest vs studying it at a grad level. What is your motivation for studying those subjects at the grad level?</p>
<p>If you are looking at pharm school, definitely get the B.S. The B.A. will likely just have less math/science requirements and more humanities or liberal arts courses- which are never as useful, and definitely not for pharmacy school. Not sure about the MBA.</p>
<p>And regarding the pessimism about chem/bio degrees, the above poster has a point regarding general graduates. The life sciences indeed seem to have poor job prospects for the average student; and there are many students in these programs- many are seeking professional school without any true interest in the undergrad major. With so many grads, it is quite competitive. The successful graduate/job applicant stands out and is more competitive.</p>
<p>Have you considered going into environmental science or conservation?</p>
<p>Let me know what you think about the other post I made - in regards to switching Biology degree programs:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/other-college-majors/1262166-switching-degree-programs.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/other-college-majors/1262166-switching-degree-programs.html</a></p>
<p>Unless you are planning to go into professional school, don’t get a BS. </p>
<p>Keep in mind, doctors, veterinarians and dentists have extremely depressing jobs. These are also the only jobs that pay back in a decent amount of time (vets excluded because you won’t make the money back on your schooling alone). The amount of lawsuits alone will bankrupt most fledgling medical professionals. You get sued for a lot of things. Bad prescriptions, incorrect setting of limbs, tripping on the way out of the medical office, or even if the baby they just gave birth to has a defect of any sort- blame it on the medical professionals (private sector only, public and military not included here). Thanks to hollywood, we have this odd mindset about the sciences being huge paying jobs, but in reality, everyone starts at ~$15-20 an hour. That’s still pretty good. It’s above salary wages, and it’s better than sitting in a day care or on a production line. </p>
<p>If you want to get into research, a BA will get you there. If you want to get into professional school- BS is the only way to go. They won’t even look at BA’s these days. You will have to take physics and calculus for a BS, and those are GPA killers. </p>
<p>Grad schools might help too, but these days they are the same repetitive classes on steroids. Also, they love to turn away anyone who’s ever made a D in any subject. </p>
<p>The sciences aren’t for everyone, so you really have to love what you are doing to get into them. Have an idea of what you love, where you want to go, and talk to people about how to get there. It might not be the path you thought to take (or what money grabbing schools tell you to take). </p>
<p>There are jobs in the biological sciences, just not where you think to look. every farm industry, medical producer, and zoological association needs people. even pharmaceuticals need people to make drugs, and you’d be on an assembly line essentially, but you’d get paid upwards of $30 an hour. Which is a lot if you work the numbers. And you have little chance of lawsuits, so you keep the money!</p>