BS or BA?

I just went to my college orientation and registration today and was asked to pick between Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science. I was definitely not prepared for that question, so my counselor just kinda encouraged me to do BA.

I know that each bachelor requires a different set of classes that the student must take. For instance, BA requires more of a foreign language while BS requires more math. But, in the long run, if I’m probably heading into the science field, wouldn’t it be best for me to go for a BS rather than a BA? Will having a BA restrict me from applying for certain jobs?

Thanks for any friendly insight.

If science is your direction, you are better off with the BS, since you will get much more of the quantitative courses as you discovered. Many jobs – in science and in business (like data analytics, e.g.) – are not that picky about which BS degree you have, and are looking for the quantitative courses and skills that are the foundation of all BS majors. That’s why it is common to come across job ads that specify a wide range of BS majors that can apply. For example, I have a friend who has a high level IT job with IBM, and his major was Biology. It’s the BS foundation that is key.

If you are interested in foreign languages, you can always take one as an elective while pursuing a BS. That is what my daughter is doing. On the other hand, you could go ahead and pursue the BA degree, and get a math minor or take math electives that would be the equivalent of what you would have with the BS.

If you have a particular graduate degree path you are considering, such as a PhD or MD, it is wise to go ahead and look at the admission criteria now, and see which courses they require or recommend as a background in your undergraduate studies. That might help you decide if you really need the BS or not. Also, if there are non-science jobs you were considering as backup that use quantitative skills, or conversely foreign language skills, that may also help you decide.

Do you have a major yet? That is what usually determines whether you graduate with a BA or a BS or something else. If you haven’t got a major yet, then choosing a BA or a BS track for your first year probably wont’t make much of a difference - maybe you would have both a math and a science if you are BS, but both a literature and a history if you are BA.

Look at the graduation requirements for the majors that you think you like, and choose courses for your first year that will get you ready for at least one of them.

@happymomof1 I do not have a major yet, but am interested in genetics, biology on a pre-med track, or computer science.

That looks like you could end up with a BS. You need to find out whether it matters now what category you put yourself into. For a genetics or bio major on a pre-med track, I would expect your first semester to include bio, chem, calculus, and English comp.

@happymomof1 Awesome! Thank you! Currently, I am signed up for calculus and english comp. I’m also signed up for a genetics seminar, but I will ask my adviser about bio and chem. Thanks again!

I would take some time and go through and understand the coursework that would be involved with getting a BA and a BS degree. See if one path is more appealing to you than the other. You should have time to change your mind down the road if you so choose.

It’s a good thing you like both science and computers, because science is now done with computers to a great extent. My daughter was also torn between majoring in science or computer science – she chose the former but uses computers quite a bit. In her classes and her research in different labs, she has used R, RStudio, Python, Unix, Linux, BLASTp, Chromelon, Xcalibur, VOSviewer, GLEAMviz, Excel and Docollab. So if you choose a science major, you will still be able to find plenty of opportunities to expand your computing skills.

You did not name the college, but your other posts indicate that you may be about to attend University of Wisconsin.

If you are in the University of Wisconsin College of Letters and Science, there are differences between the BA and BS general education requirements for that division. You can check them here: http://guide.wisc.edu/undergraduate/letters-science/#requirementstext

Differences at first glance:

Foreign language: BA requires 4th level (or some combination of two foreign languages), BS requires 3rd level (Nth level is Nth semester college or Nth year high school language).

Math: BS requires two additional courses beyond school’s quantitative reasoning requirement (at most one of the two may be statistics or computer science). BA requires nothing beyond school’s quantitative reasoning requirement.

Natural science: 12 credits required. BA requires at least one 3+ credit course in biological science and one 3+ credit course in physical science. BS requires at least 6 credits in each of biological and physical science.

If you were not provided any information on how the requirements for the BA and BS degrees differ, that is a failing of the advising and counseling at the school.

My kid’s BS requires 4 terms of the same foreign language. Sooooooooo much depends on the school.

But yeah, if you want to go into science…i’d do a BS. Besides, how funny is it to see “BS” after your name?

@ucbalumnus I was informed of the difference in classes, but I still don’t fully grasp the idea between BA and BS and how it’ll affect me in the future.

The degree title Bachelor of Arts versus Bachelor of Science is whatever the college decides it means. Some colleges grant only one of these types for a given major. For example, Berkeley grants Bachelor of Arts degrees in physics and math, while MIT grants Bachelor of Science degrees in history and literature.

The title of the degree really won’t matter at all. What will matter are the specific courses you take, your grades in those courses, and your related work/internship/research experience.

Anything other than a lower-level job with little chance for advancement in the sciences requires a PhD. And even a PhD is no guarantee since there is a glut (as a few minutes on the web will show you). Consequently the bar is high for meaningful jobs in the sciences.