Difference between B.A and B.S.?

The major I want to take, Speech Language Pathology (SLP) is offered in different colleges as either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science (BA or BS) and i was just wondering what the difference is between them, and if one is necessarily ‘better’ than the other?

Also I would like to apply to all the CSU (California State University) schools, but the ones I would like to get into the most are CSUN and SDSU. My gpa is at a 4.35 and my SAT score is a 1280 (600 = reading // 680 = Math). I understand that my SAT score is relatively lacking, so if you guys also have any advice that would be great too :).

Bachelor of Art vs Bachelor of Science. There isn’t a better or worse but if a major is offered with options for both, the B.S. will have more math. Econ is sometimes offered as two curriculums at the same school and the more math intensive one is a B.S.

Normally a BS is more applied and a BA is more theoretical. You should consider what you want to do and see which one might match your career goals better.

If both BA and BS are offered at the same college, you can compare the differences in curricular requirements. If the major is subject to external accreditation, it is also possible that one but not the other has the external accreditation.

If they are at different colleges, then the degree title difference does not indicate any curricular difference you can assume. To check on curricular differences, you need to look at each college’s requirements specifically.

@ucbalumnus I’m not disagreeing with you, but I guess I was operating under the assumption that within the CSU system the differences between BS and BA degrees in the same field would be uniform across all campuses.

The real answer is that there’s no uniform difference between the BS and the BA across universities and colleges. You need to look at the required curriculum to determine that for the SPECIFIC department in which you are interested. You’re comparing across schools, so don’t worry about the letters so much.

Sometimes, not always, particularly in math-heavy majors. Many math-heavy majors that offer both a BS and a BA will require the same amount of math, but sometimes the BS requires more upper-level classes or a specific concentration.

Not necessarily. At many colleges and universities the BS is more theoretical/research-based and the BA is targeted towards students who plan to enter the workforce/is more applied. It completely depends on the college.

Addressing your chances for SDSU/CSUN:

Cal States accept by major and Eligibility index. (Exception is SLO)

EI= (CSU/UC GPA x 800) + (SAT Math + CR). A high CSU GPA can make up for a lower SAT score.

That said, calculate your CSU/UC GPA (capped weighted): https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
Then plug in your stats to get your EI (Eligibility index).

If you are in the local service area for SDSU or CSUN, you are given priority and your EI threshold for acceptance can be lower than out of area applicants.

http://www.calstate.edu/sas/onestopkiosk/documents/CSULocalAdmission-ServiceAreas.pdf

You want a 4200+ EI for SDSU to be competitive. For CSUN, around a 3700+ EI is competitive.