I am confused as to why Berkeley only has to offer a BA in physics and not a BS. Do grad schools see a BA as worse than a BS? How come some schools offer either/or while Berkeley only offers a BA?
The degree title BA or BS does not matter.
It is a BA because all bachelor’s degrees from the College of Letters and Science are BA degrees.
So, no one considers a BS in Chemistry or Engineering more “sciencey” than a BA in Physics? Why is there a BA/BS distinction in chemistry and engineering by not physics?
For chemistry, you can do the major in either the College of Chemistry (BS degree) or College of Letters and Science (BA degree). For whatever reason, the Department of Chemistry has different requirements for the two majors:
http://chemistry.berkeley.edu/ugrad/degrees
Some other examples of majors offered in both L&S and some other division:
EECS (CoE) / CS (L&S)
IEOR (CoE) / ORMS (L&S)
MCB, IB (L&S) / GPB, MB, MEB (CNR)
Physics, math, statistics, and some other sciences are offered only in L&S.
For any given major, different colleges may offer only a BA, only a BS, or a choice of either. When there’s a choice, the BS typically has more science course requirements than the BA.