<p>What is the difference between a BA degree and a BS degree?</p>
<p>Thanks for anyone that responds.</p>
<p>BA or BS Degree?
A psychology major may choose to obtain either a Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) or a Bachelor of Science degree (BS). The psychology faculty recommends the BA for most students. </p>
<p>The BA degree is a liberal arts degree. It provides general knowledge in many fields and emphasizes intellectual skills such as thinking, problem solving, reasoning, and judgment. The primary goal of a liberal arts degree is not to prepare the student for a specific job but to develop an educated citizen, the traditional objective of a college education. </p>
<p>The general knowledge, intellectual skills, and values that come from a broad liberal arts education are valuable for a lifetime. The liberal arts orientation of the BA degree compliments the student's knowledge of psychology. </p>
<p>The BS degree is narrower and more specialized than the BA, emphasizing mathematics, science, and computer skills. It is most appropriate for students planning research careers in areas of psychology requiring a strong background in mathematics and the sciences. Neuroscience, cognitive psychology, learning, and perception are examples of such areas. </p>
<p>However, even for students headed for research intensive careers in these areas, the BA degree supplemented by selected science and mathematics courses can be the best overall choice. Psychology advisors can help with decisions in individual cases.
<a href="http://psych.uaa.alaska.edu/undergrad/ba%5Fvs%5Fbs/index.htm%5B/url%5D">http://psych.uaa.alaska.edu/undergrad/ba%5Fvs%5Fbs/index.htm</a></p>
<p>BA stands for Bachelor of the Arts, BS stands for Bachelor of the Sciences. Different majors will get you either a BA or a BS. There are some majors, like comp sci in certain colleges, where you can choose to get either a BA or a BS. Sometimes they are exactly the same, sometimes each entails different course requirements. For example, in Cornell, if you get a BA in Comp Sci, it will include more humanities courses, while a BS would include more science/tech courses. As for how each would look to potential employers, I really don't know.</p>
<p>i asked this same questino sometime ago, and i was told that while there're slight differences beween the two (whehter you're more inclined towards science or arts), employers don't really care.</p>
<p>At most colleges there isn't much difference between the two. At my university, the BA required an extra semester of foreign language and the BS required one more math/science course.</p>
<p>I'm an employer in the sciences & engineering, & we prefer a BS for our entry-level hires, because it means that a larger science load was taken.</p>
<p>One guideline:</p>
<p>BA = that's your first degree and you will be pursuing a Master's, Doctorate's, or Professional degree</p>
<p>BS = that's going to be your only degree and then you're out in the workforce</p>
<p>^not true at all..both a BA and BS degree can be used to pursue a Master's Doctorate's, or Professional Degree...</p>
<p>For example, I am a biology major (BS), and I will be pursuing an MD degree in medical school. However, if I was in a liberal arts college pursuing a BA degree in say English, I could still go to medical school and receive an MD and become a doctor.</p>
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One guideline:</p>
<p>BA = that's your first degree and you will be pursuing a Master's, Doctorate's, or Professional degree</p>
<p>BS = that's going to be your only degree and then you're out in the workforce
Hecatonchires is offline
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<p>meh....a BS will open more graduate school doors keep that in mind</p>
<p>I can't imagine any scenario where a BA would be more respected then a BS if both are offered. 4.0 BS might look better then a 4.0 BA to grad school adcoms also.</p>