<p>I know people usually get BA's and was wondering what the difference was between these degrees; does the BA usually look better (on a resume or whatever) or is there no perceived difference? I thought a BS was for sciences, but Bio majors get BA's in my college, and Chem, Physics and Comp Sci offer a BA or BS, depending on what the student chooses. My major is the only one that only allows the BS degree (it's not technical/pre-professional). Why would something so technical and specialized like Comp Sci get an Arts degree? I think I'd prefer to get the BA degree but is there even a difference in how the two degrees are perceived? I'm guessing in the real world no one cares, they're both just bachelor's degrees, but I was wondering what the difference is. In some places Journalism or Business also get the BS, but I guess that's since they're pre-professional.</p>
<p>haha and please don't make any obvious jokes about a "bs degree" being something like communications or sports management :]</p>
<p>The distinction depends precisely on the school.</p>
<p>Some perceive that the BS is more intellectually demanding; however, a large company will know very well that there are schools that award “BA” for all disciplines, as well three that award “BS” for all disciplines.</p>
<p>There are also many other notations, including letters to distinguish engineers.</p>
<p>^ that’s what I thought, that a BS was like a “technical” degree…so does it look bad having a BS if you want to go to Grad school? I know the BA is generally perceived as being better/more difficult or whatever. I don’t know why Comp Sci majors get the option of having a BA and i can’t, that’s annoying.</p>
<p>But it doesn’t make that much of a difference, right? Grad schools don’t “look down” on the BS?</p>
<p>BS graduates generally take a most standard, proven route through their major, making them more cookie cutter but more versatile graduates in their degree field. BA graduates tend to have more leeway in their course of study because there are fewer required courses. this can lead to a lower quality graduate because of being spread out too far, or because of taking fewer relevent/rigorous courses. conversely, a BA can allow for greater specialization.</p>
<p>that being said, it seems to me like those pursuing graduate studies are more likely to get a BA, while those wanting to go directly into their field go for the BS more often.</p>
<p>i’m pursuing a BA in econ right now, and dont have any specifically required econ courses for either my 3rd or 4th years. this is through the college of liberal arts. if i had pursued a BS, it would be through the business school, and i would have specific economics courses required, as well as other business related courses like accounting and finance.</p>
<p>this is my impression. it might be different depending on where you go. the earning differences between one and the other are nominal.</p>
<p>I’m not worried about the earning differences, it’s just i’m applying to Grad school which will be selective, and I’m wondering if Grad admissions prefers to see the BA? Does it look bad having a BS if you want a Masters/PhD? And I did take a bunch of classes outside my major, including gen ed requirements and some electives (but not many cause I don’t have much room in my schedule) and I squeezed a minor in which was hard to fit (related to my major but a different field). Would this make my classes look less specialized and more well rounded?</p>
<p>@RileyJohn - what is incorrect thing I said, and can you please correct it? thanks</p>
<p>A lot of times, you must fulfill more, or different requirements to get a B.S. You would probably take more classes relating to your major and less gen-ed type classes. A B.A. would offer a more well-rounded education, while a BS concentrates more specifically on your major. A lot of times, BS degrees are perceived as more demanding, and there will be jobs that specify they want BS degrees only. I think grad schools would take either one - but I don’t know why you would think that they would look DOWN on a BS. What is your major?</p>
<p>^ because i’ve heard the BA is better for academia/grad school whereas the BS is more preprofessional or technical, and even on this thread people mentioned the BS is for those going into the workforce rather than grad school…plus in general people seem to be more impressed by the BA and it’s what most people get in college, it’s more of the standard degree everyone gets. Also, all the other science majors can get a BA so I don’t see why I can’t, even Comp Sci which is so specialized and technical…and I’m studying neuro/genetics which are fields of Bio, and Bio majors aren’t allowed to get the BS which makes me more confused. Well I’ll just ask my advisor when I see her in a couple days and she can fill me in. It sounds like there’s basically no perceived difference between the two, which is good…I hope Grad schools don’t really care.</p>
<p>You probably only can get the BS because your major is so specific. The biology major at your school must be less specific and not have enough major related requirements to earn a BS degree. You probably have to take the classes they do, plus more specific science ones, which is why it would make sense that you would get a B.S. degree. Where did you hear that BA is more for academia? I’ve never heard that… after all, if you are going into graduate school, you are going into a SPECIFIC field and a B.S. would show that you had a more specific education related to that field. I mean, mostly, I think schools won’t discriminate or look down on either one, as long as your GPA and other things are good… but since BS is deemed more “demanding” it would make no sense that graduates schools would look down on that. What type of field are you looking into? My sister got a BS and went to the top school for her field, so I don’t think that the schools care.</p>
<p>Also, I think you need to understand that more people who go to graduate school have BAs because… BAs may need to go to graduate school to enter a more specific field. For example, if you are a English or History major… where do you go after school? A lot of people then go to graduate school because they want to become lawyers, get a MBA, etc. People who want to go into more “science-y” areas can often find a job that fits their degree, so that’s why they might not go to graduate school as often. Still, a lot do…</p>
<p>haha malibu…my brother like made the same joke when I asked him :]</p>
<p>thanks Dissonance, that makes sense…but I didn’t know the BS was more demanding, just more specialized. As long as Grad schools don’t care, I don’t really care either. I’m interested in the neuro field, probably neurogenetics…so I guess having a more specialized degree can’t hurt, especially since most people applying to that have backgrounds in Bio or Chem which are more generalized.</p>
<p>and I think “flexible coursework” sounds kind of nice. I wish I had more electives in college.</p>
<p>I never realized how many people go on CC, like hundreds have looked at this thread in the past hour or so which is weird because it’s so late. G’night lurkers.</p>
<p>Haha, I’m getting a BS in Business Administration and a BA in Sociology. Have both of my bases covered xD But yeah, my Sociology degree has A LOT of flexibility. I have like 30 classes to choose from and I need to take like 8 or something to get my degree. For business, I have 10 classes. Of those 10, I think I get to choose 4, which are for my concentration (everyone is a business administration major. Finance, marketing, etc are our concentrations, lol).</p>
<p>I’ve read on various state universities’ websites that B.A.s are recommended if one plans on continuing study in graduate school.</p>
<p>I was also going to throw out there that “business” degrees like Economics usually differ between B.A. and B.S. by which school (within the university) that you receive your degree from, School of Liberal Arts (B.A.) vs. School of Business (B.S.). I’ve looked at the required courses for both tracks and B.A. is less specialized, has more Gen. Ed. requirements, etc. while B.S. required the typical business school courses that are required for all students to take pursuing degrees in the business school and are more specialized.</p>