Double B.A. or B.S?

I’m a current chemistry (B.S.) major at a fairly-rigorous research university (think top public ivy) and would like to go on to graduate school to pursue physical or computational chemistry. I’ve come to the realization that 1.) I really like physics and 2.) I dislike a lot of the classes required for my chemistry B.S., especially the lab component. I’m highly considering switching to a double B.A. in both chemistry and physics.The chemistry department at my school doesn’t offer many physical chemistry courses and a BA allows for much more schedule flexibility but I’m worried graduate schools (or jobs if I don’t get into any) will look down on a B.A. I have considered doing a B.S. in chemistry and a B.A. in physics but it would require me to graduate a semester late and I don’t have enough money for that. Advice?

Check the graduate programs to see what undergraduate course work they expect.

Here is a list of the ten undergraduate institutions that produce the most PhDs in physical sciences, on a per-capita basis:

  1. Caltech
  2. MIT
  3. Reed
  4. New Mexico Tech
  5. Carleton
  6. Rice
  7. Chicago
  8. Wabash
  9. Grinnell
  10. Princeton

Five of those (Reed, Carleton, Wabash, Grinnell, and Princeton) only confer BA degrees in physics or chemistry.

http://www.thecollegesolution.com/the-colleges-where-phds-get-their-start/

My guess is that you have dual BAs in physics and chemistry from a top public, with strong grades and GRE scores, that grad schools will perceive you as a competitive candidate. The worst case is that you will have missed a handful of undergraduate classes that you would have taken in a BS program, and in that case they will simply have you make them up in grad school.

The biggest missing components in a B.A. in physics are likely the second semester of quantum mechanics and electrodynamics sequences. If you have those in your B.A. then you will not be at a disadvantage in a graduate program. The elective physics courses are less important.