Is a B.S. in Biology alone is almost just as useless as a B.A. in Humanities alone?

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
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<p>I actually posted this thread before in another forum, but would like to see the responses from the perspective of more science majors.</p>

<p>Here's what I posted:</p>

<p>It's a common discussion about how useless liberal arts degrees are in itself, but what about science degrees in itself? I'm not talking about Engineering or Nursing degrees, but I'm talking about JUST a bachelor's degree in Biology, Physics, Chemistry, etc.</p>

<p>Most people assume that when you are a science major, you will go on to graduate school in Medicine, Pharmacy, Optometry, etc. Meanwhile, people also assume if you are a liberal arts major, you will not go on to graduate school, meaning you are stuck with just a B.A. in liberal arts.</p>

<p>So my question is, if a science major chose to not attend graduate school, would having the B.S. just be as powerless as solely having the B.A.? From what I've observed in my personal experience, those that graduate with just B.A. degrees with no post graduate plans either become teachers in humanities or work administrative office jobs. The exceptional few with ties and connections get better jobs.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, those that graduate with just B.S. degrees with no post graduate plans either become teachers in sciences or work entry level lab technician jobs that pay a similar rate to those lowly administrative office jobs.</p>

<p>Ultimately, can I conclude that for MOST people, but not all, that a B.S. in Biology or sciences alone is almost as valuable as a B.A. in humanities? This does not include professional bachelor degrees, such as Engineering, Accounting, etc.</p>

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<p>Right, with the exception of certain professional/vocational degrees that require licensure after graduation ( ie, CPA, RN, professional engineer). And, even degrees like accounting, engineering and nursing require a masters degree to move up in their respective careers. So in short, you should choose a degree based on the career you want to pursue, because you might have to go on to graduate or even a professional school to stay relevant…</p>

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<p>

And possibly get a job in a science lab at some college/high school where he/she has the opportunity to boss the future premeds around to boost his/her own ego – unless this is a job that he/she really does not need to have in order to support his/her family due to his/her socioeconomic status.</p>

<p>At least the situation is better than what it was centuries ago, when the education was reserved for the rich and powerful, possibly for the purpose of enriching their lives only (that is, they did not need the education to do their jobs; in fact, it was looked down upon in the high society they lived in, if they needed to have a job “in trade”), and there was essentially no ladder for people to climb up in the society. We have progressed a long way. — But with the education cost rising in the public education sectors recently, it appears we go backward a little bit because the poor are priced out of the education market, or they are steered toward the vocational track that does not demand too much investment in $ and time (e.g., engineering, nursing, or accounting.)</p>

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<p>IMO, it’s all relative. A liberal arts degree – which include the sciences – is just a ticket to get in the door. Unlike Engineering or biz, employers aren’t banging down the doors looking for liberal arts majors. The issue is that there are a gazillion of science majors, particularly bio, chasing those lab jobs. But at least there are labs jobs to aspire to; no such thing exists for French Lit majors.</p>

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<p>^ It is likely true. The wife of a previous coworker was an English major in College. He said it is almost impossible for her to find a teaching job in the city, due to the fact that there is too much supply but too little demand. </p>

<p>On the other hand, it is relatively easier for a science or math major to land a teaching job when the job market is relatively not bad.</p>

<p>In a wealthy school district here, they pay a lower salary but still can recruit teachers with an MS or even a PhD degree to teach. (They boast all of their newly recruited teachers have at east an MS degree.) </p>

<p>Nobody wants to teach kids from a “mess-up” school district so that the school district needs to pay a higher salary but still in general recruits less qualified teachers. The concern is not only about the pay , but also about the working environment (e.g., what kinds of kids or their families they need to deal with.)</p>

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<p>My neighbor has two sons. Both graduated from Yale. The older brother graduated with a biology degree and got into Johns Hopkins. After 9-10 years of hard work, he just got a job as a radiologist earning about 3/4 of the salary attained by his younger brother (only 4 years with a private equity firm after college) with an economics degree. He complained to his father about his poor judgement and guidance. In this case, an MD degree is less useful than a BA degree. Now, some of you extremely talented Pre-meds may feel the pain someday. ;)</p>

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<p>Um, a B.A. in humanities does not mean no grad school. Tons of humanities majors go to law school, med school, etc. And similar to the situation the above poster mentioned, a B.A. in humanities from a school like Yale can end up on Wall Street doing finance, consulting, etc.</p>

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<p>Depends on the science. Biology and chemistry tend to have poor job and career prospects at the bachelor’s level; math, physics, statistics, and computer science generally do a lot better.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/internships-careers-employment/1121619-university-graduate-career-surveys.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/internships-careers-employment/1121619-university-graduate-career-surveys.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>(Also, Bachelor of Arts versus of Science is school dependent. For example, UC Berkeley grants Bachelor of Arts degrees to all who graduate with bachelor’s degrees in math, physics, and statistics, while MIT grants Bachelor of Science degree to all who graduate with bachelor’s degrees in history.)</p>

<p>(Also, “liberal arts” properly includes science as well as humanities and social studies.)</p>

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<p>

I was thinking the same. All of my fellow geology majors are gainfully employed and very happy. A MS opens more doors these days, but it’s definitely possible to get by with just a BS.</p>