Whats the difference between BA and BS?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Whats the difference between BA and BS? Which do I pick as my degree objective? I'm going in undecided, does that matter for choosing BA/BS?</p>

2

<p>Both are bachelor’s degrees… Generally, the BA is awarded for majors which aren’t specifically vocational (humanities, pure social sciences, pure natural sciences), while the BS is awarded for a more technical focus on the (sometimes same) major. For example, even a major in the humanities at many schools (West Point, MIT, etc.) culminates in a BS degree because of the required science/engineering curriculum. The BA generally requires more electives, while the BS generally requires more major-specific courses.</p>

<p>Also, the BS and the BA degrees aren’t the only Bachelor’s degrees offered… there are also BM, BLA, BBA, BArch, etc.</p>

3

<p>okay thanks for the clarification. Do you know which one I should choose? Since I’m going in Undecided.</p>

4

<p>You need to look at the what the college/university offers. Some only offer a BA no matter how technical the program is, some offer only BA programs in the liberal arts and only BS programs in the sciences, and others offer the choice of either a BA or BS in the scientific fields depending on how many science courses the student completes.</p>

5

<p>Within the same majors I don’t know of any employer who differentiates between a BS and a BA in hiring.</p>

6

<p>Whether the bachelor’s degree is “of Arts” or “of Science” is of no importance compared to the major and the content of the major.</p>

<p>In most cases, the degree title is associated with the major. In some cases, a school will offer an option of a BA or BS in some majors. If that is the case, then you have to check the actual degree requirements for each version of the major to see which is preferable to you. In a few cases where the school admits students by major, it is possible for the BA and BS to have different levels of selectivity.</p>