I finnished my Bachelors in CJ, the degree says Bachelors of Arts, whats the diff. between a BA or a BS in Criminal Justice?????????
I think the difference depends on the school. Here at UF we have a BS and BA in Computer Science. I think the only difference was a math class or two.
If you pursue a degree in one of the natural sciences, then there is often a difference between a BA and a BS (usually in the number and type of math/science courses required). For disciplines outside of the natural sceince, there tends to be no practical difference. As edowave pointed out, the degree name depends on the preference of the school that is offering it. My father received a BS in criminal justice and I am certain that his curriculum was probably similar to your BA degree. Tony Pina Northeastern Illinois University
Really? According to whom? Outside of the "hard sciences", I have never seen anything in the research literature or in practice that would suggest the superiority of a BS degree over a BA degree. Tony Pina Administrator, Northeastern Illinois University
What does the person with the BA say to the person with the BS at Starbucks? How would you like your coffee?
It was explained to me a long time ago that a B.A. required more liberal arts requirements than a B.S. I have no idea if that is true.
I think it depends on the college. My wife's roommate in college had an option when she graduated: graduate with a BA in finance or a BS in finance. The only difference was that the BS would have cost her more. Sounds strange, but this was from a well respected B&M college in Pennsylvania. I actually don't think it matters whether you graduate with a BA or a BS. They are both bachelors degrees. I do think it matters when it comes to applying to certain jobs. I work in a science/engineering field...a BS looks better in my field. I doubt that would be the case if I were to apply to jobs that are non-science/engineering.
Often times it is a preference of the school. Some institutions only offered a BA in all subjects. I believe that Oxford still offers a BA in Engineering Science after three years and an MEng after four. The degree of BA is an old degree. There probably was a time when ALL degrees were offered as BA's. In terms of tradition and respect, a BA is much more worthy than a BS or BSc. Nowadays, it depends on the country. In the US, you can get a BS in almost all subjects, even history! In Canada, for example, BS is reserved for hards sciences (physics, chemistry, etc...) and BA is reserved for the liberals (history, political science, etc...) HOWEVER, even in Canada, you can get a BA in Mathematics or Physics. It's just that there is less concentration in the field and more liberal courses taken. Which one it better? It depends on what you want to do. If you want to be a politician, lawyer, philosopher, librarian or just a well-rounded person, a BA would probably serve the purpose. Hard scientists, engineers, accountants would probably be served better by a BS. There are probably more rich people with a BA than a BS... ;-)
