BA or BS, which one and why?

What is the differance between a BA and a BS, to get, and in the real world afterward?

Dave

KC7WGB

 

Certain universities have programs where you can earn either a BA or BS in a particular subject. The difference lies mainly in the required coursework. Otherwise, there is no difference at all between the two types of degrees.

This also applies to the MA vs. MS and--in the field of education--to the Ph.D. vs. Ed.D. There is no difference between these degrees. It is really a matter of which degree the institution prefers to offer.

Tony

 

rarely a functional difference

I agree that there is really not much functional difference between a BS and a BA in the same subject.
Usually the college will have some differences in course requirements for the BA vs BS. But those are usually fairly insignificant.
My undergraduate degree is a BS in Human Development. I do think BS sounds better than BA. I almost had a dual major receiving a BS in HD and a BA in mathematics. But I got to graduate in 3 years in human development. My daughter managed to get a BS in chemistry and a BA in biology. She would have had to take two different courses in each major for arts vs science. With the trouble she had schedualing she could not have gotten a bs biology and take the chemistry she wanted.
My position on the doctoral level is that the differences between and EdD and a PhD in education may in some cases be significant. When you look at course requirements, schools offering both usually make the Ph.D. involve more research and the EdD more practical. From the dissertations I've seen the education PhD appears to be more theoretical and the EdD appears to be more practical. If one publishes a great deal it may not end up being a significant difference over a career. But it may be a factor just starting out. Also a few EdD programs are for practicing administrators and the level of research is fairly low.
All the best!

 

This way, if one has a BA and another a BS (which we call BSc) in the same subject, the explanation lies in the faculty in which one registered in the first year.

Opherus

 

In some schools, the difference between a BA and a BS is in the math and sciences requirements. In others, the difference might be in the amount of elective credit allowed. In others still, it depends on the major, with BA's going to "softer" subjects like fine arts or social sciences, and BS's to "harder" ones like natural sciences or math.

I would be disinclined to receive a BA in a science or engineering, unless the schools' rep was really good. I would be concerned that people might perceive that I didn't take enough science and math courses. But that's a personal feeling, not one I can back up. And I don't think it matters all too much.

Story: When I was taking my MBA at National, I was transferred by the Air Force at short notice to Texas. There was no way I could complete my degree at NU in time. In fact, I was going to be three classes short. And I couldn't take them with another university in Texas to transfer them back to National because I'd already transferred in the maximum credits allowed at the beginning of my program. Their solution was to move me to the less-demanding M.A. in Business degree and award that. (At the time, the MBA and M.A. had the same 9 core classes; the M.A. required 3 electives, the MBA required 6.) I instead applied for a waiver, pleading my case as both someone serving his country and someone who would be a positive spokesperson for the university in my future activities in higher education. Waiver approved. Additional transfer credit allowed. MBA awarded. The point: I didn't want an M.A. in a subject where the MBA was normally expected. I don't think it would matter to me today, but it sure did when I was 24! I suspect the same to be true in the BA/BS question. It probably matters more right after graduation and almost not at all once you're established in your career.

(BTW: My bachelor's in business is a B.S. My bachelor's with a concentration is a B.A.--the B.S. was also available to me but I chose the B.A.)

 

At my undergrad (a Cal State University), many (but not all) of the science degrees could be taken as either BA or BS; the BA degree had less core requirements, and more electives than the BS. The purpose of the BA in biology, chemistry, mathematics, etc., was to allow people who wanted to become teachers to take a science degree but still have some breadth to their program. I guess you could also use it to simplify a second major in a dual-major program.

Interestingly enough, at my school, it took less units to get a BA than a BS in the same subject. The school did not offer a BA in physics or computer science, although it did offer BA's in the other science fields, and did not offer a BA in any engineering field.

 

From a UK perspective there's no real difference at all.

I think the difference may also reflect more the ethos and maybe history of the school/university.

For example Cambridge University only offers BA's even in Science subjects, eg. the undergraduate degree in Chemistry is a BA in Natural Sciences.

In this case, I don't think anyone would consider a Cambridge BA as inferior to a BSc elsewhere.

Brendan