The difference between a B.A. and a B.S.

When it comes to choosing your major, or even a specialty area within a major, one question that comes up often is "What is the difference between a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree?"

This is a top question for first generation college students because there's no one in your family to answer the question for you. In general, a lot of college students wonder about this, too. So, what is the difference?

Generally speaking, a B.A. is a liberal arts degree, which is supposed to be more of a broad degree to make you a well-rounded student with some expertise in one area. A lot of the time, this usually requires significant general coursework outside of your major, study of a foreign language, and a lot of classes in the "arts." Here, the "arts"  an mean academic areas such as social science, humanities, music, or fine arts. Think lots of discussion, reading, and paper-writing.

In contrast, a B.S. tends to be geared toward a strong science foundation with specific knowledge in a scientific discipline. This usually means most of your coursework will be science classes in academic areas such as life sciences, physical sciences, engineering, or math. Think lots of analysis, lab work, and hands-on activities.

These are the two most basic Bachelor's degrees out there, However, in addition to the B.A. and B.S. degrees, you might also see these:

• B.F.A. - Bachelor of Fine Arts
• B.S.N. - Bachelor of Science Nursing
• B.S.B.A. - Bachelor of Science Business Administration
• B.Ed. - Bachelor of Education
• B.Eng. or B.E. - Bachelor of Engineering
• B.Mus. - Bachelor of Music

And there are other types of Bachelor's degrees out there. Basically, beyond the B.A. and B.S., another type of Bachelor's degree is going to be based on the specific area of study.

Also, some schools will offer the same major under more than one type of degree. For example, students at my alma mater can be a math major and earn either a B.A. or B.S. Typically a student who wanted to teach K-12 math would work toward a B.A. and a student who wanted to be a mathematician or college math professor would be earning a B.S.

Any way you cut it, the Bachelor's degree is what you will be spending four years working toward.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.