What’s the Difference Between a B.A. and a B.S.?
Choosing a major can be one of the most difficult parts of preparing to attend college, so it’s natural that one might feel a sense of accomplishment once they feel secure in their choice. However, a natural next step is to glance at Concordia’s academic catalog to make sure that you’re aware of the classes your major will require. That’s when you see it: there are two versions of your desired major?
For programs like biology, business administration, computer science, psychology and several others, these two options are a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree. For the most part, they contain many of the same classes, although the number of credits required for their completion may differ slightly, with the BS usually containing a few more. The question then arises: what do these distinctions mean, and do they matter to me?
It is true: there is a difference between earning a BA and a BS in a field. However, the distinction arises for a reason – depending on your career goals, which can vary significantly depending on the broadness of your academic major, one degree can be more suitable for your undergraduate course of study. Both BA and BS students in a particular discipline will take many of the same core classes; the difference tends to lie in further required classes or electives that students can choose to take.
A Bachelor of Arts degree tends to emphasize the humanities and allows students more flexibility in the electives they take, often extending options into departments outside that of a student’s primary major. A Bachelor of Science degree is typically more math- and science-focused, requiring students to take more technical classes and ones more specific to their major. Neither type of degree is inherently “better” than the other; however, students may choose one over the other based on their future career plans.
Students in both versions of their chosen degree program will take general education courses, core major requirements and electives. BA programs tend to be smaller credit-wise but may allow students a significant level of flexibility in choosing their electives. BS programs, on the other hand, often contain more core requirements paired with a similar number of electives.
When deciding between earning a BA or a BS in a particular major, students should consider their goals after graduation. For example, future software engineers and future Web designers may both major in computer science, but a BS may be more suitable for the technical, analytical nature of engineering, while a BA may serve to supplement the other student’s double major in graphic design. Similarly, a psychology student seeking to enter graduate school after college may choose a BS in the field, while one who wants to enter the workforce might choose the more general, liberal arts-focused BA.
Overall, holding a bachelor’s degree will qualify students for work or graduate study in their chosen field; while the difference does matter, choosing between a BA and a BS degree does not carry as much weight as choosing to pursue a bachelor’s degree at all does. The core differences include the coursework that each emphasizes, their size in terms of credits (in some cases, the difference can be fifteen or more), and how they relate to students’ post-graduation goals. While both types of degree are useful, students should consider their college timeline as well as their future plans when deciding between a BA and a BS.
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