What's in a name? Labels are said to have significant meaning, and can also impact the beholder in terms of life affairs. The same can be said of graduates who own a bachelor of arts verses a bachelor of science degree.
A common question that prospective students will have is: What's the difference between a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BSC) degree?
Here are some factors to consider:
Specialization: The emphasis on Bachelor's of Arts degrees are placed on liberal arts, while the Bachelor's of Science leans toward biological, scientific and mathematical courses.
Elective: In most universities, the degrees will be centered around the major that the student is pursuing. Also, Bachelor's of Arts students will most often need to select a foreign language as their elective, according to research by Degrees Info Online.
Time Frame: A Bachelor's of Arts requires a few less credit hours per semester. Compare 40 semester hours in Bachelor of Science degrees to 30 semester hours in the Bachelor of Arts. These numbers are based on course hours provided by top online colleges like Kaplan, Devry, or Breyer State.
Labeling: Various schools will have their own criteria and agenda for categorizing each type of degree. As an illustration, it's not uncommon for some universities to offer a BA in chemistry or biology, or a BSC in history or English.
The Implications of Selecting Specific Degrees
Earning Power: In terms of which degree earns more, that all depends on how high or low of a position the graduate secures after completion of the degree. Visit Payscale.com to weigh the amount that each career field averages in income.
Securing a Job: Many argue that employers in specific fields place specific job openings for either BA or BSC, based on the nature of a job. A Bachelor's of Science also proves that the student is able to handle more rigorous syllabi.
Flexibility: A Bachelor's of Arts gives students a more well-rounded curriculum that can be transferred fluidly to different fields. Rarely will a student in a Bachelor's of Science course step out of their league, to pursue an unrelated field with the same degree.
