Bachelor of Science vs Bachelor of Arts – Is One Better?
Last Updated on May 8, 2024 by Jill Schwitzgebel
As your student considers colleges for their list, they are likely also looking at what majors those colleges have that are of interest to them. And once they begin to dig a little deeper, they may note that sometimes, they’ve also got to consider whether they prefer a Bachelor of Science vs Bachelors of Arts degree. And that can be confusing. You can get a Bachelor of Science in a liberal arts field. You can get a Bachelor of Arts in a science field. They each require about four years to complete. So what are the differences?
Bachelor of Science (BS)
A bachelor of science is not just awarded when a student graduates in a math, science or technical field. It is possible to get a B.S. in Education or in a foreign language, for instance. Generally, a BS will mean that the student has concentrated more heavily in a particular subject area, rather than studying a broader subject base. Think of the BS degree as being more concentrated and specialized than a bachelor of arts degree. A major like engineering will always award a BS degree.
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
A bachelor of arts degree is not only awarded in liberal arts or humanities fields. For example, it is possible, and sometimes common, to earn a BA, rather than a BS, in biology or chemistry. The BA generally emphasizes more of a broad curriculum in the liberal arts. Students are likely to be able to, or are even required to, take more electives outside of their major. The BA degree is less of a specialty degree and may instead emphasize critical thinking and communication in addition to the major.
Bachelor of Science vs Bachelor of Arts
So back to the question in the title – is one better than the other? Maybe not surprisingly, the answer is “no.” It depends completely on the student’s goals. Either of the degrees comes with skills that employers desire, but each may set students up for different career paths. In some cases, colleges will offer both a BS or a BA option within the same major. Students need to look at the curriculum of each to decide which track makes the most sense for them, personally. There will be a lot of overlap in most of these cases – the difference could be as little as three courses!
I do advise that students should focus on getting a BS rather than a BA for one particular scenario: when a student is likely to want to continue on directly to graduate school in a science or technical field, ranging from computer science to psychology. But even then, the rule is not hard and fast, and the coursework the student has taken along the way is more important. And for medical school, either a BA or a BS is completely fine, as long as the student has completed the requirements for medical school applications.
Other Bachelor’s Degrees
There are other types of bachelor’s degrees that are more specialized than the BS or the BA degrees.
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
The BFA differs from the BA in that it is especially focused in the fine arts field, commonly including majors like musical theater, acting, visual arts, dance and sometimes, creative writing (and their subspecialty areas). It is possible for students to earn a BA in those areas as well, but the BFA will be more specialized. A BFA will require a significantly higher number of creative credit hours than a BA will – sometimes twice as many or more – and fewer liberal arts credits like social science or math.
Bachelor of Music (BM)
It is probably most common to get a BA as a music major of any kind, but some colleges also offer a BM degree as an option. Similar to the BFA, the BM requires more in-depth musical study than a BA does. A BM degree from a college indicates that the student has completed a degree with about the same required rigor to graduate from a music conservatory. Some colleges also have conservatories attached to them.
