There are a lot of different options for students who want to continue their studies after graduating from high school. Your further education will not be the same as your high school education. This is because the next level of your degree will be professional and its purpose will be to prepare you for your career. So, you should know your career choices better. Otherwise, you will end up in an entirely different career because you made the wrong choice. Knowing your options will help you decide better about your career choices.
With the help of your knowledge, you can decide if you should do a degree in the science field or arts. Not only that, but you can also figure out other things such as expenses, and other choices such as short courses and diplomas. For example, if you are unable to afford a college education and you think you will not be able to pay for a four or five-year-long degree program, you can join short courses. This is just one example to show you how your knowledge in the educational field can help you figure out which is the best option for you.
A lot of the students who want to continue their studies cannot decide between BA and BS degrees. They think that these degrees are the same or they have the same effect on their career. In some sense, it can be true, but not entirely. Because BS is a science degree and BA is an arts degree. You can enter the science field with an arts degree or vice versa. These degrees may have the same length, but they are two separate degrees and two separate career choices. The article below contains information about what BA and BS are, and how they are different. Read it carefully so that you can understand it and make a clear choice.
Types of Bachelor’s Degrees:
There are two types of Bachelor’s Degrees. Each one is different from the other as it sets you on a different path in your career. Here are the two types of Bachelor’s Degrees in the United States and how these two are different from one another.
1. Bachelor of Arts (BA):
BA, commonly known as Bachelor of Arts, is a four-year college education degree that you start after completing your high school education, mainly focused on subjects related to liberal arts. You can get this degree from your local community colleges and also from different universities. Students can search for colleges outside their state if they are unable to find a local college or university offering that degree in their state. The purpose of this degree is to prepare students for their careers who are interested in arts subjects. Most people think of the arts field as it is only limited to painting, fine arts, music, and acting, etc. but there are a lot of other majors that are also offered in the arts.
Students can do a Bachelor of Arts in a large number of majors that their college is offering. There are a lot of benefits for choosing an arts degree as compared to a science degree. But you should only choose if you are interested in an arts subject. Studying arts in college will be different as compared to studying science as science involves a lot of experimentation, research, and other things such as mathematical analysis and more. You will not have to do these in an arts degree. Careers in arts are the same as careers in science, except you will only get a job in the relevant fields.
For example, if you took an arts degree in English, you will have been studying English literature, writing, and reading in English. Besides that, you will also study some other subjects such as communication, and subjects that relate to the English major. After completing your degree, you will get a job as a teacher for English, or as a researcher in the English field. But this is not all, you can also become a book writer, technical writer, publisher, or proofreader. There are a lot of other careers as well. But you will be bound to your field. You will not have to worry about mathematics and other scientific subjects that you are not interested in.
BA or Bachelor of Arts is also a great career choice for people who are interested in Liberal arts. If you are good at acting, singing, and music, or painting, you can also get admission into your relevant subjects and colleges and get a BA degree. This degree will hone your raw skills and will turn you into a seasoned artist. It also helps you get started your career as most of these colleges provide internship opportunities for their students. These internship opportunities allow you to become familiar with real-world requirements. These internships can also sometimes turn into job opportunities.
Taking a BA will be your choice but you should also know what other options you have. Below are the basic details about the BS degree.
2. Bachelor of Science (BS):
BS or BSc is also known as the Bachelor of Science degree, is a four-year-long after-school educational degree that is obtained from college in fields that are relevant to science. It is a purely science-based degree and requires knowledge of the basics of Maths, Physics, Biology, and Chemistry. Some other subjects related to science are computer science and social sciences. These subjects and majors are different from the arts. Some subjects from science may also be offered in arts, such as social science-related subjects. But you should know that if you do the same degree in science, you will have to read it more scientifically and your degree would involve mathematics and statistics. Meanwhile, the arts degree will not involve this knowledge.
A Bachelor of Science degree also has a long list of subjects that you can take as a major. You should know your interest in the scientific field before selecting a degree or a major. For example, if you are more interested in computers, you should take computer science, and if you are interested in Physics, you should take physics as your major. Selecting your major in science should be done with great care as it would impact your future.
Before selecting any major, you should check your interests and see if this field aligns with your career goals or not. You should check with your college and see if they are offering a degree in your subject or not. If they are offering a degree in your subject, then you should take admission to that college or university. For example, some colleges may be offering biology as a major but not microbiology. You should check this and apply after that. Career choices that you will make at your BS level will impact your career and your further education opportunities.
There are a lot of career opportunities for people who finish their BS degree. Most colleges arrange internships, educational conferences, and other opportunities for the students to engage with people from their industry and show them their skills. For example, if you are doing a BS degree in Microbiology, you will be sent for an internship in your relevant laboratory. Where you will learn industry standards and skills and will be able to apply your knowledge. These internships can serve as a way for you to enter the professional field and get some hands-on experience.
But your career options do not end at a job after your degree, you can become a researcher and continue your education in your field or start writing about your field of study. During your course of study at colleges and universities, you will learn about the research process and publishing research papers. This can also help you make a career. You can also continue further education into Master, and Doctorate as well. After your BS, you will be able to make a good income even as a fresh candidate.
Overlap Between BA and BS:
There is also some overlap between BA and BS degrees. For example, a lot of majors from social sciences are also present in the science and arts both. So, students get confused about what choice they should make. You should know that even if the major of your degree in BS and BA are the same, you will be studying two different degrees. This is because if you are doing a BS degree, you will be studying from the point of view of science. This would involve mathematics, statistics, and analytics abilities. Meanwhile, if you are doing the same major in arts, you will not be studying the concept of science, and your education will not require skills in mathematics, statistics, or any analytical abilities.
Here are some of the examples of overlap between BA and BS. You can do BS Psychology and BA Psychology. Both have the same major, same duration, and can be done from the same college but both of these are two different degrees. BS Psychology will allow you to learn more in-depth about research, and treatment meanwhile a BA in Psychology will help you learn about subjects such as criminology. These two will set two different career paths for you. One would be related to clinical Psychology research and the other will be related to assessing and applying the knowledge of Psychology. Although both of them are connected and there are no clear boundaries, and both of them are the subjects of Psychology, they will remain separate. Because one is from science, and the other is from the arts.
Difference:
You have learned about the basic difference between the BA and BS degrees, now it is time for you to learn about areas where these two degrees are different. These differences between BA and BS will further clear your mind. Here is a list of these differences.
● Different Subjects:
You will have different majors in BS and BA degrees. Some majors such as Psychology and other social science-related majors may look the same but they are different. So, the first difference between BS and BA is that you will have different majors. Science majors would involve mathematics, biology, physics, chemistry, and statistics, but the majors would not involve these subjects. There are a lot of other majors in Science and Arts that you can choose from. You should take a look at the list of majors offered by your preferred college and check if it is in the Science or Arts list.
Some subjects such as Psychology, which have roots in both science and arts, may be offered in both. You should make your choice after knowing that if you select science, you will have to read the subject in relevance to science and if you choose arts, you will have to read it in relevance to arts. Not only will your major be different, but also all other subjects as well. For example, students from science will read more about human biology, and students from arts will learn more about behavior instead of human biology. Some subjects such as communication studies, basic management, and computer knowledge, and research knowledge are common in both science and arts.
● Admission Requirements:
Basic admission requirements for both arts and science are different. If you need admission in science, you must have a high score in your high school education. Apart from that, you will also have to take certain tests such as the SAT. Your test score and your previous academic record will determine your merit. If you fall in that merit, you will be awarded a seat in your university or college but if you fail to be on that list, you will not be able to get admission. But in the case of an arts degree, you can get admission more easily.
Even people who could not get admission in science due to low grades can also apply for a degree in arts. This is because arts fields and majors are considered easier and there is less competition. So, there are higher chances for you to get admission in arts as compared to science. This low admission requirement as compared to science makes arts a popular choice among many students.
● Career Opportunities:
After completing your BS, you will be able to enter your field as a fresh candidate. Based on the data from the bureau of statistics, students who complete their BS degrees can get a job soon after they leave college, mostly within the first year. But, students with BA degrees may need more time. But students with a BA degree get other skills such as communication, writing, reading, and other professional skills. These professional skills help them become self-employed persons.
So, anyone who does a BS may get a job faster, but he/she will not be able to do the self-employment work as most of the science fields require working in lab conditions. So, students from BA will have better chances of starting their careers on their own. They can become writers, business communication experts, musicians and utilize their skills as a self-employed person.
● Salaries and Benefits:
The basic salary after both BS and BA is the same in most subjects, but in technical fields, BS degree holders can make a lot more as compared to BA degree holders. This is because, in technical fields, there is always a shortage of talented workforce. But students with BA in some fields can also make a lot more money in salaries and other benefits as compared to Science students for example in the field of music or fine arts.
These artists make a lot more money as compared to an average BS degree holder. The median average income of both BA and BS degree holders is almost the same in most cases. But due to versatile working environments, BS degree holders can get faster promotions and other job benefits that BA degree holders may not get. To get a real idea about what you will earn after a BS and BA, you should look at the data for your relevant subjects. This will give you better insight as compared to this general overview.
● Cost For Degree:
Most of the BA degrees take only four years to complete, meanwhile, BS degrees on average take four to five years. The increased time in university is what can cost you a lot of extra money. You can do a lot of BA degrees from your community colleges that are cheaper in comparison to field-specific colleges and universities this saves you a lot of money. But you cannot do most of the field-specific science programs from community colleges, and you will have to travel or select a college or university from outside your community.
This will cost you a lot more in comparison to that. The average cost for BS and BA at a college level is the same between $20000 to $40000. To get the exact idea about your fees, you should check with your college or university. Some science majors may cost you more than average.
Difference Table:
| Course Work Focus | More focused on humanities skills, and humanities subjects. | More focus on science subjects and science-related skills. |
| Course Duration | Four Years on average. | Four to five years, one year increases if you are unable to submit your final year project on time. Or if you failed any subject. |
| Example Majors, | English, Literature, Philosophy. | Biology, Computer, Chemistry. |
| Course Work Flexibility | More Flexible, you can provide your input, and write what you think. | Rigid, and less flexible. You cannot write anything on your own without proper research to back that claim. |
| Difficulty Level | Comparatively Easy | Comparatively hard in most cases. |
Conclusion and Summary:
BA and BS both are four-year-long higher education degrees that you can do after passing high school. BA stands for Bachelor of Arts, and it focuses mainly on subjects related to humanities groups. BS stands for Bachelor of Science, and it mainly focuses on the subjects related to science. These two are not just two different categories in education, they also serve as a pathway for your career and your future. So, it is very important to decide what type of career you are looking for. If you are interested in doing science-related degrees, you should select a BS degree, and if you are interested in doing an arts-related degree, you should select a BA.
Some subjects are also present in both BS and BA, for example, Psychology, and Anthropology. Although they have the same name, they are still different as both of them will focus on two different aspects of these subjects. The average cost and time duration for both degrees are almost the same and they have the same level from an educational point of view, but still, both of these are two different degrees. Before you make any selection, you should learn about your interests, and make sure that your choice of degree aligns with that interest and your career goals. To get the exact information about your degree, you should check the website of your college or university as they will have more to-the-point information.