A BA (Bachelor of Arts) and a BS (Bachelor of Science) are both four-year undergraduate degrees, but they differ in how your coursework is structured. A BA leans toward the humanities, with more electives and broader exploration, while a BS emphasizes math, science, and technical depth within your major. Both carry equal weight as bachelor’s degrees, and neither is inherently “better” than the other.
What a Bachelor of Arts Covers
A BA degree is rooted in the liberal arts tradition, which emphasizes subjects like philosophy, literature, history, social sciences, art, and foreign language. That doesn’t mean you won’t take any math or science, but those subjects won’t dominate your schedule. Instead, a BA typically requires you to demonstrate proficiency in a second language, often through four semesters of study.
Because a BA is generally less specialized, you’ll often have more room for electives. That flexibility lets you explore topics outside your major, pick up a minor, or double major more easily. Students who want a well-rounded education with breathing room in their schedule tend to gravitate toward a BA.
What a Bachelor of Science Covers
A BS degree is built around technical, scientific, or analytical coursework. You’ll typically take more math and science classes, complete more lab work, and spend a larger share of your credits on courses directly tied to your major. Where a BA might require foreign language proficiency, a BS often substitutes quantitative requirements instead, such as additional math-intensive courses.
This structure means fewer electives in most programs. The tradeoff is deeper expertise in your field by the time you graduate, which can matter if you’re heading into a career or graduate program where specific technical knowledge is expected from day one.
Same Major, Two Different Degrees
Here’s where it gets interesting: many universities offer both a BA and a BS in the same subject. Psychology, economics, computer science, and biology are common examples. The core major classes are often identical, but the surrounding requirements differ.
At the University of Maryland, for instance, a psychology BS requires everything the BA requires plus at least three additional advanced courses (about 10 extra credits) in mathematics and science, including at least one lab course. The psychology content is the same. The difference is how much math and science training surrounds it.
If your school offers both options in your major, the choice comes down to how you want to spend your non-major credits. Prefer more lab science and statistics? Go with the BS. Prefer a foreign language and more electives? The BA gives you that flexibility.
How Employers and Grad Schools View Each
For most jobs, employers care far more about your major, your skills, and your experience than whether your diploma says BA or BS. A hiring manager looking at two candidates with the same major will rarely prefer one degree type over the other.
Graduate schools similarly accept both, but prerequisites matter more than the degree label. A Master of Science program in data science or engineering may expect you to have completed specific math and science courses that a BS naturally includes. A Master of Arts or Master of Fine Arts program in the humanities will accept a BA in various fields without issue. If you’re planning on graduate school, look at the prerequisite courses for programs you’re interested in. You can meet those prerequisites with either degree type as long as you plan your electives carefully.
Choosing Between a BA and a BS
If you already know your major, check whether your school offers one or both degree types for that subject. Some majors only come as a BA (English, history, philosophy) and some only as a BS (engineering, nursing, physics). When both are available, think about your goals.
A BS makes sense if you want the strongest possible technical foundation, especially for careers in STEM fields or graduate programs with heavy quantitative prerequisites. A BA makes sense if you want more flexibility to explore, value foreign language skills, or plan to pursue law school, business school, or a career in the arts and social sciences where broad knowledge is an asset.
Neither degree locks you into a single career path. Plenty of BA holders work in technical roles, and plenty of BS holders end up in management, writing, or policy. The degree type shapes your college experience more than it shapes your long-term career. Pick the version that lets you take the courses you’re most interested in while keeping your post-graduation options open.