A BA (Bachelor of Arts) and a BS (Bachelor of Science) are both four-year undergraduate degrees that carry equal academic weight. The core difference is in how your coursework is structured: a BA emphasizes breadth through humanities, liberal arts, and electives, while a BS focuses more narrowly on technical, scientific, or math-heavy coursework within your major. Both lead to the same level of credential, and both typically require the same total number of credits to graduate.
What a BA Degree Covers
A Bachelor of Arts degree leans toward the humanities, social sciences, and liberal arts. You’ll typically take courses in areas like literature, philosophy, history, foreign languages, and the arts alongside your major requirements. Many BA programs require foreign language proficiency, sometimes up to an intermediate or advanced level. At Penn State, for example, all BA students must demonstrate proficiency through the 12th credit level of a foreign language and complete nine credits across humanities, social and behavioral sciences, arts, and related fields.
The defining feature of a BA is flexibility. Because fewer credits are locked into major-specific technical courses, you have more room for electives. That extra space lets you explore a minor, pick up a second area of study, or simply take courses that interest you outside your primary field. This broader structure appeals to students who want a well-rounded education or aren’t yet sure exactly where they’ll land professionally.
Common BA majors include English, political science, sociology, history, communications, and philosophy. But plenty of fields that sound more technical, like psychology and economics, are also offered as a BA at many schools.
What a BS Degree Covers
A Bachelor of Science degree is built around technical depth. You’ll spend more of your credit hours on math, science, research methods, lab work, or data-driven coursework directly tied to your major. BS programs frequently organize students into specific concentrations or options within the major, letting you align your studies with a particular career path early on.
Because more credits go toward major requirements, you’ll generally have fewer free electives than a BA student. The tradeoff is a deeper, more specialized preparation in your field. If you’re studying biology, computer science, engineering, chemistry, nursing, or finance, you’re almost certainly pursuing a BS.
Majors Offered as Both BA and BS
This is where things get interesting. Many subjects are available as either a BA or a BS at the same university, and the distinction comes down to how your coursework is divided, not the quality of the degree. Psychology, economics, mathematics, and environmental science are common examples.
A BA in psychology might include more general education in the humanities, a foreign language requirement, and room for electives in unrelated fields. A BS in psychology at the same school would likely replace some of that breadth with additional statistics courses, research methodology, and lab-based classes. Both students graduate with a psychology degree, but their transcripts look meaningfully different.
When choosing between the two tracks, think about what you want to do after graduation. If you plan to apply to a research-focused graduate program, the BS path gives you more quantitative preparation. If you’re heading toward law school, public policy, or a career where writing and communication matter as much as subject expertise, the BA route may serve you better.
Do Employers Care Which One You Have?
For most jobs, no. Employers care far more about your major, your skills, your internship experience, and your ability to do the work than whether your diploma says “Arts” or “Science.” A BA in economics and a BS in economics both qualify you for the same entry-level analyst roles.
That said, some industries and employers do have preferences. Highly technical fields like engineering, data science, and laboratory research tend to favor candidates with a BS, partly because the coursework aligns more closely with what the job demands. On the other hand, fields like publishing, education, nonprofit management, and public relations rarely distinguish between the two. If you’re targeting a specific industry, it’s worth looking at job postings in that field to see if a pattern emerges.
Graduate school admissions committees generally evaluate your transcript course by course rather than weighing the BA or BS label. A strong GPA, relevant coursework, and research experience matter more than the degree type printed on your diploma.
How to Choose Between a BA and BS
Start with your goals rather than the label. If you already know you want to work in a technical or scientific role, the BS path gives you more structured preparation and signals that focus to future employers. If you want flexibility to explore multiple interests, add a minor, or build strong writing and critical-thinking skills across disciplines, the BA is designed for that.
Consider your strengths too. A BS typically requires more math and science coursework, even in fields that aren’t purely scientific. If calculus and statistics energize you, that’s a good fit. If you’d rather spend those credit hours on a foreign language, philosophy, or creative writing, the BA lets you do that without sacrificing your major.
If your school offers your intended major as both a BA and a BS, pull up the course requirements for each side by side. The difference often comes down to five or six courses, so look at exactly which classes diverge and ask yourself which set better prepares you for the next step you have in mind.