What's the difference between a B.S.degree & a B.A degree?

Question

in fall, i'm going to be a sophomore in a community college and i'm looking at some senior colleges for psychology and i've seen that they say they have it in either a B.A degree program or a B.S. degree program. i was wondering what is the difference between the two, and if i want to be come a psychiatrist which one should i apply too?

Answer 1

Science.  A lot of people are prejudiced against BA (Bachelor of Arts) degrees, and automatically assume that anyone with such a degree "doesn't know where the decimal point goes".  

It isn't fair, because a lot of intelligent people put a lot of hard work into BA degrees, but this attitude does exist in many minds, consciously or not.

Answer 2

The BA has more english and languages and that kind of thing for requirements than the BS

and the BS requires more math, science and technical classes than the BA..

but the above answerer is correct you will have to go to med school to become a psychiatrist as you will be able to write prescriptions to people... where if you were going to be just a counsellor then you could just go with the psychology route.

Answer 3

the difference between a BA and a BS is basically nothing.  Many majors are not consistently an art or a science for every university.  example:  mathematics is usually considered a science, but some colleges consider it an art.

If there is any difference, it may be the course work involved.  So I believe while a BS in mathematics would be regular mathematics classes, a BA would emphasis more on the history and philosophy (i.e. big emphasis on Euclidean geometry aka "drawing shapes in the sand with a stick and a loose compass").

Answer 4

One is bachelor of science; the other is bachelor of arts.

If you want to become a psychiatrist, it doesn't matter if you get a BS or a BA.  You will then need to go to medical school to get your MD

Answer 5

B.A., a bachelor's degree in the liberal arts, usually awarded for studies in the social sciences or humanities. B.S. is usually awarded for studies in natural science, pure science, or technology.

The difference is that a BS is more science concentrate than a BA.