BA vs. BS

[Murphy005]

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Currently most pharmacy schools don't require bachelor degrees. however it seems that most schools are going in that direction. Of course the extra work that goes into receiving a BS is notable. But does it really matter for pharmacy school? Would one have a better chance of getting in with a BS instead of a BA? I'm between recieving my BS in Biology with a minor in Neuroscience or my BA in Bio with a minor in neuroscience.

 

[Isoprop]

they are equal. it's usually easier for a bio major to get a bs instead of a ba.

 

[Isoprop]

perhaps easier is the wrong word. but a BS is usually more aligned with the academic goals of a biology degree than a BA. usually, a BS requires more math and less humanities/foreign language. this is not true across the board but has been my experience.

a BS in biology is thus more common than a BA in biology. but both are equivalen

 

[UES Girl]

a BS in biology is thus more common than a BA in biology. but both are equivalen[/quote]


I do not agree at all, it depends on the school you go to. In my school Bs degrees are really different than BA degrees, as much as by 20 upper division units. For one of my majors - chemistry - BS requires at least 14 units of electives - BA like 2 or 3. Plus besides electives there is like 3-4 extra upper division classes I have to take that are all sequential and you are looking at another year to a year and a half in school.

BA degree in biology in our school - is the "lowest" ranking science degree. Even the profs themselves say BA in biology is designed to produce science teachers not aspiring scientists or people who want to further their education.

It depends on the school I guess, and on the program, but I certainly wouldn't spend an extra year and a half getting a BS degree if it was equivalent to a BA degree.

 

[parabolic]

Since you're planning to go into pharmacy anyway, it shouldn't matter whether you get a BA or a BS. Schools (to my knowledge) don't prefer one over the other. So look at the course requirements for each degree. Which ones fit more closely with what you will need when studying pharmacy? If getting a BS requires a lot of plant and ecological science, for example, it's probably not worth it, since you won't use it much--- but if it requires physiology and biochemistry, those are things you'll need to know.

 

[prepharm77]

When I talked with an academic adviser she said that BA degree usually requires a broader scope of studies where as BS degree usually requires more focused studies on one area. BS-science majors are required to take more science classes at my school, but BA-science majors have to take a lot more humanities related classes to graduate. The academic adviser said that both are treated equally. as long as the pre-req. are met, having a BA degree shouldn't be counted against you....

 

[confettiflyer]

BS and BA difference don't really matter. UC Berkeley awards a BA in Biology, other schools award the BS. Pharm schools will look at your classes primarily, and make note that you have a bachelor's (ie they won't scrutinize whether it's a BS or BA).

 

[Isoprop]

I do not agree at all, it depends on the school you go to. In my school Bs degrees are really different than BA degrees, as much as by 20 upper division units. For one of my majors - chemistry - BS requires at least 14 units of electives - BA like 2 or 3. Plus besides electives there is like 3-4 extra upper division classes I have to take that are all sequential and you are looking at another year to a year and a half in school.

BA degree in biology in our school - is the "lowest" ranking science degree. Even the profs themselves say BA in biology is designed to produce science teachers not aspiring scientists or people who want to further their education.

It depends on the school I guess, and on the program, but I certainly wouldn't spend an extra year and a half getting a BS degree if it was equivalent to a BA degree.

As I've said, the requirements for BA vs BS in biology is different for every school. However, they are GENERALLY treated and viewed as equivelents because the difference between those two degrees is maybe 4 or 5 classes. Of course this will vary for each school.

They are treated the same in terms of pharmacy school admissions. And personally, I've never met a science teacher with a BA in a science because they tend to be rarer. I worked in education for a few years and met a lot of middle and high school teachers. As I said, one is not superior than the other, but the BS is more aligned with the requirements of a college of science.