Which is better?

[sunshine02]

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Would a BS or BA in Chemistry look better in terms of future employment outside of medicine? I know BS is more focused on research but I heard BA is more flexible when you're searching for a job?

 

[mappingmedicine]

If your school offers both options of a BA and BS of a primary degree, you should know the BS usually entails a larger unit requirement along with more depth in upper division coursework. The BA usually gives the breadth and allows you to tailor the major to the specifics of your liking.

Keep in mind some schools only offer BAs in certain science fields, usually because the majors are housed in the College of Letters and Science but for other reasons as well. For example UC Berkeley and their BA in Molecular and Cell Biology, or BA in Astrophysics. They're hard majors for sure, but come with the BA title, employers "should" know the degree of difficulty associated with the degree.

In terms of employment outside of medicine, I would go with the B.S., since you said your school offers both options, and opt for taking more upper division chemistry courses needed for employment in the industry. For medical school admissions, the whole BA vs BS thing is a whole different story.

 

[pre med 2014]

The requirements for the chemistry major will likely fulfill all requirements for a BS, that's how it was at my university. You can't get a BA in Bio, Chem, or Physics. Only BS

 

[bigdogrob4284]

In the big picture, there is no difference between a BA and a BS. At some schools, one is better than the other, and at other schools it will be opposite. Also, many schools only offer one or the other. Just do which ever program fits your needs better.

 

[Stumpyman]

Outside of medicine, as in research? I'd say a BS would be a little better there, but all in all they're going to care a lot more about your graduate work (in case you're pursuing a career in research) than your undergrad. For med schools, it hardly makes a difference.

 

[deleted357625]

Would a BS or BA in Chemistry look better in terms of future employment outside of medicine? I know BS is more focused on research but I heard BA is more flexible when you're searching for a job?

Don't matter. BS requires maybe higher division science and math courses that might fulfill some requirements you need...maybe and who knows if you might pursue other types of future educational programs that require certain courses.

 

[neurodoc]

BS generally has fewer "general education" requirments than BA. BS generally requires more coursework in the major field of study (FOS, forgive the potential inuendo, mostly upper division courses) than does the BA (at the expense of general coursework outside the FOS). The BS is probably better for those who plan on working in the FOS or getting a higher FOS degree). Since most of us on SDN are interested in getting an MD, either degree would workfor getting into med school. The BA, perhaps, may offer a bit more latitude (due to the opportunity to get a "general" UG education) than the BS. 🙂

 

[ShenanigansMD]

It really depends on someone's biases. Someone might view a BS with more "scientific credentials," while someone else might see someone with a BA as "more well-rounded." Or people won't even care. Honestly, the type of research you have done should be more important than a BS vs BA.

 

[BABSstudent]

The requirements for the chemistry major will likely fulfill all requirements for a BS, that's how it was at my university. You can't get a BA in Bio, Chem, or Physics. Only BS

Some schools do offer a BA in the sciences. However, at other schools it is impossible to major in a science and get a BA. I am guessing your school is the later.

 

[Narmerguy]

I can't imagine many science-related jobs where a BA in Chemistry would be advantageous over a BS. For the most part, if you want to do a science job, a BS >= BA.

It may be the case that through the broader coursework you'd take with a BA, you have a better shot at a non-science job with a BA vs a BS. But this is very uncommon and if they are going to accept a science degree at all, they typically won't care if it's BS or BA.

 

[Josh7]

The BS chemistry program at my school is very geared towards research and is many times harder than the BA program. It shouldn't be surprising that the BS in chemistry is preferred over the BA in chemistry but in the long run it won't matter in the industry because your work will speak for itself.

 

[sunflower18]

I'm at a school that only offers BA degrees, so hopefully it doesn't matter too much! 🙂

 

[sunshine02]

Thanks guys! I figured it wouldn't matter too much for med school. Actually, I was wondering if BA would be better there since it has fewer requirements and allows you to pursue other types of classes as well whereas BS might lower the GPA a little bit and it is more restrictive. However, if one doesn't get into med school at all, then wouldn't he need to be able to find a decent job with his degree? In that case, I think BS would be better.

 

[tn4596]

I have never seen any companies that discriminate BA vs BS for Chem. as long as you have a degree and good gpa you are in good shape. An internship also helps. If you are thinking about completing your medical prerequisites then BA is a better route because it give you more room to take those bio/upper bio classes.

 

[gbc2013]

Obviously this varies, but if you're at a liberal arts school, then I say go with the BS. Liberal arts schools can only offer a certain number of BS degrees to keep their standing, and are considered more difficult degrees to obtain compared to the BA equivalent at the same school (not sure if this is true for universities?). I'm sure there are many scenarios where the difference would be slight, but why risk selling yourself short for a potential job with a bachelor of *arts* in one of the natural *sciences*?