<p>I am a bachelor of arts in Applied and Computational Mathematics. I have heard lots of rumors that a BA in science/math is not as useful as a BS. Is it true? I don’t necessarily expect to get a job after college, since I might also want to go to graduate school to study subjects like Bioinformatics, BME, Geology. </p>
<p>1.) For employment, is a BA not as useful as BS?
2.) For graduate school, does it matter whether it is a BA or BS?</p>
<p>My undergraduate degree is the same as yours except it is a B.S. Let me answer your question…IT IS JUST RUMORS.</p>
<p>1) As long as you have the same background courses, you will not be any less useful.</p>
<p>2) It does not matter if you have a B.A. or a B.S. What DOES matter is if you have the sufficient coursework. Now I will say this as far as graduate math programs. Most B.A. programs in math may not require additional Real Analysis or Abstract Algebra courses like a B.S. in math would, so you may have to take those courses if you have a B.A. in math and want to get a masters in PURE math. You would qualify for applied, computational math or computer science graduate programs (assuming you took the CS core).</p>
<p>Here is something to check out. I don’t like to get to hung up on rankings but check out UCLA’s applied math rankings and check out the type of masters degree in math UCLA gives. That should also tell you if it matters if the degree is “of Arts” or “of Science”.</p>
<p>Some school’s only offer a B.A. in a scientific field. I know my school’s chemistry program requires up to at least Diff. Equations, and it’s only a B.A. B.A. or BS doesn’t really matter these days.</p>
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No and no. Like GLOBALTRAVELER said, it’s the content of your degree that matters and not the name. Some colleges award BA degrees only and that’s fine. Some colleges give science majors a choice between a BA and a BS; in that case it is sometimes true that the minimum requirements for a BA are less rigorous than the minimum requirements for the BS. For example, the BA track might be aimed at science education students who would rather take a wider array of lower-level electives (stuff they can teach to high school students) than advanced upper-level coursework (which would prepare them for graduate school). </p>
<p>That’s where the stereotypes come from, anyway. Not that any of this matters to you. As long as your own degree is solid, it does not matter if it’s a BA or a BS.</p>
<p>In Applied Math, there is no difference between a BS and a BA. However, in engineering, the BA or BS makes a HUGE difference. Most employers will not hire someone without an “accredited” degree in engineering (i.e. a BS). </p>
<p>The answer to your question, is that it depends.</p>
<p>The accreditation of engineering degrees is done by [ABET</a> -](<a href=“http://www.abet.org%5DABET”>http://www.abet.org) . It does not matter whether the bachelor’s degree is a BA, BS, or BE degree.</p>
<p>That is patently not true. ABET accredited engineering degrees are all BS degrees only. A BA degree in engineering usually indicates that the program is NOT ABET accredited because it does not have the requisite depth in basic mathematics and sciences.</p>
<p>In engineering, you MUST get an ABET accredited degree to be eligible for certain jobs, or more importantly eligible to sit for professional licensing.</p>
<p>While the majority of ABET accredited engineering degree programs lead to a BS degree, not all do. Some lead to a BE degree. (And there is a small number of master’s degree engineering programs that are ABET accredited.) I have not exhaustively looked through the list to see if there are any where the degree title is BA. Unless ABET requires that the title not be BA, then there is no theoretical reason why a school cannot get ABET accreditation for a degree program leading to a BA degree.</p>
<p>But it is the ABET accreditation that matters, not the BA/BE/BS distinction (i.e. make sure that your specific degree program is ABET accredited).</p>
<p>Sorry to ask this stupid question, but what’s the difference between AB and BS anyway? Like, why do colleges have this distinction?</p>
<p>You mean BA and BS? At colleges that have both available, the B.S. usually have a more rigorous program than the B.A. However some school’s only offer a BA in a certain program. For example, the B.A. at my school is just as rigorous as a B.S. in a school that has both options available. But don’t worry about it, it’s mostly semantics.</p>
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<p>The answer to the question is specific to the college.</p>