<p>I’m just curious. I do not understand why certain majors like “Hospitality and Tourism Mgmt”, “Recreation, Parks and Tourism” or “Interior Design” lead to a BS degree, because there really isn’t any science involved. I figured Recreation/Parks might include some environmental science/biology, but I looked at the requirements from a few schools and that’s not always the case. I have also seen some schools who offer Bachelor of Arts degrees in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Why is that?</p>
<p>The BA’s in Bio, Chem, Physics, and other hard sciences are usually for those on the Education track. They are a little less rigorous, and might lack the technical skills one might need for a research based career track.</p>
<p>The traditional BA vs. BS distinction is between nonscientific/nontechnical/nonquantitative fields vs. scientific/technical/quantitative fields. A second type of distinction often is made between nonapplied/nonvocational vs. applied/vocational fields, or fields focused on theory and pure research vs. those that are more focused on application of theory and research. The second type of distinction is an extension of the first distinction, whereby applied/vocational fields get the BS degree on the grounds that they’re “technical” fields. (In this sense, “technical” doesn’t refer to technology, just to technique or application.)</p>
<p>An alternative degree designation for some applied/vocational fields is to actually name the fields in which the bachelors degree is given, e.g., B. Mus., BSW, BBA, BSN, B.Ed. and so on. This seems to be done primarily when an applied major is offered in a field that either is considered a “profession” and/or is offered in a separate school/college within a university, e.g., the School of Music, School of Social Work, College of Business, and so on.</p>
<p>Some schools give a BA in science fields. That’s because the sciences are included as fields within the “liberal arts and sciences” or grew out of traditional liberal arts disciplines. Some schools offer both a BA and BS major in certain science fields (or, even in certain social science fields, e.g., economics, psychology). Compared to the BS options, the BA options might require fewer courses overall, fewer courses in math or related science fields, or be designed for those who do not intend to go graduate school in those fields, or some other similar distinctions. There really is not standardized practice across different schools.</p>