Hi! I am currently a college student majoring in physics and minoring in math. I was recently thinking about how I am doing a BA in physics and not a BS (which my college doesn’t have for physics), will this affect my grad school prospects in the future? If yes, in what ways?
Not directly. What will hurt is a limited course selection and limited research opportunities. Consider applying to REUs - they prefer students from colleges without research opportunities, which includes community colleges.
Can you expand on your journey for junior and senior year? Where do you intend to transfer to?
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I think you may have misunderstood what I wrote, I am currently in a 4 year university and I am not planning on transferring anywhere. I am planning on pursuing a masters degree or PHD after I finish my bachelor’s degree. The details of what I will pursue for graduate school have yet to be determined.
Also, I actually currently have a few opportunities for research. Firstly, I am currently doing research with one of my professors in one of his areas of specialty. Also, I am in my college’s honors program which requires me to complete a thesis in the field of my major. I have not yet begun working on this, but I will begin working on this over the course of the next few semesters. Finally, I plan be doing research this summer with a professor not at my college.
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If it’s what your college has, you’ll be fine - because you can’t take what isn’t offered.
Because the BA might not be as rigorous (not designed for professionals), you may need to do more to meet pre - reqs.
You can talk to grad schools and ask.
The degree title BA versus BS is not what matters. What matters for pre-PhD preparation is the available upper level physics course offerings and undergraduate research opportunities and what you choose to do with them.
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S24 is a physics major at an LAC. The degree on the diploma is a BA but about half of physics majors go to highly regarded PhD programs. I don’t think the name of the degree matters.
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I agree your degree name is not really important, it is what you actually do.
And the faculty in your department are typically a top resource for helping you understand what you can do to maximize your competitiveness for grad programs, which programs make the most sense for you, and so on. The professor you are doing research with is an obvious potential mentor, but you are not limited to just one.
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The degree title won’t hold you back–they will look at the coursework and what you have done.
The differences between a BA and BS vary WIDELY. A lot of people seem to assume a BS means harder coursework but it’s completely school-dependent. I have worked at both private and public research universities and the only difference between BA and BS science degrees at all of these was that the BA required four semesters of a world language and the BS had four open elective slots that could come from any subject. The math and science requirements were exactly the same otherwise.
As an example, UCB physics majors graduate with BA degrees. https://career.berkeley.edu/start-exploring/where-do-cal-grads-go/ (best viewed on a computer, not mobile device; select the “Grad/Professional School” tab and Physics major) shows that going on to PhD study in physics or related (e.g. applied physics, astronomy) is common among those going to graduate school, and the common graduate schools tend to be well known ones.
I would check with your advisor and any faculty with whom you are close and share your concerns. Perhaps there are some additional courses they might recommend. Most likely they will tell you that students who graduate from you college with a BA in physics do just fine in grad school applicaitons.
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Unless they are engineering physics majors 
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