A bachelor of science degree is a specialized program offering students an in-depth technical groundwork. A bachelor of arts degree, on the other hand, is less specialized than the B.S. Students wishing to pursue a career in a specialized field that necessitates a solid technical or scientific background may want to enroll in a B.S. program. Students that want a science or engineering major as well as a broad choice of other inter-related subjects in humanities generally go for the B.A. program rather than B.S. in that field; for example, a B.A. in engineering offers such electives as music, anthropology and psychology whereas a B.S. in engineering offers technical electives such as computer science, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering.
B.S. programs feature more classes dedicated to the subject the student is majoring in, whereas in B.A. programs there is a distribution of study hours between the program major and chosen interdisciplinary electives. Students looking to start a career-oriented study such as medicine immediately after the four-year study benefit from the B.S. curriculum, while individuals that want to test several study areas to identify their interests prefer the B.A.
Jobs that demand strong scientific or technical foundations along with laboratory experience are more likely to go for individuals with a B.S. degree. Positions that require application of technical or scientific knowledge to humanities or social areas go for B.A. candidates.
The decision to pursue a B.S. or B.A. depends on your career or study interest. A B.S. is appropriate if you are looking for positions that are strictly scientific, technical or management-based immediately after your four-year study. If you are more interested in a career that does feature science and engineering, but also requires you to apply other perspectives, such as humanitarian aspects and social values and needs, then a B.A. may be right for you.