- For other degrees, see Academic degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four , and in some cases and countries, five years. (Note that some postgraduate degrees are entitled Bachelor of ..., e.g. the University of Oxford's Bachelor of Civil Law and Bachelor of Philosophy.)
Honours degrees and academic distinctions
Under the English system, and those influenced by it such as the Canadian, Irish, Indian, Singaporean, and Hong Kong systems, undergraduate degrees are differentiated either as pass degrees or as honours degrees, the latter denoted by the appearance of "(Hons)" after the degree abbreviation. An honours degree generally requires a higher academic standard than a pass degree, and in Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, and the Canadian province of Ontario an extra year of study. In Scotland, there also exist General Degrees.
England and Wales
In England and Wales, almost all three-year undergraduate degrees are honours degrees. A pass degree is usually only awarded if a student has studied for the three year honours degree but obtained a mark insufficient to be awarded a third class honours degree.
Scotland
At the Scottish Ancients (St Andrews, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee), undergraduate degrees are differentiated as either General Degrees or Honours Degrees.
An Honours degree (usually MA(Hons) for arts/social sciences or BSc(Hons) for sciences) is awarded for students who have completed four years at university - two years at sub-honours level, studying a variety of different subjects, and two years at honours level studying one subject in depth, usually including a dissertation in the final year.
A General Degree (usually MA or BSc) is awarded to students who have completed three years at university studying a variety of subjects. The first two years of a General and Honours degree are identical, but candidates for the General study in less depth in their final year, and over a wider variety of subjects. Candidates for the General do not usually complete a dissertation. A Scottish General degree is different from an English Pass degree even though both may be denoted BSc.
United States
Almost all U.S. universities and colleges award bachelors' degrees with honors -- usually "cum laude" (with praise), "magna cum laude" (with great praise) and "summa cum laude" (with highest praise) -- degrees without honors are awarded "rite." Requirements for such notations of honors generally include minimum Grade Point Averages (with the highest average required for the "summa" distinction. In the case of a few schools, a senior thesis for degrees in the humanities, and laboratory research for "pure" science degrees is also required.
Some U.S. colleges and universities have a separate academic track known as an "honors" or "scholars" program, generally meant for the top students of the school and offering more challenging courses or more individually-directed seminars or research projects. The students are awarded the same bachelor's degree as students in the regular course, but with the notation "in cursu honorum." Usually, the above "laude" honors are separate from the notation for this honors course, but a student in the honors course generally must maintain grades at least worthy of the "cum laude" notation anyway. Hence, a student from such a school might receive a diploma Artium Baccalaureatum rite or Artium Baccalaureatum summa cum laude in the regular course, or Artium Baccalaureatum summa cum laude in cursu honorum, for instance.
New Zealand
Many of the eight New Zealand universities consider (e.g. [1] [2] [3] [4]) most of their honours degrees as a postgraduate degree, separate from an undergraduate bachelors [5] [[6] in most cases. There are some apparent exceptions at these universities, for example a few selected degrees at Victoria and Canterbury, and most honours programmes at Otago (e.g. [7]), where honours are or can be studied for as part of the undergraduate programme. Classes are awarded.
English-speaking world
BA, AB, BS, BSc, SB, ScB
Today, the most common undergraduate degrees given are the Bachelor of Arts (Artium Baccalaureus) and the Bachelor of Science (Scientiæ Baccalaureus). Originally, in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge all undergraduate degrees were in the Faculty of Arts, hence the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Since the late 19th century, most universities in the English-speaking world have followed the practice of the University of London in dividing undergraduate degree subjects into the two broad categories of arts and sciences, awarding the degree of Bachelor of Science to students of the latter category of subjects.
In the United States, many colleges (particularly what are known as "liberal arts colleges") and universities award the BA for all "academic" subjects (whether English literature or chemistry) — often these colleges and colleges within universities only offer academic (rather than pre-professional) courses. Schools that have professional training ("Police Science", "Finance", "Nursing", and so on) often reserve the BS degree for these subjects. Some schools award the BA for humanities academic courses and the BS for courses in the physical sciences.
BLA or ABL
The Bachelor of Liberal Arts is awarded to students who major in liberal arts, interdisciplinary studies, or who design their own concentrations.
BArch
The Bachelor of Architecture is awarded to students who complete five years of study in the field.
BEng, BE, BESc
The Bachelor of Engineering (Baccalaureus in Arte Ingeniaria) degree is a professional degree awarded to students who have completed four or five years of study at an accredited university.
BBA
The Bachelor of Business Administration degree is awarded to students after four years of full-time study in one or more areas of business.
BSW
The Bachelor of Social Work is awarded to students who complete an undergraduate degree in Social Work.
BJ
The Bachelor of Journalism degree is a professional degree awarded to students who have studied journalism at a four-year accredited university. Not all universities, however, grant BJ degrees. In the United States, schools tend to offer the BS with a Journalism major instead.
LL.B.
The degree of Bachelor of Laws is the principal academic degree in law in most common law countries other than the United States, where it has been replaced by the Juris Doctor degree.
BS in Ed
The Bachelor of Science in Education (note, this is the degree's name, not merely a BS with an Education major) is an undergraduate pre-professional degree offered by many U.S. colleges and universities for those preparing to be licensed as teachers. Students follow the regular four-year Liberal Arts, Sciences and Humanities course, with additional courses in such subjects as Developmental Psychology, Educational Theory, Student Assessment and testing and so on. Preparatory to the MS in Ed, this degree is most often taken by those interested in early childhood, elementary level, and special (handicapped)education, or by those planning to be school administrators. (Secondary level teachers -- for high school students -- often major in their subject area, as History or Chemistry or Mathematics, instead).
Asia
The education systems in Asian countries are largely patterened after the western models.
Philippines
In the Philippines, where the term "course" is used to refer to a bachelor's degree, several undergraduate categories exist - the two most common degrees awarded being Bachelor of Science (BS) and Bachelor of Arts (AB or BA). Specializations ("majors") in economics, business administration, nursing, architecture, and engineering fall under Science in most colleges and universities. The latter two specializations normally require five years of schooling, in contrast to the standard of four years. Other common degrees are Bachelor in Education (BEd), and Bachelor of Laws (LLB, a graduate degree).
Japan
Institutes of higher learning in Japan provide four years of college education leading to a bachelor's degree which is referred to as "gakushi" e.g. Gakushi in Economics. Some institutes offer six-year programs leading to a professional degree.
Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery
In countries following British tradition, (the University of Malta is an exception) medical graduates receive a Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery (MB BChir or MB ChB or MBBS). This was historically taken after the initial BA degree, and in Oxford the BA is still awarded for the initial three years of medical study, with the BM BCh being awarded for the subsequent clinical stage of training. Although in theory the MB and BChir are two degrees, they must be taken together, and by convention entitle the bearer to use the title of Doctor. In some Irish universities a third degree, Bachelor of Obstetrics (BAO), is often added.
New bachelor's degrees
The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge are perhaps alone today in awarding the B.A. for all undergraduate degrees. Almost all American universities award B.A. and B.S. degrees. However, in many universities over the last hundred years the range of bachelor's degrees has expanded enormously, especially in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, where the B.A. degree is becoming increasingly uncommon.
Some of these new degrees and their abbreviations include:
A full list of British degree abbreviations is also available.
See also
| Academic degrees |
| Associate's degrees (U.S.) |
AA, ABS, AS |
| Foundation degrees (U.K.) |
FdA, FdEd, FdEng, FdMus, FdBus, FdSc, FdTech |
| Bachelor's degrees |
AB or BA, BSc or SB, BBus, BCom or BComm, BCS, BEng or BE, BS or BSc, BFA, BHE, BJ, BPE, BHK, BCL, LL.B., MB ChB or MB BS or BM BS or MB BChir, BMus, B.Math, BBA, BAdm, MA (Oxon), MA (Cantab), MA (Hons) |
| Master's degrees |
MA, MS or MSc, MSt, MALD, MApol, MPhil, MRes, MFA, MTh, MTS, M.Div., MBA, MPA, MJ, MSW, MPAff, MLIS, MLitt, MPH, MPM, MPP, MPT, MRE, MTheol, LLM, MEng, MSci, MBio, MChem, MPhys, MMath, MMus, MESci, MGeol, MTCM, MSSc, BCL (Oxon), BPhil (Oxon) |
| Specialist degrees |
EdS, B.Acc., C.A.S. |
| Engineer's degrees |
Ch.E., B.E., C.E., C.E., E.E., E.A.A., E.C.S., Env.E., Mat.E., Mech.E., Nav.E., Nucl.E., Ocean E., Sys.E. |
| Doctorate degrees |
PhD, EdD, EngD, DNursSci, DBA, DC, DD, DSc, DLitt, DA, MD, DDS, DMD, DMA, DMus, DCL, ThD, JD, OD, DO, PharmD, DrPH, DPT, DPhil, DOM, OMD, DPM, PsyD, DSW, LL.D., J.S.D., S.J.D. |
| Law degrees |
B.A. Law, J.D., D.Jur., LL.B., B.C.L., LL.L., LL.M., LL.D., J.S.D., S.J.D., Ph.D. |
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