- 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 or four 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
Several prestigious U.S. Universities, such as Princeton University, Johns Hopkins University, and Harvard College, award honours degrees at the discretion of the individual departments. Examples of such departmental requirements include minimum Grade Point Averages within required courses, senior theses for degrees in the humanities, and laboratory research for "pure" science degrees.
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.
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.
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.
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, BCL, LL.B., MB ChB or MB BS or BM BS or MB BChir, BMus, B.Math, BBA, 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, 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. |
| Doctorate degrees |
PhD, EdD, EngD, DNursSci, DBA, DD, DSc, DLitt, DA, MD, DMA, DMus, DCL, ThD, JD, PharmD, DrPH, DPT, DPhil, DOM, OMD, PsyD, DSW, LL.D., J.S.D., S.J.D. |
| Law degrees |
B.A. Law, Juris Doctor, LL.B., Bachelor of Civil Law, LL.L., LL.M. |
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