what the difference between as Bsc + BA degree??

skintmumof3

my son has been offered to do a geography degree in either Bsc or BA. but why would he be a batchelor of art studying geography??????
can some please explain this to a non academic mum..
thanks
skint
x

Miss_Liquorice

I'd imagine due to geography being run by the Law Arts and Social Sciences/Arts and Social Sciences faculty, rather than the Science faculty. I believe Bsc usually goes to biology/chemistry/maths/physics type degrees while geography is usually linked with history/psychology etc.

skintmumof3

thanks, but whats the difference say in employment etc.
is one better than the other. will one degree offer him more chances??
thanks

olly300

skintmumof3 wrote: »

thanks, but whats the difference say in employment etc.
is one better than the other. will one degree offer him more chances??
thanks

Not really unless he wants to do something geography related.

QuirkyChemistry

In geography a BSc and a BA tend to focus on different things. A BSc is more concerned with physical geography - coasts, rivers, glaciers i.e. how the land is shaped. BA is more human geography - populations, cities - how humans affect the land.

Which does he enjoy more? That will be the important choice to make as he will perform much better in something he likes. It's only really important if he has a specific career in mind but loads of geographer don't have a geography related job - finance and managment are often popular.

princesslaura

This is my first post, a long time lurker, so hope it comes out ok!

A geography degree can be completed as either a BSc, Bachelor of Science, or BA, Bachelor of Arts. Your son should pick depending on what areas of geography he finds most interesting. Generally a BSc covers elements of physical geography (rivers, glaciers, sand dunes, etc.) and a BA covers elements of human geography (population growth, economics, etc). However, if he chooses one it does not mean he will not be able to take any modules in the other.

Hope this helps, feel free to ask any more questions!

skintmumof3

thanks for making it a bit clearer. i think the bsc is the one he would find more interesting as its actually based on the outside environment.
cheers
skint
x
ps and princess laura welcome to mse...

omelette451

While it's true that most universities offer a choice of BA/BSc in some subjects depending on the modules studied (e.g. Geography, Sports Science, etc.), it's important to remember that the degree name doesn't really count for much in itself. By this I mean that a Batchelor's degree is worth the same regardless of whether it's got the word 'science' or 'art' (or even something else, such as 'education' in BEd) in its name. The university where I've just finished studying doesn't give out any BScs in any subject, meaning that even people studying Physics and Maths get BAs at the end of their courses. (Though just to complicate things, most Maths students do 4 years and get a MMath instead, but the principle is the same.) It doesn't mean they're less clever or less scientific than other graduates, it just means they have a piece of paper saying they have a BA.

save-a-lot

Hi

I have a BSc in Geography, but I took a more BA route according to the definitions above. Did not really like physical geography too much, and tended to do mainly human geography, retail, economic, industrial geography. I walked away with a BSc. I believe that in the eyes of an employer, an academic degree is a degree, is a degree. They consider that a candidate has successfully studied and obtained a degree and that is about it. On the other hand there are degrees that are more vocational, then that is when the type of degree and content of the degree starts to matter more.

bitsandpieces

It can also just depend on the history of the university - whether the Geography Department was historically viewed as part of Arts, Social Sciences or Sciences. I wouldn't worry much about whether it's a BA or BSc - your son should pick the course that looks best for his interests and goals, imo. Reputation, course content etc. are v important. The name is v unlikely to be.

If your son wants to go into academia, the universities he's applying for will likely know this stuff. Employers are v unlikely to care whether it's a BSc or BA and, if they are concerned, he should be able to explain this to them*. Employers and universities are very likely to care about things like: the reputation of the university and geography department; the class of the degree; what your son focussed on, etc.

*It's plausible that there will rare companies which e.g. insists on a science degree and refuses to be told that a BA Geography with mostly physical geography courses involves a lot of science. But I wouldn't base this type of decision on preparation to deal with the odd idiot who may be encountered...

The_One_Who

Be careful. It's not as simple as a BSc is physical geography and a BA is human. You need to look at the course structure and it should tell you how that department works. At mine there is always a balance between human, physical and environmental and everyone no matter what their faculty is in the same class. At honours level you need to take at least one human or physical module in an attempt to broaden your education a little bit.

Employers don't really mind as long as you have relevant work experience and a good degree classification.