Bachelor of Science
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A Bachelor of Science (B.S., B.Sc. or less commonly, S.B. or Sc.B. from the Latin Scientiæ Baccalaureus) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years (see below).
In the United States, a Bachelor of Science degree may be a more specialized version of B.A., with more focus on the subject and less on a broad liberal arts background; for example, a B.S. in economics may require several more advanced economics courses than a B.A. in economics, and possibly more support courses (such as statistics). The B.S. is also frequently used for professional areas of study such as engineering, journalism, and advertising.
In the UK and Canada, which subjects are considered science subjects varies, e.g. economics degrees may be B.A. in one university but B.Sc. in another. In addition, some universities, like the London School of Economics, offer the B.Sc. in practically all subject areas even when they are normally associated with arts degrees, while others award arts qualifications almost exclusively, namely the Oxbridge universities. In both instances, this is generally for historical and traditional reasons. A Bachelor of Science receives the designation B.Sc. or B.S. for a major/pass degree and B.Sc. (Hons) or B.S. (Hon) for an honours degree.
The B.Sc. from Germany is equivalent to a B.Sc. (Hons).
Formerly at the University of Oxford, the degree of B.Sc. was a postgraduate degree. This former degree, still actively granted, has since been renamed M.Sc.
In Brazil, a Bachelor of Science degree is a graduation degree and is also more specific, usually containing a one-year mandatory probation time by the end of the course followed by relatively elaborate written and oral evaluations (Monografia).
Typical completion period
Three years
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Italy, Latvia, Malaysia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Quebec, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Wales and Zimbabwe.
Four years
Bangladesh (three or four years), Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada (except Quebec), Finland, Greece, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Malta, Mexico, Myanmar, Pakistan, People's Republic of China, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Slovenia, Taiwan, Turkey, Sri Lanka (three or four years), United States, Zambia (four or five years).
Five years
Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia (usually four years dedicated to coursework plus one year of research thesis), Egypt (four or five years), Syria, and Serbia.
List of Bachelor of Science Degree majors offered by U.S. institutions
- Accounting
- Agriculture
- Animal Science
- Anthropology
- Astrophysics
- Biology
- Biochemistry
- Biomathematics
- Business Administration
- Chemistry
- Chemical Physics
- Computational Chemistry
- Computational Mathematics
- Computer Science
- Dramatic Arts
- Earth Science
- Economics
- Education
- Engineering
- Entomology
- Environmental Biology
- Environmental Science
- Electronics and Communication
- Finance
- Food Science
- Genetics
- Geography
- Geology
- Graphic Design
- History, Technology, and Society
- Human Biology
- International Affairs
- Information Management
- Information Technology
- Journalism
- Management
- Mathematics
- Medical Technology
- Microbiology
- Molecular Biology
- Nursing
- Nutrition
- Packaging
- Paleontology
- Plant Biology
- Physics
- Physiology
- Psychology
- Public Policy
- Sociology
- Software Engineering
- Statistics
- Theater
- Toxicology
- Veterinary Technology
- Zoology