Bachelor's degree

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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.)

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Honours degrees and academic distinctions

Under the British 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. 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.

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North America

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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.

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BLA or ABL

The Bachelor of Liberal Arts is awarded to students who major in liberal arts, interdisciplinary studies, or who design their own consternations.

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BArch

The Bachelor of Architecture is awarded to students who complete five years of study in the field.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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., BM or MB, B.Math, BBA, BChir or ChB, MB or ChB, MA (Oxon), MA (Cantab), MA (Hons)
Master's degrees MA, MS or MSc, MSt, J.D., 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, DMA, DMus, DCL, ThD, 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., LL.M.