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This is a real pet peeve of mine, but "Liberal Arts" is not synonymous with "Humanities": http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liberal%20arts > College or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general intellectual capacities, in contrast to a professional, vocational, or technical curriculum. ... In modern colleges and universities, the liberal arts include the study of litera…
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I would argue that in most cases, the BA/BS distinction is a meaningless artifact of what credential your university happens to offer. For example, MIT only awards BS degrees to undergrads, so you could major in French Studies or history and get a BS: http://mitadmissions.org/discover/majors In contrast, a school like Amherst only awards BA degrees, so you'd wind up with a BA in physics, chem or computer science: htt…
These days isn't BS more or less shorthand for "took calculus and a real lab science" these days?
When I last saw a catalog from a school that offered both degrees in the same field, the BS generally required more units in the major field of study and closely related fields and substantially less required "breadth" classes in fields outside of the same major.
Many BA programs I've seen in non-science fields require at least one laboratory science course in their breadth requirements (calculus probably isn't a requirement.)
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I guess if a single school offers both degrees in the same field, with different requirements, that would be a meaningful distinction. However, in my experience, it will still be a distinction without a difference, since very few employers would understand or care about it.
> However, in my experience, it will still be a distinction without a difference, since very few employers would understand or care about it. This presumes that the only meaningful effect of a college education is a vocational certification that is presented to employers.
If we presume the BA student has taken a few more electives in outside areas, and the BS student has taken a few more major-focus classes and perhaps more quantitative classes, it's hard for me to see that choice having a serious impact on a student's intellectual development.
At most, it's a signal about the type of person that student was when they choose their degree.
I wouldn't really agree with that, but whatever you need to justify your student debts.
Hum majors who take up coding are more than welcome to try,but they should be warned: programming is hard. It's easier than multivariable calculus, but there there ARE right and wrong answers, and you WILL come a point when you'll hit a wall and be frustrated, and you need to have the perseverance to get through those points. If this is to be your career you need to commit to a virtual lifetime of learning and growin…
> Friedman says she doesn’t regret majoring in English. She says her communication skills help her explain work to less technical colleagues. I wouldn't really agree with that, but whatever you need to justify your student debts.
Oh, wait. You don't have an English degree, do you?
Hum majors who take up coding are more than welcome to try,but they should be warned: programming is hard. It's easier than multivariable calculus, but there there ARE right and wrong answers, and you WILL come a point when you'll hit a wall and be frustrated, and you need to have the perseverance to get through those points. If this is to be your career you need to commit to a virtual lifetime of learning and growin…
I cam from History to IT. I can agree with this and still struggle with it at times.
So I've brushed up on my CS via online courses and enjoy a more educated/enlightened apathy toward modern politics.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> However, in my experience, it will still be a distinction without a difference, since very few employers would understand or care about it. This presumes that the only meaningful effect of a college education is a vocational certification that is presented to employers.
If we assume the primary goal of a college education is developing the ability to think abstractly and reason meaningfully about the subject at hand, then the BA/BS distinction becomes even less consequential. If we presume the BA student has taken a few more electives in outside areas, and the BS student has taken a few more major-focus classes and perhaps more quantitative classes, it's hard for me to see that choi…
What if we assume that the primary goal of a liberal arts undergraduate degree (BA) is that, and the primary goal of other types of undergraduate degrees (BS, BFA, BSL, etc.) differs for each?
> Friedman says she doesn’t regret majoring in English. She says her communication skills help her explain work to less technical colleagues. I wouldn't really agree with that, but whatever you need to justify your student debts.