The General Education Curriculum

What is the difference between a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts Degree?

Within the General Education Curriculum, there are a few differences between the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science. For more information about the differences within particular majors, or the differences in career opportunities, contact the major (departmental) advisor.

Quantitative and Logical Skills: Data Analysis

B.S. students must take up through Math 152. (Additional course work in mathematics will be required for some B.S. programs.)
B.A. students only need Math 116 or an equivalent Mathematical and Logical Analysis Course, depending on the major. Consult with your Arts and Sciences academic counselor before choosing a mathematics course.
B.S. students only take a data analysis course if it is required as part of their major
B.A. students must take a data analysis course; some majors require a specific course

Natural Science

B.S. students are required to take 25 hours of natural science, and three of the five courses taken must have a laboratory component. The classes from which to choose are also more limited and at a higher level than those from which B.A. students may choose.
B.A. students are required to take 20 hours of natural science. One of the four courses must have a laboratory component.

Issues of the Contemporary World

This GEC category is only required of students pursuing a B.A. or Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. B.S. students do not have to take this class.

Overlap Allowed

Students pursuing a B.S. degree are permitted to double count the second writing course with another GEC requirement, or on the major, if the course is approved to count in both areas. Courses approved to overlap on the GEC are indicated with a dagger on the yellow B.S. GEC sheets.

Drop-a-GEC-Course option

Students pursuing a B.S. degree with a major in astronomy, chemistry, computer and information science, geological sciences, or physics may elect to drop one course from the GEC requirements in order to accommodate the substantial size of the major program. This may be used only in specific categories of the GEC. Consult with an Arts and Sciences academic counselor or your B.S. GEC curriculum sheet for more information.