Talk:Bachelor of Arts/Archive 1

B.A. in other systems
If anyone can include how BA are granted in other educational system (i.e. in Asia and Africa) that would be great. Granted that in Africa, the educational system might be the same as those in Europe (due to the infrastructural residue of European colonialism). However, in the Asian countries, I don't know if BA are granted differently.

Old discussion
I would like to know where people can get a 3 year BA in BC or Alberta. Even degrees at UC's and BCIT take 4 years?! And I know for a fact that all BAs at UBC, UVic and SFU are at least 120 Hours (yes even the "major" degrees). Honours degrees are 120plus. I am going to change this. I would also like to note that a lot of Ontario school are phasing out the 3 year degree (i.e. U of T) now that thier isnt OAC (Gr. 13); however, many school are not. no.....UT haven't had 3 year degrees for decades ...maybe one time in the 60's.

Normally, graduates of universities with an honours degree of Bachelor of Arts abbreviate it as B.A. ( Hons ). However, it is possible that a graduate with an honours degree of Bachelor of Arts does not abbreviate the name of his/ her degre as above. For example, Universiti Putra Malaysia offers several Bachelor of Arts programmes whose graduates, upon graduating, are awarded with a degree namely " Bachelor of Arts ( English Language) with Honours Second Class Upper ". Thus, these graduates normally abbreviate their degrees' name as B.A. ( English Language ) with no indication of honours received.

Written by: Effendi bin Abdullah, Malaysia. < effendiabdullah@pd.jaring.my >

In Ireland, graduates of the University of Dublin, Trinity College, may put "Mod." after B.A. to indicate that it is an honors degree (standard honors degrees take four years). Thus J.Bloggs B.A.(Mod)(Dubl.). TCD was founded in 1592 and in previous centuries the advanced students used to assist in the examination of the less advanced students - they were 'moderators' in the process.

I want to know what facts the person who posted under "Duration" can offer to support his or her conclusion that it is an increasingly common practice in the U.S. to take five years to complete a B.A. program.

REPLIES: To reply to you guys about if you can get a BA in 3 years or not. The answer is: Yes for the UC (and I would imagine for all US universities). How can you do it? Easy, take a lot of classes and graduate early. Then you can get your degree in 2, 3 years. Theoretically, you can even get your degree in 1 semester!
 * This is incorrect. The standard US program calls for four years, two semesters per year, to complete the AB/BA requiring 120 credits in total (5 courses per semester where each course is worth 3 credits, another usual thing, or other method of counting courses). The usual formula is two semesters a year consisting of a Fall and Spring semester. Colleges supplement this with short winter semesters and full Summer Semesters. 96.224.64.94 (talk) 02:38, 15 August 2015 (UTC)

And about taking 5 years to complete a BA program in the US? That seems to me kind of far fetch as most university kicks you out after 4 years to make room for other students.
 * 96.224.64.94 (talk) 02:38, 15 August 2015 (UTC)It is not "far fetched" At least in the US, if you do not complete your AB/BA in four years it is often because of a course deficiency. Perhaps not enough credits if in any semester you took less than 1/8th the number needed to achieve the degree in 4 years. Or perhaps a specifically required course was not completed on time. Then the student continues, if they want the degree for additional semesters though the number of courses will vary based on their circumstances and needs. Some universities have campus policies that allow students to make satisfactory progress towards the degree if they meet certain requirements (a disability, need to travel, commitment to an extracurricular activity such as NCAA sports) but then commit to do so over a five year rather than a four year program. 96.224.64.94 (talk) 02:38, 15 August 2015 (UTC)

How about this in all matter dealing with education in Canada If you are in BC and West Canada stop writing about education your experience there as if it its the same in all of Canada. It is very different from Ontario..and people in Ontario should do the same. And stop grouping Canadian education in with Australia and the UK...its very different.

And the people blabbing about 3 year degrees...In Ontario I didn't even know they existed, and I went to school in the early 90's. All programs were 4 years...maybe it was in the 60's or in Northern ontario
 * Please adopt a more collegial tone. 96.224.64.94 (talk) 02:38, 15 August 2015 (UTC)

Brazil
The information about the bachelor´s degree (Bacharelado, not Bacharelato) in Brazil is incorrect. Like in the USA, the bachelor´s degree here is a 4-year degree, but without the General Education component. For example, before being admitted to a college, you must choose your field of study. There are no majors here. You begin studying your selected subject in the first year of college.

The two-year degree is recent and is called "tecnólogo". Basically, it is a Associate of Applied Science Degree.

Concerning See Also
I think that the Bachelor of Philosophy and Bachelor of Science should be removed from the See Also area since the Bachelor's degrees link is already there. The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, however, should probably stay listed since it and the BA share a similarity and not many folks know the difference between the two. If not that then perhaps there should be a short section about the BFA added to this article explaining the differences between it and a BA. Teliis 19:51, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

As well, this article doesn't seem to mention that some schools (especially larger US or Canadian universities) only offer BAs in the humanities/social sciences, whereas BScs are for subjects in the natural/applied sciences, regardless of the depth of concentration in a specific major. To denote concentration, they usually have Hons/General designations.

Canada ?
Canada have 2 separate education systems, one in quebec and one for the rest of canada. A Bachelor in the Quebec province last 3 years instead of 4 —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.82.53.182 (talk • contribs).

In Quebec a bachlors of arts takes 4 years if you are from outside of the province. The reason for this is the equivalent of a freshman year is done in a CEGEP. Also, other bachlors take longer (B.Eng=4 years after CEGEP) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.201.203.235 (talk) 22:40, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

Almost all Bachelor degrees in Canada are four years. Most Canadian universities eliminated their 3 year B.A.'s in favour of 4 year ones. I don't have a citation, but I would appreciate it if someone could appropriately edit the Canada section. My knowledge simply comes from being a PhD student in Canada. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 157.52.25.45 (talk) 01:28, 24 June 2016 (UTC)

Concerning See Also
I agree with the person who said, 'I want to know what facts the person who posted under "Duration".' There is no evidence to support what is said, so I'm going to change it. -THalleck, 8/8/06 - 12:06am

Content, credit, contact hours
How many teaching hours should a BA include? In the 'credit' systems, is there a usual number of credits a student takes during a BA? (To compare it to other programs.) Njál 11:01, 27 August 2006 (UTC)
 * about 1/10th the hours of a physics degree if my memory serves me correct.

Germany
Germany is missing. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.130.206.105 (talk) 19:23, 7 April 2008 (UTC)

Incorrect The degrees from a university or a University of Apllied Science are not equal.

You are not allowd to apply fpr a doctorate with an (FH)-degree etc. Also the syllabus differs much, mostly in the degree of theoretical and pratical study. --88.152.149.220 (talk) 01:54, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

A.B.?
Is this a relatively recent term? Has B.A. fallen out of favor? It is also not mentioned on Bachelor's Degree Gront (talk) 17:30, 24 June 2008 (UTC)


 * There are some universities that stress that their tradition is to call their degree the AB rather than the BA. Princeton is such an example in the US. 96.224.64.94 (talk) 02:42, 15 August 2015 (UTC) +Bowdoin, too. Jmdugan (talk) 12:32, 25 May 2017 (UTC)

--88.152.149.220 (talk) 01:56, 29 July 2014 (UTC)
 * No, it's the Latin original - Ars Baccalaureus. Similarly:  Ars Magister (Master of Arts), Ars Doctor (Doctor of Arts - or, literally, "Teacher of Arts"; 'doctor' and 'docent' both come from the verb 'docere', "to teach, to indoctrinate".  Likewise, 'Ph.D.' = Philosophiae Doctor, as compared to 'D.Phil.' = Doctor of Philosophy.


 * No. It's an older term used, at least, by some of the older liberal arts colleges in the northeastern United States. I went to school at Bowdoin College and our degree has been abbreviated A.B. for at least the last 40 years when my father went there. I have been told this is because the actual degrees are written in latin and A.B. is a direct translation of the latin phrase though I have no evidence to support that. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.55.52.1 (talk) 16:42, 14 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Note that it is not only elite northeastern U.S. colleges/universities which confer the A.B. degree. Although it is the Latin equivalent, standing for artium baccaluareus ('bachelor of arts'), not all colleges that confer the degree give graduating students a diploma written in Latin. ResidueOfDesign (talk) 20:33, 11 February 2011 (UTC)


 * Yes, another case in point is University of Chicago, which abbreviates their degrees as A.B. Although they now refer to these as a Bachelor of Arts degree, when the university started it printed its diplomas in Latin and thus used the term Artium Baccalaureus (A.B.). So now the abbreviation A.B. is still used, the diplomas are in English and the term Bachelor of Arts is used.~Mack2~ 14:57, 15 January 2013 (UTC)

B.A.
B.A.-shortening of the 'street' term defining a person who partake in awesome, mind blowing, and on the edge activities. Term usually used to describe a cool person.

Synonyms: Nuria Martin, Laura Joergensen, James Bond

Picture
Would anybody mind if I change the picture?Rs09985 (talk) 13:59, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

Vandalism
Don't know what the original said, but there's some vandalism on this page - mainly in the section headed ==. --Pigs Might Fly Music (talk) 09:50, 10 December 2009 (UTC)

Levels of BA Honours in Canada
The article states in the section entitled "Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa":
 * Unlike other countries, students from these countries do not receive an overall grade for their Bachelor of Arts degree with varying levels of honours. Instead, students have the option, at the conclusion of their third year of study and provided they possess certain minimum grade average in their major area, to undertake an honours (or fourth) year. The honours year generally comprises a coursework component (including seminars or tutorials) and an original researched thesis or dissertation of 10,000-20,000 words

This may apply to AU, NZ and/or SA but, as far as Canada is concerned, I don't think this information is correct. I know that at least one Canadian university, Carleton U in Ottawa, gives what they call "Recognition of High Academic Achievement" based upon a student's final CGPA.

Up until this year, recognition was in the form of either 'High Honours' or 'Highest Honours' depending upon the GPA (and a few other requirements). Basically, if a student had a major CGPA of 10.00+ and an overall CGPA of 8.00+ they were automatically awarded Highest Honours; a major CGPA of 9.00+, and an Overall CGPA of 7.00+ got them High Honours. Students graduating with a non-honours degree were awarded a degree with Distinction or High Distinction. Reference: 2009-10 Academic Regulations - Recognition for High Academic Achievement.

This was the policy for many years &mdash; I received Highest Honours in 1981 and I'm sure it goes back much further than that.

It seems, however, that times are changing &mdash; as of this calendar year (2010-11) the Honours recognitions are no longer separate. Recognition is now the same for both Honours and non-honours degrees, with either type awarded 'Distinction' (CGPA from 9.8 to 10.4) or 'High Distinction' (CGPA equal to or higher than 10.40), as appropriate. Reference: 2010-11 Academic Regulations - Recognition for High Academic Achievement

I have no idea what policies might be in place at other Canadian universities. RB Ostrum 21:20, 8 November 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by QDE-can (talk • contribs)

"Bachelor of THE arts"
A search of WP reveals twenty-three instances of the usage "bachelor of the arts" [emphasis mine]. Can someone well-versed in epithetology clarify whether such a construction is a legitimate usage? It seems to me to be a sub-standard usage, to say the least. I would be bold and "correct" all twenty-three instances, but I want to get some feedback before stepping on anyone's pet page. ResidueOfDesign (talk) 20:29, 11 February 2011 (UTC)


 * Yes, unless you're an unmarried man who does heaven knows what in his spare time, "Bachelor of the Arts" is quite wrong. That said, and with intent to be charitable, most of these non-standard uses are probably by non-native speakers of English - specifically, by speakers of languages that use definite articles in places that English normally does not.


 * For example: In English, one would say, "I do not like cats" - no definite article attaches to the object; but in other languages...
 * Par example: Je n'aime pas les chats.  I do not like the cats (literally, "I no love not the cats").
 * Por ejemplo: No me gusta los gatos.  I do not like the cats (literally, "No me like the cats")  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.181.59.31 (talk) 02:56, 25 March 2011 (UTC)

United States?
Not only is the US not talked about other than the single mention in the lead, that single mention isn't even wikilinked. What's up with that?  ミーラー強斗武   (StG88ぬ会話) 03:05, 23 April 2017 (UTC)
 * I agree with this. There is only one mention of the United States in this article, and much more information could be provided. I feel that this is a lack of important representation for the article.--Camimitchell35 (talk) 05:16, 8 February 2019 (UTC)

"Liberal arts" includes natural sciences
The introduction to this article says a B.A. is awarded for work in "either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both" and links to the Wikipedia article on "liberal arts." The article on liberal arts makes it clear--in my view, correctly--that natural science is included in liberal arts. The recent usage in which science and mathematics are expelled from the liberal arts and joined with engineering to form "STEM" is a relatively recent phenomenon.

The result is that this article and the liberal arts article to which it links are inconsistent with each other; this article suggests the sciences are not part of the liberal arts, while the liberal arts article is explicit that they are.

Fixing this inconsistency without bogging down one or both articles seems to me to be a bit tricky, and I'm a relatively inexperienced editor, so I'd prefer if someone else gave it a shot. SarahLawrence Scott (talk) 01:47, 16 June 2017 (UTC)

3 new sections
Good Afternoon.

I added 3 new sections to this Wikipedia article. The Definition, History, and United States. I added these sections to help the audience understand the meaning of Bachelor of Arts. I added a section for the US because it is a major degree in America and should be compared to other nations. The article lacks basic understanding and definition of Bachelor of Arts. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Crystia12 (talk • contribs) 01:01, 2 April 2022 (UTC)

references unavailable
A lot of the references are inaccessible through link. This article had a lot of facts but no clear secondary evidence to fully back up every claim and statement. Dorinapellumbi (talk) 18:31, 26 September 2019 (UTC)dorina

Bachelor of Arts improvements
Good Afternoon

I edited this article "Bachelor of Arts" to give what I consider improvements to the article. I did not touch any of the other section, I just made three new ones. These three new sections are Definition, History, and United States. Definition section was created because the article does not not really discuss the definition or basic universal information about this degree. I added a history section because bachelor of arts has been around for a while and has changed over time. Final I added a section for the united states of America because a BA degree is one of the most common in the united states and information should be given on how the degree is different from other nations.

Crystia12 (talk) 21:04, 2 April 2022 (UTC)