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BA and Bsc Geography - whats the difference?

and can i apply to either or just the one? i'm currently doing A2 Biology, Geography, Psychology and AS music

First off, one gives you an arts degree and one a science degree. BA is human geog, BSc is physical.

From my looking around, it seems to depend on the uni. Some don't have any difference between the two in terms of the course (e.g Birmingham) and it's just the name of the degree you get at the end - according to the Bham talk, you could apply for the Bsc and spend your whole time doing human geog. Some universites have different modules/different courses for the different degrees, so it matters quite a bit (e.g. you have to do whatever you applied for in the third year, or the compulsory stuff is in what you applied for).

Someone who knows more'll probably come along and correct all this in a mo, but hey.

Reply 2

Aphotic Cosmos

A BA in Geography usually specialises in human geography, but unlike a BA in Human Geography, will, at most universities, give you the option to at least study part of your degree in physical geography if you so wish. In this vein, a BSc in Geography usually specialises in physical geography, but unlike a BSc in Physical Geography will, at most unis, give you the option to study part of your course in human geography if you want to.

At most universities, you can transfer from the BA to the BSc at some stage if you decide that you'd rather study the other side of Geography as a majority.

Some unis run the BA and BSc as almost completely separate courses, only sharing a few modules here and there like field skills or GIS modules. Some unis will share a year between BSc and BA students to give them a common ground in basic geography. A few unis will run the two courses as completely interchangeable ones throughout the three years.

Reply 3

crafty bison

Also, bear in mind that at Cambridge, all degrees are BA - which demonstrates really that the meaning attached to whether you have a "BA" or "BSc" will be far smaller than you may think.

Reply 4

TheOneWho

In a very simplistic fashion a BSc means physical and BA human, but this is generally not the case at all. Most universities will allow you to cross over or offer a balance of both. It really requires a close look at the degree and course structure to know for sure.