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Why are all Cambridge courses 'BA' -even Sciences???

Intruiged!

Don't start new threads for short questions like this, why not ask them in an existing discussion thread.

Also, learn to use google, go on, give it a go....

Wikipedia

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.

Reply 2

Alexander

12

Willa

Don't start new threads for short questions like this, why not ask them in an existing discussion thread.

hmmm...it's not as if this forum is absolutely swamped, and sometimes these short-question threads turn into interesting (if sometimes somewhat off-topic) discussions...so I don't think that the OP has committed too great a sin by starting a new thread.

Reply 3

FeralWolf25

Your not getting your BA in the subject you study, but for completing a Tripos. The award you get at the end of your course is a BA (Camb), no detail is given on your certificate as to your subject studied, or even the grade received (I believe) But, a more detailed sheet is given to explain the level you achieved at the various "Parts" of the Tripos system, e.g. 1st, 2:1, 2:2, 3rd, fail. I'll try and find where I read this.....

Reply 4

tll5ku0lvz

2

The real answer is:

Cambridge are the academic elite. The fellows know things that average folk couldn't even imagine. One such thing is that there is no such thing as science, just arts subjects while wearing a labcoat. Science was invented in 1941 as war propoganda and its fallacy has never been declassified.

Reply 5

musicbloke

17

Jim Arnold

The real answer is:

Cambridge are the academic elite. The fellows know things that average folk couldn't even imagine. One such thing is that there is no such thing as science, just arts subjects while wearing a labcoat. Science was invented in 1941 as war propoganda and its fallacy has never been declassified.

Yes. 'scientists' are kept within Cambridge by the ordinance regarding 'keeping term' simply to protect the civilian population of the rest of Britain.

MB

Reply 6

Apagg

13

Put it down to path dependency. It's simply the way Oxbridge have always done things, and there's no compelling reason for them to change. Simple as.

Reply 7

dijon

FeralWolf25

The award you get at the end of your course is a BA (Camb), no detail is given on your certificate as to your subject studied, or even the grade received (I believe)

Yep, this is true, slightly disappointed it didn't say maths on mine

Reply 8

earthmother

1

TCD does the same as do (I believe) the older Scottish universities.

Reply 9

Cexy

FeralWolf25

The award you get at the end of your course is a BA (Camb)...

No, it's not. You get awarded a plain BA, and possibly some kind of masters degree (e.g. MSci, MEng). Seven years after graduating, you are awarded an MA, but it's noted after your name as 'MA (Cantab.)' to signify that it's the automatically awarded Cambridge MA, and not a postgraduate MA.

A common belief seems to be that the '(Cantab.)' part is a boast, to say 'look at me, I went to Cambridge!' whereas in fact it's a qualifer to say that it's just the Cambridge MA, and not something you've studied for.

Reply 10

apd35

9

Cexy

Seven years after graduating, you are awarded an MA, but it's noted after your name as 'MA (Cantab.)' to signify that it's the automatically awarded Cambridge MA, and not a postgraduate MA.

Sorry to pick, but isn't it 6 years after matriculating?

Reply 11

Cexy

It's six years after the end of your first term or later; in practice it's normally awarded seven years after matriculating.

Edit: Oh, I see that I wrote 'graduating' where I meant 'matriculating'. My mistake!

Reply 12

apd35

9

Cexy

It's six years after the end of your first term or later; in practice it's normally awarded seven years after matriculating.

Edit: Oh, I see that I wrote 'graduating' where I meant 'matriculating'. My mistake!

Didn't reallise the first term bit before, you learn something new every day.

Reply 13

Cexy

The wikipedia page actually has quite a good summary... unusually for them...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Arts_%28Oxbridge%29

And here's what the university statutes have to say:

http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/so/so_ch05.pdf

Reply 14

OldMan

Cexy

No, it's not. You get awarded a plain BA, and possibly some kind of masters degree (e.g. MSci, MEng). Seven years after graduating, you are awarded an MA, but it's noted after your name as 'MA (Cantab.)' to signify that it's the automatically awarded Cambridge MA, and not a postgraduate MA.

A common belief seems to be that the '(Cantab.)' part is a boast, to say 'look at me, I went to Cambridge!' whereas in fact it's a qualifer to say that it's just the Cambridge MA, and not something you've studied for.

Actually, the common belief is correct. Cantab does just indicate the degree was awarded by Cambridge. You often see PhD(Cantab) used, and that is definitely something you've studied for!

BA(Cantab) is perfectly correct (as are BA(Oxon), BA(Dunelm), BA(Londin.) etc). There is no requirement to use Cantab after MA and most people don't. To the cognoscenti, the fact that you have an MA and no Bachelors degree speaks for itself.

Reply 15

Cexy

Interesting. I've looked around and I'm not entirely convinced, as there seem to be a very large number of MA (Cantab.) and a smaller number of anything else, although there are several research group webpages that list all of the faculty members with the name of the university after their degree... eg. "J. Bloggs BA (Northwestern) MA (Harvard) PhD (Cantab.)". That seems a tad silly to me.

Could it be that other universities have adopted the practive relatively recently, following (D)oxbridge's example? More reading is clearly required.

Also, it was my understanding that your MA replaces your BA (an upgrade, as it were) but there are a few BA MA (Cantab.) people floating around. Maybe they've just got it wrong.

Reply 16

Catsmeat

13

"Dunelm" eh? I bought some duvets from there recently.

I think as was clarified earlier, it's not a case of Cambridge going 'against the grain' for eccentricities sake, but rather that they have always named their degrees BAs, so why should they change? Also the notion that it is a degree awarded for the completion of the tripos.

Reply 17

FadeToBlackout

15

I wonder what I'd put if I were to do an MA elsewhere as well; FadeToBlackout MA(Cantab) MA? Or if I did an MPhil, which would have priority? Hmm...

Reply 18

lskdgjsj

10

Chloedanielle

Intruiged!

Well, B. A. is short for baccalaureus artium; the Latin 'ars' comprehends everything that we nowadays divide into arts and sciences: precisely the reason geometry, arithmetic, and astronomy were reckoned amongst the seven 'liberal arts'. B. Sc. (baccalaureus scientiae) means exactly the same thing; and I suppose the Senate and Chancellor of Cambridge and the Congregation of Oxford never saw any need to introduce the second, strictly superfluous term.

Reply 19

lskdgjsj

10

FadeToBlackout

I wonder what I'd put if I were to do an MA elsewhere as well; FadeToBlackout MA(Cantab) MA? Or if I did an MPhil, which would have priority? Hmm...

The letter at the beginning doesn't determine seniority: an M. Phil. would still come after an MA from Oxbridge because it's a higher level degree. A case in point, Oxford has various Master's-level degrees that begin with a 'B.', the BCL and B. Phil. for instance.

Why are all Cambridge courses 'BA' -even Sciences???

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