Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of London in 1860.
Whether degrees of a particular subject are awarded as a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts varies between universities. For example, an economics degree may be awarded as a Bachelor of Arts by one university but as a Bachelor of Science by another, and occasionally, both options are offered. Some universities offer the Bachelor of Arts even in math and the sciences, while other institutions offer only the Bachelor of Science, even in non-science fields.
At universities that offer both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in the same discipline, the Bachelor of Science degree is usually more focused on that particular discipline and is targeted toward students intending to pursue graduate school or a profession in that discipline.
International differences
's School of Foreign Service awards Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service degrees to all of its undergraduates, although many students major in humanities-oriented fields such as international history or culture and politics. The London School of Economics offers BSc degrees in practically all subject areas, even those normally associated with arts degrees, while the Oxbridge universities almost exclusively award arts qualifications. In both instances, there are historical and traditional reasons. Northwestern University's School of Communication grants BSc degrees in all of its programs of study, including theater, dance, and radio/television/film. University of California, Berkeley grants a BS degree in Environmental Economics and Policy at the College of Natural Resources, a BS degree in Business Administration at Haas School of Business, and a BA degree in Environmental Economics and Policy at the College of Letters and Science. Cornell University offers a BS degree in Computer Science from its College of Engineering and a BA degree in Computer Science from its College of Arts and Sciences.Argentina
In Argentina most university degrees are given as a license in a discipline. They are specific to a field and awarded to students upon completion of a course of study which usually lasts 5 years.In most cases, at the end of a course and as a mandatory condition for its completion, students are compelled to work on an original research project related to the field. This project is called a thesis and it is usually presented in front of a group of people, including university professors who will evaluate it and let the student know whether they passed or not on the same day, shortly after the presentation.
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa
In Australia, the BSc is generally a three-four-year degree. An honours year or a Master of Science is required to progress on to the Doctor of Philosophy.In New Zealand, in some cases, the honours degree comprises an additional postgraduate qualification. In other cases, students with strong performance in their second or third year, are invited to extend their degree to an additional year, with a focus on research, granting access to doctoral programs.
In South Africa, the BSc is taken over three years, while the postgraduate BSc entails an additional year of study. Admission to the honours degree is on the basis of a sufficiently high average in the BSc major; an honours degree is required for MSc level study, and admission to a doctorate is via the MSc.
Brazil
In Brazil, a Bachelor of Science degree is an undergraduate academic degree and is equivalent to a BSc. It could take from 4 to 6 years to complete, is also more specific and could be applied for Scientific Arts courses, somewhat is called Human Art courses in Brazil as well as for Health Arts. To be able to start the bachelor's degree in Brazil the candidate must prove to be proficient in different disciplines and have at least the accumulated Preliminary, Medium and High School degrees accomplished with the minimum merit of 60% to 70% of the degrees and a correspondent study period that can vary from 10 to 12 years minimum. The Bachelor of Science courses in Brazilian Universities normally have the first 1 to 2 years of basic fundamental disciplines and the last 2 to 3 years disciplines more related to the professional fields of that Bachelor of Science. Some disciplines are prerequisite to others and in some universities, the student is not allowed to course any discipline for the entire next period if he was unsuccessful in just one prerequisite discipline of the present period. Usually, the Bachelor of Science courses demand a one-year mandatory probation period by the end of the course, followed by relatively elaborate written and oral evaluations. To get the certification as BSc, most universities require that the students achieve the accomplishment of 60% to 70% in all the "obligatory disciplines", plus the supervisioned and approved training period, the final thesis of the course, and in some BSc programs, the final exam test. The final exam also is required so far. To be a professor, a Bachelor of Sciences is required to get a Licenciature degree, which lasts on top of the periods already studied until getting the BSc, plus 2 to 3 periods. With a master's degree is also possible, which takes 3 to 5 periods more.Britain and Ireland
Commonly in British Commonwealth countries and Ireland are admitted to the degree of Bachelor of Science after having completed a programme in one or more of the sciences. These programmes may take different lengths of time to complete.A Bachelor of Science receives the designation BSc for an ordinary degree and BSc for an honours degree. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland an honours degree is typically completed over a three-year period, though there are a few intensified two-year courses. Bachelor's degrees were typically completed in two years for most of the twentieth century. In Scotland, where access to university is possible after one less year of secondary education, degree courses have a foundation year making the total course length four years.
In Ireland, the former BS was changed to BSc, which is awarded after four years. The BSc is awarded after three years. Formerly at the University of Oxford, the degree of BSc was a postgraduate degree; this former degree, still actively granted, has since been renamed MSc.
Chile
In Chile, the completion of a university program leads to an academic degree as well as a professional title. The academic degree equivalent to Bachelor of Science is "Licenciado en Ciencias", which can be obtained as a result of completing a 4–6 year program. However, in most cases, 4-year programs will grant a Bachelor of Applied Science degree, while other 4-year programs will not grant to an academic degree.Continental Europe
Many universities in Europe are changing their systems into the BA/MA system and in doing so also offering the full equivalent of a BSc or MSc.Czech Republic
Universities in the Czech Republic are changing their systems into the Bachelor of Science/Master of Science system and in doing so also offering the full equivalent of a BSc or MSc.Germany
In Germany, there are two kinds of universities: Universitäten and Fachhochschulen. Universitäten and Fachhochschulen – both also called Hochschulen - are legally equal, but Fachhochschulen have the reputation of being more related to practice and have no legal right to offer PhD programmes.The BSc in Germany is equivalent to the BSc in the United Kingdom. Many universities in German-speaking countries are changing their systems to the BA/MA system and in doing so also offering the full equivalent of a BSc.
In Germany the BA normally lasts between three and four years and between 180 and 240 ECTS must be earned.
India
The Indian interpretation is similar to the British system. In India, B.Sc is generally a three-year course, however at some places, it is integrated with another short term course, certification or 'honours', making it a four-year course. After passing the 12th standard , also known as 'intermediate' in Sciences from a recognized board school, a student can apply to a college for a B.Sc degree. It is an undergraduate course, which could either be offered in annual examination system or semester system. All the major colleges and universities offer this course.After getting a B.Sc. Degree, the students can choose to either continue their education and pursue post-graduation, or leave the college and take up a relevant job.
North America
In Canada, Mexico, and the United States, it is generally a four-year undergraduate degree typically used in engineering, computer science, mathematics, economics, finance, business, and the natural sciences.Some colleges and universities however only require three years especially in Quebec and to a less extent in other areas.
Typical completion period
Three years
, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cameroon, Canada, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Latvia, Lebanon, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Wales, and Zimbabwe.Four years
, Albania, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Bosnia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cyprus, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Libya, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Malawi, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, Myanmar, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Serbia, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United States, Uruguay, Yemen, and Zambia.Five years
Romania, Bangladesh, Cuba, Greece, Peru, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Venezuela, Egypt, Haiti.Nigeria, 6 months dedicated to SIWES but for most sciences and all engineering courses only. A semester for project work/thesis not excluding course work during the bachelor thesis. Excluding 1 year for the compulsory National Youth Service Corps, para-military and civil service.
North Macedonia, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Sudan, and Syria.
In Algeria, the student presents a thesis in front of a Jury at the end of the fifth year.
Six years
In Chile, some undergraduate majors such as engineering and geology are designed as 6-year programs. However, in practice it is not uncommon for students to complete such programs over the course of 10 years, while studying full-time without leaves of absence. This is in part due to a strict grading system where the highest grade of a typical class can be as low as 60% and the high frequency of protests and strikes organized by student federations and teacher unions, such as the 2011–13 Chilean student protests.There are studies that suggest a direct correlation between reduced social mobility and differences unique to the Chilean higher education system.