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Bachelor of Science
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A Bachelor of Science (B.S., B.Sc. or BSc in the UK; less commonly, S.B., B.S.c. or Sc.B. from the Latin Scientiæ Baccalaureus) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years (see below).
only in the Commonwealth and Ireland graduands are admitted to the degree of Bachelor of Science after having completed a programme in one or more of the sciences.
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A Bachelor of Science (B.S., B.Sc. or BSc in the UK; less commonly, S.B., B.S.c. or Sc.B. from the Latin Scientiæ Baccalaureus) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years (see below).
International differences
Commonwealth and Ireland
Commonly in the Commonwealth and Ireland graduands 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 B.Sc. or B.S. for a major/pass degree and B.Sc. (Hons) or B.S. (Hons) for an honours degree. In Ireland the former B.Sc. was changed to B.Sc. (Hons.) which is awarded after 4 years. The B.Sc. (Ord.) is awarded after 3 years.
Whether a subject is considered a science or an art can vary between universities. For example, an economics degree may be given as a B.A. by one university but as a B.Sc by another. Biology, biochemistry, maths, physics, chemistry, general science, earth science, and computer science are almost universally considered to be sciences.
Even in these cases, there are exceptions. The London School of Economics offers B.Sc. degrees in practically all subject areas, even those normally associated with arts degrees, while the Oxbridge universities award arts qualifications almost exclusively. In both instances, this is generally for historical and traditional reasons. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of London in 1860. Prior to this science subjects were included in the B.A. bracket, notably in the cases of mathematics, physics, physiology and botany.
Formerly at the University of Oxford, the degree of B.Sc. was a postgraduate degree; this former degree, still actively granted, has since been renamed M.Sc.
United States
In the United States, a Bachelor of Science degree may be a more specialized version of B.A., with more focus on the subject and less on a broad liberal arts background; for example, a B.S. in economics may require several more advanced economics courses than a B.A. in economics, and possibly more support courses (such as statistics). The B.S. is also frequently used for professional areas of study such as engineering, journalism, accounting, and advertising. At least five American schools (Caltech, Babson, Georgia Tech, MIT, and HMC) and four of the five service academies (United States Military Academy, United States Naval Academy, United States Air Force Academy, and United States Coast Guard Academy) award the BS for all subjects. On the other hand, many schools (especially Liberal Arts colleges) do not offer a BS at all.
Continental Europe
The B.Sc. from Germany was equivalent to a B.Sc. (Hons.). Note that many universities in German speaking countries are changing their systems into the BA/MA system, thus of course also offering the full equivalent of a B.Sc.
In the Czech Republic a Bachelor of Science places the pre-nominal letters Bc. before his name.
Other countries
In Brazil, a Bachelor of Science degree is a graduation degree and is also more specific, usually containing a one-year mandatory probation time by the end of the course followed by relatively elaborate written and oral evaluations.
Typical completion period
Three years
Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Canada (Quebec), Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, Denmark, England (three or four years with a one-year placement in industry), Estonia, Finland, France, Germany (mostly three years, but can be up to four years), Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland (Ordinary), Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Latvia, Lebanon (Three or Four years), Malaysia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland (Ordinary),Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, United States (three or four years), Wales and Zimbabwe.
Four years
Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Australia (honours degree),Bangladesh (three or four years), Bahrain, Belarus, Belize, Brunei, Bosnia (four or five years), Bulgaria, Canada (except Quebec), Croatia (four or five years), Guatemala, Greece, Indonesia, Iran (four or five years), Iraq, Ireland (Honour Degree), Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Lithuania, Libya , Malta, the Republic of Macedonia (three,four or five years), Montenegro (three,four or five years), Mexico, Myanmar, New Zealand (honours degree), Pakistan, People's Republic of China, the Philippines (four or five years), Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland (Honour Degree), Serbia (four or five years), Slovenia, Taiwan, Thailand,Turkey, Sri Lanka (three or four years), Haiti (three or four years), United States (three or four years), Yemen, Zambia (four or five years).
Five years
Peru, Argentina, Brazil (four or five years), Colombia, Mexico (4.5 years), Chile (usually four years dedicated to coursework plus one year of research thesis), Egypt, Haiti (four or five years), Spain, Syria, Macedonia and Sierra Leone (four years dedicated to coursework).
See also
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