What does BA stand for in college? It stands for Bachelor of Arts, an undergraduate degree that a full-time student usually earns in about four years. Colleges award it in fields such as English, history, psychology, political science, languages and the arts.
A BA is one kind of bachelor's degree. Its main partner is the BS, Bachelor of Science. Both take about the same time and count equally for most jobs and graduate programs. The difference lies in what you study along the way: a BA leans toward broad study in the humanities and social sciences, while a BS puts more weight on math, lab work and technical courses.
Quick facts
Stands for
Bachelor of ArtsLatin name
Baccalaureus Artium (some schools write AB)Type
InitialismTypical length
About four years, often 120 semester creditsWritten as
BA or B.A.Other meanings
Batting average; Buenos AiresRelated degrees
BS, BFA, AA, MA
What does BA stand for in college? The two words
Bachelor here means a first degree, the level after high school and before graduate school. Arts refers to the liberal arts, the old idea of a broad education in language, history, ideas and society. Some colleges keep the Latin order and write AB, for Artium Baccalaureus. It is the same degree.
On a résumé: "BA, History, minor in Spanish." The person earned a Bachelor of Arts with history as the main field of study and Spanish as a smaller second field.
What a BA program looks like
- General education: courses in writing, math, science, history and the arts, often in the first two years.
- A major: a set of courses in one field, usually a third or so of your credits.
- Electives and a minor: room to explore or build a second area.
- A language requirement: many BA programs ask for a year or two of a foreign language.
- A final project: some majors end with a thesis, portfolio or senior seminar.
Credits for a degree are often counted in semester hours, and your GPA tracks your grades across all of them.
BA vs BS and other bachelor's degrees
| Degree | Stands for | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| BA | Bachelor of Arts | Humanities, social sciences, languages, broad electives |
| BS | Bachelor of Science | Math, science, technical and lab courses |
| BFA | Bachelor of Fine Arts | Studio art, theater, dance, music performance |
| BBA | Bachelor of Business Administration | Business core plus a concentration |
Some majors, like psychology or economics, come as either a BA or a BS at the same school. In that case the science track tends to require extra statistics, lab work or research methods, and the arts track keeps more space free for electives. Read more on the BS page. A two-year associate degree, the AA, can often transfer into a BA program.
After the BA
Many graduates go straight to work. Others stay in school for a graduate degree like the MA or the MBA, then possibly a doctorate like the PhD. Law and medical schools accept students from any bachelor's degree, so a BA in English or philosophy can lead to law school just as well as a business degree can.
How to write BA
Both BA and B.A. are correct. Mixing them on one résumé looks careless, so settle on one. News style often keeps the periods, while résumés and college catalogs frequently drop them. When you write the full term in a sentence, use lowercase and an apostrophe: "a bachelor's degree in history." Capitalize it only as the formal degree name, Bachelor of Arts. Use a before it, since B sounds like "bee": "a BA in sociology." The plural is BAs.
Other meanings of BA
Away from campus, BA has a few other jobs:
- Batting average: in baseball stats, BA is hits divided by at bats, shown as a decimal like .287. It often sits next to RBI in a box score.
- Buenos Aires: the capital of Argentina, often shortened to BA by travelers.
- Slang: in casual online talk, BA is also a rude shorthand for someone bold or tough.
Our famous acronyms list collects many more everyday letters.
Questions people ask
What does BA stand for?
BA stands for Bachelor of Arts, the bachelor's degree most liberal arts majors earn after roughly four years on campus. In baseball, BA can also mean batting average.
Is a BA or a BS better?
Neither is better in general. Employers and graduate schools usually care more about your major, your skills and your grades than about the letters on the diploma.
How long does a BA take?
Most full-time students finish in about four years. Transfer credits, summer classes or part-time study can make it shorter or longer.
Is a BA the same as a bachelor's degree?
A BA is one type of bachelor's degree. Others include the BS, BFA and BBA.
Should I write BA or B.A. on my résumé?
Either is fine. Choose one style and use it for every degree you list.