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Four-Year Bachelor's Degrees

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degrees are usually four years in length. Bachelor’s degrees in the US, follow the liberal arts philosophy described below and generally include core required courses, a major and electives.

"Liberal arts" is a shortened form of the phrase "liberal arts and sciences" in the UK. The liberal arts philosophy is a unique feature of the US higher education system. This concept promotes a well-rounded academic education that develops the student's verbal, written and reasoning skills. Students begin their degree study by taking classes in a wide variety of courses in the arts, humanities, languages and the social and physical sciences. They then choose a field in which to specialise and take about one half of their classes in their major area.

A four-year Bachelors degree following a liberal arts philosophy will typically include the following types of classes:

• Core courses provide the foundation of the degree programme and are required of all students. Students take a variety of courses in mathematics, English, humanities, physical sciences and social sciences. Some colleges require students to take many core courses, while other schools require only a few.
• A major is the subject in which a student chooses to concentrate. Your major courses represent one third to one half of the total number of courses required to complete a degree.
• Most students major in one subject. However, the flexibility of the liberal arts curriculum provides students the option of pursuing a double major. Double majors allow students to complete the full major degree in both subjects, often within four years.
• A minor is a subject in which a student may choose to take the second greatest concentration of courses. The number of courses required for a minor tends to be half the number for a major in the same subject.
• Elective courses may be chosen from any department. They offer opportunities to explore other topics or subjects you may be interested in and help make up the total number of credits required to graduate.

To graduate, students will generally be required to complete a number of credits or credit hours set by the university or department. A credit hour can roughly be thought of as the number of hours a student is in the classroom per week. Most Bachelor's degrees are created such that a student can expect to complete the required credits within four years. However, it is possible to complete the degree earlier by taking classes during summer school, receiving advanced standing for A-levels and/or taking extra classes during the semester or summer. (Please note questions regarding advanced standing should be directed to the department in which the student will study, after you have been admitted.)