Is a BS a BS? Or just BS?

October 28, 2009 7:20 PM

Is a BS degree a BS degree, or are there "lesser" degrees - I don't even know how to ask this. I'll try, though.

I've finally decided to stop giving in to the reasons to put it off. I'm going to pursue a degree for myself. It turns out that, between my military experience and a handful of community college courses I took, I'm only 30-odd credits from a BSAST from Thomas Edison State College. A few CLEPs and a few courses, and I should be there. Plus, the GI bill should pay for it. So I'm fairly excited about that.

Here's my reservation about it, tell me if I'm being paranoid:
I have this pamphlet about degree programs from the Navy College office where I got most of my info. In one section it explains that there are "academic" degrees, and "professional/technical" degrees, and then lists some typical course requirements. The BSAST degree is a "technical" degree, is the impression I get. Am I getting myself into what amounts to a fancy-sounding cert program like CCNA or MCSE?

My other option is trying to take night classes from UW after doing everything I can at a community college. Financially, that would not be an issue, but the thought of years and years of night school is not appealing.

I eventually want to apply to OSU's Master of Health Physics degree. The requirements say "4 year baccalaureate degree" which it sounds like I would have. I'm just afraid when I put my degree on my resume for jobs, or for the OSU application I'm going to hear, "no, we meant a REAL degree."

Maybe it's just because this sounds too good to be true and I'm suspicious. Can anyone (especially someone with HR or college admissions experience) comment on that?

posted by ctmf to education (14 comments total)

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison_State_College#Baccalaureate_Degrees
posted by dfriedman at 7:22 PM on October 28

See also this: http://www.tesc.edu/2308.php

It sounds like you are getting a legitimate baccalaureate degree. Congrats for pursuing education.
posted by dfriedman at 7:25 PM on October 28

It looks like a more common name for that kind of thing is Bachelor of Applied Science.

It's definitely a baccalaureate degree. (See here) Whether it's a B.S. is debatable. How often that comes up is a question I don't know.
posted by smackfu at 7:39 PM on October 28

As a director of graduate studies (DGS) in my department, I suggest you write to the current DGS in OSU's Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics to inquire whether the BSAST would be an appropriate qualification. (I'm presuming that you are in the USA and that OSU is Oregon State, not Ohio State or Oklahoma State). They're best positioned to let you know about their admissions requirements, and fielding questions like yours is part of the job. Good luck!
posted by brianogilvie at 7:41 PM on October 28

It's a Bachelor of Science degree. Thomas Edison is unique (and thefore confusing) in it's special snowflake naming for this degree. I would, after having obtained it, list it on your resume as a BS in Applied Science and Technology. Listing it as a BSAST will lead employers to the same confusion you yourself are currently having, so just circumvent that issue by being clear.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:41 PM on October 28

For what it's worth, I have a B.A. in a science field and in the 10 years I've had it, no one has questioned the art part of it. I think people focus on the bachelor's part + your major.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 7:52 PM on October 28

Wow. I'm planning on finishing my education at TESC and have been wondering this same exact thing. This is incredibly helpful.
posted by niles at 8:27 PM on October 28

Heh, at my undergrad, there was a degree called "Bachelor's of Special Studies" - basically, "BS Studies." It's still a perfectly acceptable bachelor's degree.

I have a Bachelor's of Arts, and went on to get a MSc and am working on a PhD in molecular neuroscience. It's no big deal; also, when trying to get into graduate school, having a PI "sponsor" you makes lots of minor stupid stuff disappear (happened both with entering the MSc and the PhD but it had nothing to do with having a BA).

Worse comes to worst, enroll in enough credits at a random community college and get a(nother) bachelor's from them.

But, really, when you're applying to places to do your Masters of Health Physics degree; apply to potential principal investigators/supervisors instead of the department. Find someone who's willing to be your supervisor and with whom you both agree on a project that's good for both of you for you to work on. THEN apply to the program, letting them know that "Dr. Prof. XYZ wants me in their lab and has-funding-for-me/we-are-looking-into-funding (from ABC, LMNOP, and QRX) for me."
posted by porpoise at 9:01 PM on October 28

enroll in enough credits at a random community college and get a(nother) bachelor's from them

Don't know where you are, but in the United States, community colleges don't give Bachelor's degrees. They give Associates degrees, which is a two year program.
posted by sophist at 12:05 AM on October 29

MyOwnLifeFilter: I have a B.S. in Theater/Speech from Northwestern University. The use of Bachelor's of Science means different things in different universities, but it's not necessarily a BS degree. In my case, because the Theater/Speech degree did not require math or a foreign language element, it could not be considered a B.A.--the Theater/Speech degree comes from the School of Speech, not the College of Arts and Sciences.
posted by tzikeh at 6:42 AM on October 29

And sophist is right--CCs in the United States do not grant Bachelor's, but their credits (usually) transfer to four-year universities, significantly cutting down the time you'd have to spend at one.
posted by tzikeh at 6:43 AM on October 29

Thanks for your help, everyone.

I went to see an admissions counselor at the University of Washington today. Her recommendation was exactly what brianogilvie said - call up Oregon State's people, see what they recommend, work backward from there.

She was kind of nonplussed about the "applied science" degree, and kind of had the attitude that it wasn't really a full Bachelor of Science degree. Which is exactly what I suspected people would think. Unfortunately, UW is significantly less generous about accepting equivalent experience and training toward their degrees. I would still need to take some community college courses just to start the program there, and then I would have about 100 credits to do at UW.

I think what I will plan for, after calling Oregon State, is to do the TESC degree (why not, right?), while making sure that all the courses I take to finish that are ALSO acceptable as transfer courses to the UW program. Then I still have the option of doing the BS at UW afterwards if I feel like I need to, or just applying to the masters program at Oregon State.

And DarlingBri, you're right, it does sound less confusing written that way. Also less like, "Oh, a degree in truck driving from one of those late-night TV commercials, thats... great."
posted by ctmf at 12:32 PM on October 29

Legitimate technology and engineering programs are accredited by ABET. There is no indication on the web page for the BSAST program that the degree is ABET accredited. (Their accreditation page talks about the college accreditation from the Middle States Association, a very different thing from a program accreditation.)

Also, degrees with "technology" in their name are considered by many to be lightweight versions. They are often lacking in heavy duty mathematics and science requirements, and I believe do not require any design component. It might not matter for the specific graduate program in Health Physics you plan to pursue, but it certainly makes a difference when you're applying for jobs. In my field someone with a BS from a "technology" program is considered for technician positions, but not for engineer or scientist slots.

Note that the requirements for becoming a Certified Health Physicist include this:

1. Academics. An applicant must possess at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in physical science, engineering, mathematics, or in a biological science with a minor in physical science, engineering, or mathematics.

"Applied Science and Technology" is not one of the choices.

Tread carefully.
posted by Wet Spot at 12:52 PM on October 29

Update: the Oregon State department says the TESC BSAST degree is perfectly acceptable for them and that they've had many successful students with that as their initial qualification.
posted by ctmf at 1:53 PM on October 29