Bachelor's degree

The first degree taken in universities in the English tradition is nearly always a Bachelor's degree - that is, one whose abbreviation starts with B (B.A., B.Sc. etc). It is called this from a general sense of the word as 'novice' or 'young and inexperienced person'. It was originally thought of as a preliminary to becoming a Master of one's subject; now it is the basic qualification gained from a university. The majority of students finish their education at this level: that is, they graduate. The course leading to a Bachelor's degree usually lasts for three years, although some universities are beginning to offer an accelerated programme of two years. In the Scottish system, the first degree is normally a four year course after which a student, starting a year younger on average, is awarded a degree which is called M.A., but is in fact equivalent to an English B.A.

There are many forms of Bachelor's degree. The names of these vary greatly between institutions of Higher Education, and also between countries and cultures. The conventions of naming and abbreviating them may also vary considerably: the commonest, the Bachelor of Arts, may be called B.A. or A.B. (from the Latin form, artium Bachelor). Some of the Bachelor's degrees (Wikipedia gives a longer list at [[1]]) are:

• B.A.: bachelor of Arts is the most common. The name 'Arts' is a general one, and can be applied to most subjects.
• The B.Sc., or Bachelor of Science, is awarded to those who have specialised in the physical sciences.
• Ll.B. is a first degree for students who have specialised in Law. (The form is Latin: it stands for legum [the possessive plural] Bachelor, 'Bachelor of Laws'. It is an academic study, and does not by itself qualify a person to practise as a lawyer.
• B.Ed. is a degree in education. Again, it is an academic degree and does not qualify a person to be a teacher. (See P.G.C.E for the professional qualification.)
• B.Mus. is the degree of Bachelor of Music.
• B.Eng. is the first degree in Engineering.
• In some universities, the first degree in Economics is called the B.Econ..

American and British usage is slightly different. Britons tend to say "he has a B.A."; Americans say "he has a Bachelor's", where the possessive form is itself used as the name.

The abstract noun from Bachelor - the general word referring to the degree - is Baccalaureate.

You may want to consult degrees (punctuation).