Bachelor's degree is a three-year or four-year program taken up after completing 10+2 from a recognized board of education. Check What is Bachelor Degree in Arts, Honours, Health Science.
In our education system, we have three kinds of degrees, namely bachelor's degree, Master's degree, and Doctoral degrees. What is a bachelor's degree? It is a most popular term, and is now the salt of all job hirers. A bachelor's degree is highly valued at both professional and personal levels. Want to accelerate your career? Getting a Bachelor's degree could be the first step.
What is a Bachelor's Degree?
A bachelor's degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges/universities on completing a course study that has three to six years depending on the program opted by a student. A student willing to pursue an undergraduate program must have secured at least 50% aggregate in the 12th standard.
Countries that follow the British education system have two kinds- non-honors, also known as general, ordinary or pass degrees, and honours. An honour degree has a higher standard value than a non-honour one. The duration of the bachelor degree courses varies with countries. For example, in India, it is usually 3 years. Bachelor's degree offers specializations as well.
Why Need a Bachelor's Degree?
A bachelor's degree is the first step towards higher education. In today's world, even a basic job requires at least a bachelor's degree. Moreover, even the jobs that don't require a bachelor's degree would prefer the one with it over those the less educated ones. Thus, in many fields, a bachelor's degree has now become a requirement.
Bachelor Degree Program Duration
A bachelor's degree depends on the course one chooses and the country they wish to study in. Speaking of India, the bachelor's degree relating to science, English, psychology, and commerce is three years, i.e., six semesters long. Whereas pharmacy is five years, medicine is five and a half years, and technology is four years.
A semester lasts six months so that one can calculate the semesters based on the years accordingly. Summing up, a bachelor's degree in India can be from three to six years. However, if one wishes to pursue their bachelors from the US, it would be four years, similarly three in the UK.
Types of Bachelor's Degree
A student can enrol in any bachelor's degree, which solemnly must depend on their interest, passion, and ability.
Here's an insight into popular bachelor's degrees from various streams.
- Bachelor Degree in Commerce Stream
- Bachelor Degrees in Science Stream
- Bachelor Degrees in Arts Stream
Bachelor Degree in Commerce Stream
If you have pursued commerce in 12th, there is a wide variety of courses one can choose from. There are choices particularly related to the commerce field and some that include banking.
- Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com)
- Bachelor of Economics
- Bachelor of Business Administration or Management
Below is a table that gives basic info on commerce-related bachelor's degrees available with top colleges offering the course.
| Course | Duration | Top Colleges |
| B.Com | 3 years | Top Colleges for B.Com |
| B.Com (with Specialization in Business Economics) | 3 years |
|
| B. Com (Hons) | 3 years | Top Colleges for B. Com (Hons) |
| B.B.A | 3 years | |
| BBM | 3 years | Top Colleges for BBM |
Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com)
If a student is interested in subjects like accounting, taxation, auditing, pursuing a B.Com, i.e., bachelor of commerce is the answer! It is a degree program of 3 years, where students can either pursue b.com as a full-time course or as a correspondence course.
Bachelor of Economics
Students interested in economic policies, analytical methods, and economic frameworks can take admissions into a bachelor's in economics. In addition, students will get an added advantage for writing Indian administrative services or UPSC with a financial background.
Bachelor of Business Administration or Management
Students inclined more towards management and business administration can pursue BBA, BMS, or BBM as its more industry-focused, giving businesses Insights. In addition, subjects like accounting, business law, communication skills, organization behaviour, etc., are included in the curriculum.
Bachelor Degree in Science Stream
The science stream is vast and covers most jobs in this world. One must be familiar with doctors, engineers, and scientists. But did you also know that there are many other prospects the stream covers? Explore the below content to read more about science-related bachelor's degrees.
There is a list of degrees under the Science stream.
- B.Sc (Bachelor of Science)
- B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology)
- MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery)
- BDS (Bachelor of Dental Studies)
- BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurveda Medicine)
- BHMS (Bachelor of Homeopathy)
B.Sc (Bachelor of Science)
B.Sc is one of the most preferred bachelor's degrees after 12th in the science stream. It is usually a three-year course except for agriculture (4 years), Physiotherapy (4 years and six months), and pharmacy (5 years). Bachelor of Science is based on theoretical and practical knowledge of a particular field. These degrees are either full-time or part-time. There are more than 150+ B. Sc courses to choose from.
Below are the popular B.Sc courses.
| Course | Duration | Top Colleges |
| B.Sc Agriculture | 3 years | Top B.Sc Agriculture Colleges |
| B.Sc Biotechnology | 3 years | Top B.Sc Biotechnology Colleges |
| B.Sc Clinical Research & Healthcare Management | 3 years | Top B.Sc Clinical Research & Healthcare Management Colleges |
| B.Sc Forestry | 4 years | Top B.Sc Forestry Colleges |
| B.Sc Microbiology | 3 years | Top B.Sc Microbiology Colleges |
| B.Sc Nursing | 3 years | Top B.Sc Nursing Colleges |
| B.Sc Physiotherapy | 3 years | Top B.Sc Physiotherapy Colleges |
| B.Sc Bioinformatics | 3 years | Top B.Sc Bioinformatics Colleges |
| B.Sc Forensics | 3 years | Top B.Sc Forensics CollegesTop Colleges |
B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology)
B.Tech acronym for Bachelor of Technology is a four-year undergraduate program. These courses include various branches like electrical and electronics, computer science, mechanical, civil, automobile, etc.
MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery)
MBBS is the most popular course after 12th among students and all. It is a five and a half year medical program. After successful completion of the course, the students are called doctors and might pursue MD (Doctor of Medicine) or MS (Master of Surgery).
BDS (Bachelor of Dental Studies)
BDS is a Bachelor of Dental Science, which has a duration course of 5 years, including four years of study and one year of internship. Career opportunities include working as a consultant or taking up a private practice.
BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery)
BAMS is a five and a half years undergraduate program pursued after 12th. The course is an integration of both modern medicine and traditional Ayurveda for effective treatment. Students learn about different medical properties of herbs apart from body functions and parts.
BHMS (Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery)
BHMS is a five and a half years undergraduate program, and the graduates are considered doctors. Therefore, it involves practical and theoretical knowledge of Homeopathy. Homoeopathy revolves around the natural healing power of the body.
Bachelor Degrees in Arts Stream
BA Arts program is a three-year graduate program that aims to promote knowledge in arts, humanities, and social science. It specializes in subjects like philosophy, history, geography, literature, etc.
Below are the other bachelor in arts programs.
BJMC
Bachelor of Journalism or Bachelor of Journalism and Mass Communication (BJMC) is another popular course among art stream students. Best suited for individuals who have strong communication skills, extroverts, have a storytelling ability, capable of analyzing a story, excellent hold writing skills, debater and have a desire to pursue a career in mass media.
BA LLB
LLB is an integrated five-year graduate program. The law degree is integrated with the arts. the subjects in the course includeArts subjects like Economics, History, Political Science, Sociology along with Law subjects like Civil Law, Criminal Law, Labour Law, Tax Law, Administrative Law, Corporate Law, etc
Bachelor of Social Work
A program that focuses on various theories of social work. Usually opted by students who have a keen interest in working towards social welfare and development. Areas of study include sociology, society, the law relating to social work, etc.
How Much Does a Bachelor Degree Cost?
More students are aspiring to get an education, and inflation has led to a tremendous increase in the cost of education. However, it is not impossible to get one for the financially weaker society, thanks to the various schemes and educational loans offered by the government and other private sectors.
Apart from tuition fees and college fees, a degree includes costs such as hostel, books, stationery, uniform, transport, canteen, and coaching fees. Also, the location of the college one wishes to pursue the degree is a major contributing factor for cost. For example, urban cities cost about 5 times more than rural areas.
Considering all these, it can be calculated that, on average, a bachelor's degree can cost between INR 3 lakh to INR 75 lakhs in Urban cities and INR 50,000 to INR 7 lakhs in rural.
Jobs After Bachelor Degree
It is not a myth that a bachelor's degree can get you jobs with not just decent but lucrative salary packages too. The money that one invests for studying the course can be paid off by these jobs, sometimes in less than a year.
Listed below are some of the high-paying jobs that a bachelor's degree can give you.
- Human resources Specialist (HR)
- Police Officer
- Engineer
- Doctor
- Marketing and Advertising Manager
- Investment Banker
- Management Consultant
- Teacher
- Public Relations Manager (PR)
- Hospitality and Travel Agent
- Sales Manager
- Supply Chain and Management AnalystSoftware developer
Is a Bachelor's Degree Worth it?
A bachelor's degree opens up one's chances to a job quickly and easily. Anyone with a bachelor's degree would be picked rather than one without it. The degree brings you not only a certificate but also skills one can cherish for life.
Communicative skills, a stronghold on language, and a deeper understanding of the subject can help one connect hassle-free in their job. If you get a job related to your subject of study in the bachelor's degree would not make you foreign to that subject, as you would already have deep knowledge of the subject.
Benefits of a Bachelor's Degree
The bachelor degree offers you jobs with high pay. Promotions are also guaranteed with experience. The corporate world always has enough space for bachelors degree holders to fit in. It also has additional job satisfaction benefits. The amount of people the degree exposes one up to is great.
The benefits of a bachelor degree are as follows.
- Pursuing a bachelor's degree is a gateway to employment opportunities.
- Most of the fast-growing occupations demand students to be a holder of a bachelor's degree.
- This leads to long term job satisfaction.
- Offers Government Jobs
- Research suggests bachelor's degree holders report higher levels of self-esteem and a lower rate of unemployment.
- Brings a substantial jump in pay
FAQ's
- What is the fee structure for pursuing such degree courses?
The fee structure widely depends on the stream you choose.
- What are the career opportunities for the commerce stream?
In recent years employment opportunities for commerce have increased multifold. For example, students can work as financial analysts, auditors, tax consultants, bankers, etc.
- Can you suggest top colleges for pursuing a bachelor of social work?
Amity University and Madras Christian College are the top colleges in India offering BSW (Bachelor of Social Work) courses.
