Editing Bachelor of Arts (section)

==Degrees in North America==
===Canada===
Education in Canada is controlled by the [[Canadian provinces|provinces]] and can be very different depending on the province. While all Canadian universities offer four-year degrees, it is not uncommon, depending on the province and the university for a three-year general degree to also be offered as an option. In many universities and colleges, Bachelor of Arts degrees are differentiated either as BA or as honours BA degrees. Honours programs require more education than non-honours programs, typically a specialization beyond the requirements of a BA, and can often be used as a gateway to a PhD program, bypassing a master's degree.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

In [[Québec]], BA degrees generally last three years, because the fourth year is replaced by [[CEGEP]] education (which fills the gap between Secondary V, the last year of high school, and the first year of university).<ref>{{cite web |title=Québec education system |url=https://www.quebec.ca/en/education/study-quebec/education-system |website=quebec.ca |access-date=8 May 2025}}</ref> However, four-year programs exist for students having completed 12 (instead of 13) years of education prior to being admitted to university.<ref>{{cite web |title=Program length - Concordia University |url=https://www.concordia.ca/academics/degrees/program-length.html |website=www.concordia.ca |language=en}}</ref>

===United States===
Along with the [[Bachelor of Science]] (B.S.), the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) is the most commonly granted degree in the US. A B.A.<ref name=":03"/> degree is earned after the completion of four years of [[undergraduate]] college level study. The Bachelor of Science is abbreviated with periods i.e., B.S., and the Bachelor of Arts is abbreviated as B.A.<ref>{{Cite web |title=University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Communication and Marketing: Grammar: Degrees and Dates: Academic degrees |url=https://ualr.edu/communications/grammar-degrees-and-dates/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 21, 2023 |website=www.ualr.edu|archive-date=June 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621105706/https://ualr.edu/communications/grammar-degrees-and-dates/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Western Michigan University, Writing Style, Academic Degrees |url=https://wmich.edu/writing/rules/degrees |url-status=live |access-date=June 21, 2023 |website=www.wmich.edu|date=9 November 2012 |archive-date=June 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621105716/https://wmich.edu/writing/rules/degrees}}</ref>

Some universities in the United States abbreviate the degree as "AB" or "A.B.", derived from the Latin title ''Artium Baccalaureatus''. AB degrees are particularly associated with Ivy League institutions and other universities with historical ties to Latin academic traditions—such as Harvard, Princeton, Brown, and Stanford. These schools use the AB designation to distinguish their degree from the more common Bachelor of Arts (BA). The use of Latin terminology underscores their heritage and the prestige of their academic programs.<ref>[https://www.collegevine.com/faq/22279/ab-vs-ba-degree-what-s-the-difference AB vs BA Degree: What's the difference?] - website collegevine.com</ref> Additionally, the study of Greek and Latin has traditionally been a fundamental component of the undergraduate curriculum at these institutions.<ref>[https://charleston.edu/classics/academics/abdegree.php Artium Baccalaureatus] - website of [[College of Charleston]]</ref>