Bachelor of Arts: Areas of Study, Careers, and More

A Bachelor of Arts (BA) is one of the most common undergraduate degrees you can earn in the United States. It's a type of bachelor's degree that pertains to majors in the humanities and social sciences. Thanks to the broad subject matter you'll study in a BA program, you can develop a well-rounded skill set that you can apply to many different careers.

Learn more about earning your Bachelor of Arts, including the subjects you can study and the careers you can pursue after graduation. Afterward, explore flexible and affordable bachelor's degree programs with esteemed university partners on Coursera.

What is a Bachelor of Arts (BA)?

A Bachelor of Arts (BA) is an undergraduate degree you can earn in various subjects that pertain to the humanities or social sciences. As a standard bachelor's degree, your BA program will involve completing general education requirements and then selecting a relevant major and completing coursework in that area.

Earning your Bachelor of Arts can be beneficial, leading to job flexibility, higher earning potential, and an opportunity to learn about a subject of interest. Additionally, the unemployment rate for bachelor's degree holders is consistently lower than those with an associate degree or high school diploma, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics [1]. 

Learn more: What Is the Difference Between a BA and a BS Degree?

BA degree: areas of study

The college majors associated with a Bachelor of Arts are vast and largely pertain to subjects in the humanities and social sciences. After completing the general requirements for your degree, you'll select an area to develop more specialized knowledge in. Common BA majors include:

• Anthropology

• Biology

• Communication

• Criminal justice

• Economics

• Education

• English

• Geography

• History

• Journalism

• Media

• Philosophy

• Political science

• Psychology

• Religious studies

• Studio art

• Theater and drama

Bachelor of Arts requirements

Earning your Bachelor of Arts typically involves four years of study. You can extend it by choosing to study part-time. For the first two years, you generally focus on completing coursework in a range of subjects, including social sciences, humanities, languages, mathematics, sciences, and fine arts, designed to give you a broad foundation of knowledge. 

For the final years of study, you'll primarily focus on coursework in your major. Keep in mind that different colleges offer different majors, so you'll want to ensure the one you want to study is offered at your institutions of choice. If you have an interest in two areas, it may be possible to double major, or you can add a minor, which is a specialization that requires less coursework than your major.

Applying to a Bachelor of Arts program

Admission requirements for a BA vary depending on the course and the college. In general, you must have a specified GPA and submit a statement of purpose or personal statement, along with transcripts of records of grades, a resume, and scores from standardized tests (SAT or ACT). You may need to pass a language proficiency test in English if you're coming from abroad to study in the United States.  

What can I do with a Bachelor of Arts?

A Bachelor of Arts can create opportunities for jobs in all fields, including the arts, business, non-profit, science, and law. College graduates are more likely to gain employment than non-graduates, but they are also paid significantly more [1]. The median annual starting salary for a graduate with a bachelor’s degree was $92,260 in 2024 [2]. 

Job opportunities will often depend on your major, but having a degree, in general, demonstrates the desired level of education and the development of transferable skills that many employers are looking for.

Learn more: Is a Bachelor's Degree Worth It?

Transferable skills you may learn in a Bachelor of Arts program

Completing a BA is designed to help you develop transferable skills you can take into the workplace after graduating. The broad areas of study allow you to develop these highly regarded human skills, which are essential to most professional roles. Transferable skills you'll often learn as part of a BA include:

• Communication: A degree involves working with others, communicating ideas, delivering presentations, and writing papers. These are essential communication skills that you can take to the workplace.

• Leadership and project management: At times during a degree, you lead teams through projects and learn to delegate tasks, consider all parties, and make decisions.

• Teamwork and collaboration: Through your degree, you work with different people and learn to communicate with various individuals at different levels. You may collaborate on projects with people from a variety of backgrounds and learn to listen to other points of view, opinions, and ideas.

• Problem-solving: A degree enhances problem-solving abilities when testing hypotheses and designing solutions. You'll develop key critical thinking skills throughout a BA degree.

• Time management: Through a degree, you learn to work independently, manage your own time and think for yourself. You may also have to juggle study and work, learning valuable time management skills.

• Resilience: Through a degree, you learn to make mistakes, correct your work, and recognize that not everything goes as you want it to the first time. You learn resilience to carry on and make the desired changes.

• Self-confidence: Having a degree can make you feel more confident about your subject knowledge and your ability to work with different people and approach new situations. 

What options are there for further study?

After completing a Bachelor of Arts, many graduates deepen their subject knowledge with a Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Science (MS) in their chosen field or a related area. In other words, you don't have to study the same subject as your bachelor's if your interests have expanded to a different area. Earning your master's can be beneficial, especially if you're interested in advancing in your career.

Other options for further study include a Master of Business Administration (MBA) for jobs in business or a terminal degree for a career in medicine, law, education, arts, or architecture.

Explore bachelor's degrees on Coursera

A Bachelor of Arts is a broad degree through which you can strengthen valuable transferable skills that can prepare you for many careers. Explore flexible, affordable bachelor's degree programs available with esteemed university partners on Coursera. For instance, you may be able to leverage your previous college or military credits to earn your degree faster with the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences from the University of North Texas.