A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing “Bachelor’s degree” in 2023

It can be challenging to learn the lingo and grammar needed to talk about academic degrees. If you are considering to study a bachelor’s degree program, you would probably get confused about whether to say “bachelors” or “bachelor’s.”

Is it a Bachelor degree or a Bachelor’s degree?

Bachelors or Bachelor’s Degree?

Should it have a capital letter?

What does it even mean?

What is the difference between a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science?

Even after getting your degree, you may still don’t have the answer to this question. Here’s a step-by-step guide to the history of words that will help you answer those questions.

 

Read more: 7 Helpful Tips to Make the Most of Bachelor’s Abbreviation

 

What does a Bachelor’s degree mean?

 

When talking about a level of higher education, the word “bachelor” refers to a first-level or introductory degree. A bachelor’s degree used to be the lowest level of education you could get at a college or university.

After getting a bachelor’s degree, you could choose to go on and study a master’s degree or doctoral degree.

The word “bachelor” comes from the Latin word “Baccalarius,” which meant someone from the lowest level of the feudal class in Europe in the Middle Ages. Scholars think that Geoffrey Chaucer, who wrote the Canterbury Tales, was the first person to use the word “bachelor” to describe a person’s level of education in 1386.

 

Is a “Bachelor’s degree” CORRECT?

 

Well, “bachelor’s” is the right word to write or say. The plural form of bachelors is only used to talk about a group of people who have already finished the degree.

As stated by Associated Press Style and the Chicago Manual, the correct way to write a bachelor’s degree is with a lowercase letter and an apostrophe.

The word must imply ownership since a degree is something that a student owns. In most cases, a bachelor’s degree is enough, but if the term of a bachelor’s degree is too long, the word bachelor’s works just fine.

Let’s see some examples to clear up any confusion. Here are some correct sentences (don’t forget that punctuation marks are important):

 

• John is working on his thesis for a bachelor’s.
• Sara has got two bachelor’s degrees in economics.
• Frank graduated with his bachelor’s in only three years.
• Earning a bachelor’s degree got me ready for the job market.

 

Writing that a person has a bachelor’s is a good way to show that they are qualified. Deciding to study in the United States, you will notice that AP Style and the Chicago Manual would rather see this phrase than the full name of the degree.

Actually, the same way goes also for a master’s degree. Master’s degrees are what graduate schools offer, not masters degrees.

Again, the apostrophe helps show that the degree belongs to the students. But please note that this is not true for two-year undergraduate programs. It is correct to say “associate degree,” which is the lowest degree.

So, when you want to talk about a general undergraduate degree, you definitely should use the word “bachelor’s.”

 

Should the term “Bachelor’s degree” be capitalized?

 

If you were only wondering about the apostrophe in bachelor’s degree, that would be the end of the story. But you might also want to use that word on your resume or some other official document. Considering this, you might also want to learn more about capitalization.

When being used as a regular noun, a bachelor’s is usually not capitalized. This is because it is used as a category in everyday speech and writing. But you may also see it as part of a title.

For example, in the following sentence, you would capitalize it:

I got a Bachelor of Science degree.

In this case, it is a proper noun, so it needs to be written with a capital letter. Bachelor could also be capitalized if it is part of a title, a headline, or the first word in a sentence.

It’s also important to note that the same rules apply to a master’s degree. You would usually use an apostrophe in the word, but you wouldn’t capitalize it unless it was part of a formal title like “Master of Social Science.”

 

Why do you need to study a bachelor’s degree?

 

Most of the obligation for making a bachelor’s degree a necessity for employment relies on the professional and corporate sectors.

Many factors, such as changing public opinions and even new legislation, have all contributed to a growing demand for bachelor’s degrees as a prerequisite for a professional license, including the increasing number of jobs that require one.

There have always been some jobs that require you to study a bachelor’s degree, even if you just have an associate degree.

To shift the load and cost of training onto the student who will one day become an employee, several different professions recently require a bachelor’s degree.

 

 

 

 

What made a bachelor’s degree so important?

 

Employers started to notice the benefits of hiring people with bachelor’s degrees in a certain subject as the 20th century came to a conclusion. This trend continued into the 21st century. The possession of a bachelor’s degree was taken as evidence of intelligence and capability, which resulted in a reduction in the amount of time spent on training.

When it came to training an employee to internal standards and practices, employers had to invest less time and money than before. They discovered that choosing candidates with a bachelor’s degree was the key to successfully attracting the most talented people.

It’s deniable that a master’s degree is also required these days, but a bachelor’s degree is the minimum requirement for most jobs. You will definitely stand out from the crowd if you earn a graduate degree.

The completion of a bachelor’s degree typically takes four years, while a master’s degree can be earned in two to three years. A bachelor’s degree is also considered to be of a higher caliber than an associate’s degree or a degree in applied science.

 

Read more: What are the top 7 bachelor’s degree majors in 2023?

 

This guide should have helped clear up some of the confusion that’s always been around the term “bachelor’s degree.” When it’s time to use your bachelor’s degree, you’ll be able to talk about it and put it on resumes and applications with the right grammar.

Since everyone has his own unique talent, even if you feel pressured to study something you don’t want to or choose a career that doesn’t match your personal values, you should always find time and make an effort to learn what you’re interested in and what your strengths are.

Just like John Wooden once said: “Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential.”

Successful people know very well how to focus on their strengths when it comes to being successful. When you’re good at something, you can feel true passion by entering your “flow” state, in which you lose track of time and get lost in what you do best.

This is the feeling you want to have in your education and in your life as a whole. It will give you a good start to a successful future.

So, whether you are planning to study an online degree, or earn a degree on campus, uni-app will help you find the right program, which will guide you to a better future, in a way you’ve never imagined.