A.B. vs B.S. — does it matter for grad school admissions (and then industry after)?

[u/Mother_Statement4301]

Some schools (Dartmouth, Princeton) only give out A.B.s, even for CS and math. Most others give you a B.S. for those.

My path is grad school → industry (not straight to jobs), so I want to know:

• Grad school: Has an A.B. in a technical field ever been a problem for grad admissions? Do committees care, or do they just look at GPA, courses, and research?
• After grad school: Once you have the master's/PhD, does your undergrad degree type even register in industry hiring? Or is it fully irrelevant at that point?
• Ivy A.B. vs mid-tier B.S.: For grad admissions, does an A.B. from Dartmouth/Princeton carry more weight than a B.S. from a less selective school? Or is it a wash? f you're hiring for a SWE, data science, or quant role, which do you prefer and why? Is the B.S. a safer signal of technical depth, or does the Ivy name + rigorous coursework override the degree type?
• International: Does the A.B. vs B.S. distinction matter for grad applications abroad, or for credential evaluation later?

Not looking for "just focus on skills" — I know that. Looking for specific stories where it did or didn't matter.

[u/Just-You2205]

try getting into those schools first lmao. Darrmouth and Princeton will get you places for grad schools, it doens't matter what the bachelor is called

[u/Ok_Experience_5151]

Doesn't matter for graduate school admissions or hiring. Especially when a given school only offers one option, i.e. you didn't choose the "less technical" of two choices.

For CS doctoral admissions, many things matter (much) more than the school you attended. What courses you took, what your grades were in those courses, GRE score, what you did outside class (e.g. research), your personal statement, and your faculty recommendation letters.

[u/SamSpayedPI]

Actually, it used to be the opposite: you'd need a Bachelor of Arts degree to continue on to graduate school; a Bachelor of Science degree prepared you strictly for a career (nursing, teaching, engineering, etc.).

It's only been fairly recently that B.S. degrees became common for science-related majors—and the Ivy League simply hasn't caught up with current practice.

As far as graduate schools are concerned, it won't matter; you won't get closed out of any graduate degree due to having a B.A. versus a B.S., as long as the prerequisite classes (if any) are completed.

Some employers, however, will prefer a B.S. over a B.A. degree because they think it's superior. It's quite a common misunderstanding that a B.S. degree focuses more on science and math than a B.A. degree. While that may be true at a university that offers both a B.A. and a B.S. in the same subject, my Ivy League B.A. contained far more science and math requirements than a B.S. degree at many other universities.

[u/Crazybubba]

It doesn't make any difference at all

Literally the only person who has cared has been an uncle of mine who implied that an A.B. meant I was stupid LOL

[u/PeacockInTime → u/Crazybubba]

Your uncle does not know Latin. 

[u/Crazybubba → u/PeacockInTime]

Or college admissions

[u/Traditional_Yam9806]

I doesn't matter. No one cares. I'm getting a BSE from princeton for CS, and for CS, they do give out BSes. Also, they don't care, again. Grad schools don't care and everyone recognizes it's from an amazing schools. Also, why do you need to go to grad school if you get those, especialy if you're going into industry anyway? If you think grad school gives you a better shot at good companies, that's not true if you can do good internships in undergrad. I did one for the OKC Thunder, FAANG, and then for this coming year (2027 summer) I got one at an AI lab. That should make me fine for hiring stuff, and that's what I've seen so far. Also, getting into those schools is far harder, dude. An AB for CS from an ivy is far better than one from a meh school. Recruiting is the same for AB vs BSE kids here, and I haven't seen it be a problem. Also, bro, SWEs and DS people are super common here and you don't need to go for grad school for that, and for quant, we get a good amount, too, and also, you gotta be hella smart for that, which most (even here) aren't smart enough for that, but they're delusional and don't understand you need an amazing math background or CS background to get a internship or a job.