Can you get more than one Bachelor's Degree?

Question

Can a person have more than one Bachelor's degree? Like is you get one in let's say pre-vet then go on to veterinary college. Then later in life you want to add to that, could you go for another bacholers such as Zoo Science? Or what would it be considered?

Answer 1

Both my wife and I have 2 each. Most colleges will frown on you getting more than 3.

Here's the deal though - there are "second degree rules" and they are different at different colleges.

1st, the degrees have to be reasonably different. That doesn't mean wildly different, just different enough that it makes some sense to do it.

Ideally, much of the work from your first bachelor's degree will apply to the second. For example, you won't have to take freshman English all over again. Therefor, it's possible that some people already have all the credit they need for another degree -- but that won't work. This is where that second degree rule comes in.

Almost all colleges will require 30 additional semester hours that weren't used in the first degree for the new one. My wife's second required 40 additional hours. It doesn't matter that you've already completed all of the degree requirements, you still have to have some more hours.

My 2nd degree total is 196 semester hours with only 120 of that counting in the first degree.

The question to ask before you do this, would a master's be a better decision? In my case it wasn't because my first degree was in applied music (flute playing) and I wanted a master's in something else (business) so I needed some more undergraduate credit to do that - may as well get another degree on the way. In your case, a person with a BS in pre-vet (presumed to be heavy in bio) and a DVM might not benefit as much with a BSc in Zoology as maybe one in business or public administration (to qualify to run a zoo) or a master's in an advanced veterinary subject (to become a specialist) or even a master's in biology (I bet most grad schools would let a vet in regardless of undergrad major) and the master's only takes an additional year too.

There comes a point when you don't want to take any more undergrad courses - they're just not advanced enough for you.

just a few thoughts...

Answer 2

You could, but in many cases you would be better off getting a graduate degree instead of a second bachelor's. I should also say that the rules on this vary widely from university to university (my school did a comparative study of this last Spring because the numbers of students trying for two degrees had increased dramatically). Some will let you take a few extra courses and get a second bachelor's degree at the same time you get your first one (not just a dual major, but a second actual degree, like a B. A. and a B.S.). Others say no, they will only give you one degree. Some schools would welcome you back for a second major later on (I know one of my business students went on for an engineering degree at another school), while other schools may say that if you were a good enough student to be admitted, now that you have graduated you should be going for a graduate degree, not a second bachelor's.

Answer 3

You get an buddies degree in 2 years and a Bachelors degree takes 4. A BA is larger than an AA. in case you have a BS degree, this is the comparable quantity of training as a BA, regardless of the undeniable fact that it particularly is in a various area. BA stands for Bachelor of Arts and a BS is Bachelor of technological know-how.

Answer 4

Lots of people have two bachelor degrees. Most of the students I taught at the B-School at MIT were getting a degree in Business and also getting an Engineering or Math degree.

Some schools will not let you get the same degree again -- meaning if you have a BS then you could get a BA, but they wouldn't let you get another BS. This i sunusual -- but I know for a fact that UC-Berkeley will not let you get an MS in two fields -- but will let you get an MS and an MA. I assume they have the same rules for bachelors degrees.

Answer 5

Yes. It only takes 30 credit hours more to receive a second bachelors degree, although the diploma states you have a double major. Most people, however, do a second masters degree or begin to work on their Ph.D. or Ed.D. or some other professional degree instead.

I suggest you meet with a career counselor at your university. They have lots of information and resources available to help you make the best decision regarding your career and program of studies. Their services are free to prospective and ongoing students and they are incredibly helpful.

Best wishes.

Answer 6

Yes you can have more than one bachelors degree. You often can also count past classes as your gen eds in the second degree.

Answer 7

yeah, you can have more than 1 bachelors degree.

Answer 8

you can get as many as you want. Good Luck