Oberlin will introduce a new Bachelor of Science in the College of Arts and Sciences beginning fall 2026.
The new program will allow students majoring in fields within the natural sciences, as well as in certain social sciences, such as Economics and Business, to choose between a B.A. and a B.S. To qualify for the B.S., students must complete at least one B.S.-eligible major and 16 full courses carrying the Natural Science and Mathematics attribute. Those who meet the criteria may elect to graduate with either a B.A. or B.S., but not both.
According to the Dean of Arts and Sciences’ Office, the exploration of a B.S. degree option was first recommended by the One Oberlin Oversight and Advisory Committee in its 2024 report. The proposal was later developed through consultations with multiple departments and divisional advisory committees before receiving formal endorsement from the Educational Plans and Policies Committee. It was approved by College faculty in spring 2025.
“The decision was primarily about providing additional options for students,” Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences David Kamitsuka wrote in a statement to the Review.
Eligible majors include certain new majors launched within the past year, such as Data Science, Environmental Science, Financial Economics, and Global Health. Faculty suggested that the launch of the new majors and the Bachelor of Science were driven by similar underlying considerations.
“My understanding is that both those decisions came from the same concern: some students were not choosing Oberlin because their cultural context highly valued a B.S. degree, and they were worried that their B.A. degree would not be respected,” Chair and Professor of Psychology Cindy Frantz wrote in an email to the Review.
Institutional requirements for the B.S. will remain the same as the B.A., including requirements for courses carrying the Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences attributes. Students majoring in a B.S.-eligible field can stay with the B.A. or opt for the B.S. since the major requirements themselves will be identical. In order to be eligible for the B.S., the only addition is that 16 courses carrying the Natural Science and Mathematics attribute will be required.
For faculty members in the sciences, the new degree formalizes what students have already been achieving through their coursework and research.
“The B.S. structure simply requires students take more science courses overall,” Chair and Associate Professor of Computer Science Cynthia Taylor, OC ’02, wrote in an email to the Review. “This is something many students were already doing, and this change offers a way to make that different course distribution more visible to future employers and graduate schools.”
College second-year Destiny Doan expressed agreement.
“As someone who is planning to double major in STEM, I was worried that a B.A. might look awkward in future applications,” Doan said.
Quantitative social science departments including Economics, Business, and Psychology met multiple times with the dean to refine the proposal, ensuring it reflected the more specialized needs of their disciplines. In Psychology, a field that bridges the social and natural sciences, Frantz said the B.S. option aligns with the department’s interdisciplinary nature.
“It gives students an opportunity to present what they’ve learned in a way that some audiences find more impressive,” she wrote in an email to the Review. “There are communities in the U.S. and beyond the U.S. that value a B.S. over a B.A.”
Although several of Oberlin’s long-standing peers continue to offer only a Bachelor of Arts, other liberal arts colleges like Bates College, Davidson College, Denison University, and Skidmore College offer both B.A. and B.S. options. This alignment places Oberlin among a growing number of institutions underscoring the value of a science-designated degree in quantitative fields.
“The B.S. degree doesn’t really change Economics at Oberlin,” Chair and Associate Professor of Economics and Financial Economics Paul Brehm wrote in an email to the Review. “We have always been a quantitative discipline, so our majors slot right in. On the other hand, it gives our particularly quantitatively-oriented students a way to advertise their mathematical facility on the job market.”
The option to graduate with a B.S. will not be available to students graduating before fall 2026.
