# Bachelor’s Degree: Correct English Usage? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 13, 2004, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachelor-s-degree-correct-english-usage/254954 "2004-07-13T20:51:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachelor-s-degree-correct-english-usage/254954/1 "2004-07-13T20:51:08Z")
My boss and I, as well as another team member at work, have been having an ongoing debate regarding proper English usage for referring to someone who has a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science (or any one of various other undergraduate, such as Bachelor of Engineering) degree. As neither of them is, technically speaking, a native English speaker, I maintain that I am correct in stating that proper general usage would be “bachelor’s degree” when speaking in general terms. They say it is “bachelor degree,” which to me seems more like a degree in bachelorhood. (Plus they keep wavering back and forth, which I think lends credence to my argument.) I am really tired of having them both miscorrect my work; oddly enough, we have no hard-copy dictionary in the office, but I’ve poked around online and found lots of instances of my method (including the Census Bureau and Stanford University, both institutions one would hope could get that sort of thing right), but nothing from an authoritative source on English usage _per se._ I’d be happy to run to the library one of these days, but am sorely lacking in time for that sort of thing lately…anyone know where I could find some further info? ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachelor-s-degree-correct-english-usage/254954/2 "2004-07-13T21:21:59Z")
I have always seen it the way you describe (“bachelor’s”) and never the other way. Also, I would like to take this opportunity to remind people that “A.B.” is a bachelor’s degree (Artium Baccalaureus), as is “B.A.” (Bachelor of Arts). ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachelor-s-degree-correct-english-usage/254954/3 "2004-07-13T21:22:17Z")
You are correct. Stick to your guns. If they can’t accept its common useage on institutional government websites, you won’t find any source good enough. I suggest you challenge them to find examples of _their_ preferred phrasing on line. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachelor-s-degree-correct-english-usage/254954/4 "2004-07-13T21:22:57Z")
It’s “Bachelor’s Degree.” Here’s a bit of reading. > **[Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com?date=20000424)** > > Committed to publishing great books, connecting readers and authors globally, and spreading the love of reading. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachelor-s-degree-correct-english-usage/254954/5 "2004-07-13T21:26:42Z")
[Here is something a bit more official.](http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entries/86/b0008600.html) ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachelor-s-degree-correct-english-usage/254954/6 "2004-07-13T21:29:47Z")
It’s a [bachelor’s degree](http://www.bartleby.com/61/87/B0008700.html). ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachelor-s-degree-correct-english-usage/254954/7 "2004-07-13T21:48:47Z")
As everyone else said, it’s “bachelor’s degree.” But, “He has a Bachelor of Engineering degree.” Or, “He has a bachelor’s in engineering.” Do you colleages say about about someone who has, e.g., an MBA, “He has a master degree”? ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachelor-s-degree-correct-english-usage/254954/8 "2004-07-13T21:51:27Z")
I don’t normally correct my typos in another post -just wastes space - but that sentence is supposed to read, "Do **your** colleagues . . . " not "Do you colleages . . . .] Not correcting the typo could mean I am talking to Eva Luna, which I am not. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachelor-s-degree-correct-english-usage/254954/9 "2004-07-13T22:11:17Z")
> [@missbunny](#): > > Do you colleages say about about someone who has, e.g., an MBA, “He has a master degree”? One does, the other doesn’t. It irks me to no end, let me tell you.