High school students looking to major in the arts – whether acting, film, painting or any other creative field – will often come across two types of degrees when they go off to college: the bachelor of arts, or B.A., and the bachelor of fine arts, or B.F.A.
While both degrees can prepare students for a career in the arts, their approaches are fairly different. The B.F.A. tends to be a more intensive degree with a higher proportion of classes taken within a student’s major, while a B.A. is a bit more balanced in terms of courses outside of the major.
The B.F.A. is "much more concentrated" with art courses and gives students more opportunities to gain "broader and deeper" training in their artwork, says Florence Lehr, founder of ARTriculate, a college consulting agency for students applying to art programs.
If you’re interested in studying the arts, here are some key details to keep in mind as you consider which degree to pursue.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
The B.A. is widely considered the standard liberal arts degree, emphasizing the development of a well-balanced base of knowledge in the humanities. According to the National Association of Schools of Art & Design’s 2023-2024 Handbook, a B.A. at an arts school or traditional college typically requires a student to take at least 30% of their credits within their major.
For example, one-third of the courses in an acting B.A. might be acting courses, while the remaining two-thirds are general education courses and electives.
Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.)
The B.F.A. has a more concentrated focus on the student’s artwork. According to NASAD, typically around 65% of the coursework in a B.F.A. program is taken within the student’s major, allowing students to take a wider range of courses within their artistic field.
While art students in B.A. programs usually have to take some studio or stage coursework, Lehr says, such coursework is much more prevalent in B.F.A. programs. She also notes that more specialized majors, such as animation or acting for film, tend to be offered as a B.F.A.
What’s the Difference Between a B.A. and a B.F.A.?
Some colleges offer both a B.A. and a B.F.A. in the same major, leading students to question the difference.
For example, high school students interested in studying acting at Pace University in New York can pursue either a B.A. or a B.F.A. there. Students who choose the B.A. will earn 39 of their required 128 course credits by taking acting courses; those who choose the B.F.A. will take 83 credits in such courses toward the major.
Wayne Petro, director of enrollment at Pace’s Sands College of Performing Arts, says that the B.F.A. is a much more rigid program, as many courses have to be taken in a specific order.
“Courses have a prerequisite, so you have to go in steps through the four years. You can't pick and choose courses throughout the program and kind of piece it together,” Petro says. “It’s kind of like the sciences in a way – every course is built upon the last.”
It’s also common for B.A. and B.F.A. programs to have different admissions requirements. Lehr notes that B.F.A. programs often require prospective students to submit a portfolio of their artwork or audition.
This is not always required for students applying to B.A. programs. Students interested in pursuing a B.A. in theater studies at Missouri State University, for example, have to submit a statement of purpose explaining why they wish to pursue the major. But if they're applying to the school’s B.F.A. in acting, they have to audition. Still, some B.A. acting programs – like Pace's, for instance – do require an audition, so it's important to look at the individual requirements of the schools you're interested in.
And the audition process for a B.F.A. program can be fairly competitive. Christopher Herr, interim head of Missouri State’s department of theater and dance, says upward of 500 applicants audition for the B.F.A. in acting, a program that enrolls fewer than 20 new students each year.
Which Degree Is a Better Fit for You?
Experts emphasize that one degree is not necessarily better than the other.
“Nobody looks at your degree when you’re auditioning for a role,” Herr says. “Nobody’s going to say that if you don't have a B.F.A., you can't audition. That's not how it works.”
The quality of your portfolio and the network you develop in whichever program you choose is what matters the most when pursuing a career in the arts after graduation, Lehr says.
Completing a B.A. may give students more opportunities to study things outside of their major. At Pace, it’s practically impossible for students pursuing a B.F.A. in acting to complete a double major in four years, since there’s a lot less room for courses outside of the acting major, Petro says.
For that reason, art students looking to double major may be better suited to a B.A. program, Lehr says, even though a B.F.A. allows students to focus more on the art that interests them.
Petro recommends that students decide between a B.A. and B.F.A. after looking into the individual coursework of each program they’re interested in and deciding what interests them the most.
“You really have to look at the curriculum,” he says. “Even though there might be a limit on the credits in a B.A. program, look at the electives that are out there. Can you add to that and design your own path? Don't take that wonderful B.A. program off your list before you've really had a chance to unpack.”
