Bachelor's Degree Abbreviations: Full List & Meanings

A bachelor’s degree is the standard undergraduate qualification awarded by a university or college, usually after three to five years of study. The abbreviation on the certificate tells you the field of the degree (Arts, Science, Engineering, Law, etc.) and sometimes the specialization. Below is a comprehensive list of bachelor’s degree abbreviations and their meanings, grouped by field for easier reference.

How bachelor’s degree abbreviations are formed

Most start with B for Bachelor. The letters that follow point to the field — A for Arts, Sc for Science, Eng for Engineering, Ed for Education, and so on. A few buck the pattern entirely:

LL.B — from the Latin Legum Baccalaureus (Bachelor of Laws). The double “L” stands for the Latin plural legum.
MBBS — Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (from Latin Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae). One degree, two abbreviations.
A.L.B. — Bachelor of Liberal Arts, with letters reversed in the Latin tradition (Harvard’s variant).

Most common bachelor’s degrees in Nigeria

The qualifications you’ll see most often on Nigerian university transcripts:

B.A. — Bachelor of Arts
B.Sc. — Bachelor of Science
B.Eng. — Bachelor of Engineering
B.Tech. — Bachelor of Technology (typical at universities of technology)
LL.B — Bachelor of Laws
MBBS — Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery
BDS — Bachelor of Dental Surgery
B.Pharm. — Bachelor of Pharmacy
B.N.Sc. — Bachelor of Nursing Science
B.Ed. — Bachelor of Education
B.Agric. — Bachelor of Agriculture

Bachelor of Arts (B.A. and variants)

B.A. — Bachelor of Arts
B.A.A. — Bachelor of Applied Arts
B.A.B.A. — Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration
B.A.Com — Bachelor of Arts in Commerce
B.A.E. — Bachelor of Arts in Education
B.A.Econ — Bachelor of Arts in Economics
B.A.(FS) — Bachelor of Arts in Financial Studies
B.A.J. or B.J. — Bachelor of Arts in Journalism
B.A.Law — Bachelor of Arts in Law
B.A.M. or B.A.Mus. — Bachelor of Arts in Music
B.A.O.M. — Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Management
B.A.P.S.Y. — Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
B.A.S.W. — Bachelor of Arts in Social Work
B.A.T. — Bachelor of Arts for Teaching
B.A.RelSt — Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies
B.A.Soc. — Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
B.A.Theol. — Bachelor of Arts in Theology
B.A./B.Sc. — Combined Bachelor of Arts and Science
B.F.A. — Bachelor of Fine Arts
B.L.A. or A.L.B. — Bachelor of Liberal Arts
B.L.S. — Bachelor of Liberal Studies
B.H. — Bachelor of Humanities

Bachelor of Science (B.Sc. and variants)

B.Sc. — Bachelor of Science
B.A.Sc. — Bachelor of Applied Science
B.App.Sc(IT) — Bachelor of Applied Science in Information Technology
B.Bus.Sc. — Bachelor of Business Science
B.Clin.Sc. — Bachelor of Clinical Science
B.Comp.Sc. — Bachelor of Computer Science
B.E.Sc. — Bachelor of Engineering Science
B.Econ.Sc. — Bachelor of Economic Science
B.H.S. or B.H.Sc. — Bachelor of Health Science
B.Math.Sc. — Bachelor of Mathematical Science
B.Med.Sc. — Bachelor of Medical Science
B.N.Sc. — Bachelor of Nursing Science
B.Soc.Sc. — Bachelor of Social Science
B.Sc.B.A. — Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
B.Sc.C.S. — Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
B.Sc.Ed. or B.S.E. — Bachelor of Science in Education
B.Sc.F. — Bachelor of Science in Forestry
B.Sc.Kin. — Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology
B.Sc.P.H. — Bachelor of Science in Public Health
B.Sc.S.W. — Bachelor of Science in Social Work
B.Sc(Econ) — Bachelor of Science in Economics
B.Sc(IT) — Bachelor of Science in Information Technology
B.Sc(Psych) — Bachelor of Science in Psychology
iBSc — Intercalated Bachelor of Science

Engineering and Technology

B.Eng. — Bachelor of Engineering
B.E.E. — Bachelor of Electrical Engineering
B.Eng.(Tech) — Bachelor of Engineering in Technology
B.S.E. or B.Sc.Eng. — Bachelor of Science in Engineering
B.Sc.A.E. or B.A.E. — Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering
B.Sc.M.E. — Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
B.Sc.E.T. — Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology
B.Tech. — Bachelor of Technology
B.A.I. — Bachelor of Arts in Engineering (Latin: Arte Ingeniaria)
B.A.I.(Elect) — Bachelor of Arts in Electrical Engineering
B.A.I.(Mech) — Bachelor of Arts in Mechanical Engineering
B.Comp. — Bachelor of Computing
B.B.I.S. — Bachelor of Business Information Systems
B.C.A. — Bachelor of Computer Applications

Business, Commerce, and Administration

B.B.A. — Bachelor of Business Administration
B.Bus. — Bachelor of Business
B.BS. — Bachelor of Business Studies
B.Com. or B.Comm. — Bachelor of Commerce
B.Com.Sc. — Bachelor of Commercial Science
B.B.LS. — Bachelor of Business and Legal Studies
B.Acc. — Bachelor of Accountancy
B.Compt. — Bachelor of Comptrolling
B.Admin. — Bachelor of Administration
B.A.S. — Bachelor of Administrative (or Applied) Studies
B.Ec. or B.Econ. — Bachelor of Economics
B.Fin. — Bachelor of Finance
B.F.LS — Bachelor of Financial and Legal Studies
B.I.B.A. — Bachelor of International Business Administration
B.I.B.E. — Bachelor of International Business Economics
B.M.O.S. — Bachelor of Management and Organizational Studies
B.M.S. — Bachelor of Management Studies
B.P.A. — Bachelor of Public Administration
B.P.A.P.M. — Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management
B.P.S. — Bachelor of Professional Studies

Health Sciences

MBBS — Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery
BDS — Bachelor of Dental Surgery
B.Pharm. — Bachelor of Pharmacy
B.N.Sc. — Bachelor of Nursing Science
B.M. — Bachelor of Midwifery
B.Optom. — Bachelor of Optometry
B.Ost. — Bachelor of Osteopathy
B.A.O. — Bachelor of Arts in Obstetrics (Latin: Arte Obstetricia)
B.A.H. — Bachelor of Animal Health

Law, Religion, and Philosophy

LL.B — Bachelor of Laws
B.CL. — Bachelor of Civil Law
B.C.J. — Bachelor of Criminal Justice
B.Crim. — Bachelor of Criminology
B.Leg.Sc. — Bachelor of Legal Science
B.Div. — Bachelor of Divinity
B.Phil. or Ph.B. — Bachelor of Philosophy
B.Phil(Ed) — Bachelor of Philosophy in Education

Education and Other Humanities

B.Ed. — Bachelor of Education
B.Mus. — Bachelor of Music
B.M.E. or B.M.Ed. — Bachelor of Music Education
B.Math — Bachelor of Mathematics
B.Ling. — Bachelor of Linguistics
B.G.S. — Bachelor of General Studies
B.I.S. — Bachelor of Integrated Studies
B.L.I.S. — Bachelor of Library and Information Science
B.Lib. — Bachelor of Library Science
B.Comb.St. — Bachelor of Combined Studies
B.Kin. — Bachelor of Kinesiology
B.CommEd.CommDev. — Bachelor of Community Education and Community Development
B.CLD.(SocSc) — Bachelor of Community Learning and Development in Social Sciences

Design, Architecture, and Planning

B.Arch. — Bachelor of Architecture
B.Arch.Sc. — Bachelor of Architectural Science
B.L.Arch. — Bachelor of Landscape Architecture
B.Des. — Bachelor of Design
B.In.Dsn. — Bachelor of Industrial Design
B.U.R.P. or B.Plan. — Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning
B.F.TV. — Bachelor of Film and Television

Agriculture, Food, and Other Sciences

B.Ag. or B.Agric. — Bachelor of Agriculture
B.FST. — Bachelor of Food Science and Technology
B.Avn. — Bachelor of Aviation
B.T.S. — Bachelor of Tourism Studies

FAQs

Why is Bachelor of Laws abbreviated LL.B and not B.L.?

The double “L” comes from the Latin plural legum (“of laws”). LL.B stands for Legum Baccalaureus — Bachelor of Laws.

Is MBBS one degree or two?

One award, two titles. UK and Commonwealth medical schools — including all Nigerian ones — issue Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery jointly because medicine and surgery were historically separate disciplines.

Is a B.Tech the same as a B.Eng?

Both produce engineers. In Nigeria, federal universities of technology issue B.Tech, while traditional universities issue B.Eng. The curriculum overlap is large; many employers and accreditation bodies treat them as equivalent.

What is a “Hons” in B.A. (Hons) or B.Sc. (Hons)?

Honours. It signals the degree was completed at honours level — usually a longer or more advanced curriculum than an ordinary pass degree, sometimes with a final-year research project.

What’s the difference between B.A. and B.Sc.?

B.A. degrees emphasize humanities, languages, and qualitative reasoning. B.Sc. degrees emphasize quantitative methods, lab work, or empirical research. Some universities offer the same subject (e.g., psychology, economics) as either.

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