Is a science degree harder than an arts degree?

In this brief guide we are going to answer the question ‘’Is a science degree harder than an arts degree?’’ we will present the most difficult degrees, and we will analyze the myth that suggests that studying arts is easier than science.

Is a science degree harder than an arts degree?

Yes, sciences are harder than humanities, but this conclusion is regarding the ”difficulty” of the exams, according to a study conducted by Durham University. However, this depends on many factors.

Surely many of those who are part of your environment believe that some careers are almost unattainable, only available to some gifted people. And perhaps, they have even advised you to reduce your claims, and choose a more accessible career, perhaps to protect yourself. But you are not that type of person.

You are not going to let anyone tell you what you are capable of and what you are not. After all, what’s the point of studying something that you don’t like just for the sake of being easier?

Experience tells us that it is true that some races are more difficult than others, we are not going to deny it. But the truth is that, to a large extent, the difficulty in obtaining a degree in studies usually lies, above all, in the will and involvement with the career on the part of each student.

No matter how difficult a degree is, it is proven that, if you choose it because you really like it, it is very likely that you will finish it successfully, regardless of how difficult it is.

At the end of the day, you must bear in mind that the difficulty is very subjective and what many people find tremendously complex for you can be quite bearable, since the perception that each one has of the difficulty of a subject changes depending on of each individual. For many, mathematics is an absolute headache and for other entertainment.

There are several factors that you should take into account when choosing a career, factors such as your tastes and hobbies, your interests and aptitudes, etc. 

The most difficult careers to study

Whether you study a career online or in a traditional classroom, obtaining a university degree requires a great investment of time and effort.

However, not all university degrees require the same time to complete, so it is important to know what we are good at before choosing careers.

There are those who are naturally good at math while others are good at writing or vice versa, they are bad at one or the other and require much more effort to pass those classes.

It should also be taken into account that some universities are more rigorous than others in their study plans and this can also influence how easy or difficult it is to finish a degree.

The Best Colleges site presents a list of what it considers to be the most difficult fields of study in US universities and here we present them to you.

1. Biology

Being a natural science, you must have a good foundation in chemistry, calculus and physics. You also learn about animals, plants, ecology, evolution, conservation, among others. 

It is a career with a great diversity of topics, in which different forms of life, their history, and their interactions are explored. To study all this, a mixture of theoretical classes, practical (laboratories), field trips, discussion sessions, seminars, among others, is used.

2. Computer Science

You see, computer science studies the phenomena related to data and its treatment. This includes calculating results based on mathematical functions, algorithms, procedures, etc. It also includes the transmission of the information, the nature of the data and its possible applications.

As a computer science student, you must be able to understand, apply, analyze and evaluate in many areas of logic, languages and mathematics. Within these areas, we have logic, algorithm, statistics, Data science, Electronics, Data networks, etc.

3. Civil Engineering

The main objective of the Civil Engineering career is to train professionals who apply the different methods, techniques and materials for the construction of buildings, roads, bridges and hydraulic systems, etc.

That said, the training of those who study this degree is very broad and specialized. In the basic area of the curriculum, you can find subjects, such as Algebra with Analytical Geometry, Physics, Differential Calculus, Chemistry, Integral Calculus, Probability and Statistics Applied to Engineering, Differential Equations.

4. Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineering is a branch of engineering that applies the exact sciences, especially the physical principles of thermodynamics, mechanics, materials science, fluid mechanics, and structural analysis. This sub-discipline pursues very diverse objectives.

For example, designing and analyzing machinery, powering ventilation and cooling systems, or controlling motorized vehicles.

5. Social Science

Social Sciences study the manifestations of human behaviour and the processes of societies from a multidisciplinary and critical perspective. The complex aspects that relate to societies, both current and historical, are also analyzed.

This profession links various knowledge to understand the human being as a social subject. Among them are Political Sciences, Anthropology, Economics, Sociology, Linguistics, Psychology, Archeology, History and Semiology.

Any university or technical career requires effort and time. In addition to the various specialities that increase over time, which are carried out at the end of the degree. It is necessary that you choose the career that you are passionate about so that dedicating time to it is not a bother for you.

So, is a science degree harder than an arts degree?

That the urban legend has been created that studying a degree in Humanities or Arts is an easy task and that it is available to anyone is something I am already used to. I’ve been hearing this kind of thing since my high school years where it seemed more prestigious to choose the branch of science than that of arts

If we ask the parents of any young person who has entered university this year about their preferences when their child selects one major or another, the most frequent response we would receive is, probably, that they would like it to be able to provide work for your child. This would probably imply a so-called science career.

Engineering, something related to computers or technology. In short, something that has to do with the future and the tangible, and not with the abstract and the old-fashioned, such as philosophy or philology or, even worse, things about artists such as Art History or Audiovisual Communication.

The sciences have always been considered more complex than the humanities, I imagine because of their varieties and all the information that must be memorized, but are they really more difficult?

As my favourite college professor said: “The humanities are knowledge, not information.” Exact! This is the key to humanistic studies, while in science they memorize information in an orderly and systematic way, those of art assimilate it and apply it to knowledge.

Both the sciences and the humanities are important and what for some is considered easy for others is not. Other times, something typical of engineers, literature or language is taken for easy and when you speak to them of any trifle they are stunned. Consider them easier if you want but don’t say so because a humanist also works the brain like a scientist.

In a world as specialized as ours, in which it is increasingly common to know and improve in a specific field or section, in all probability the difficulty or ease of a discipline is a matter of personal aptitude.

It would be difficult for me to develop a theorem or a formulation. However, it would not be more complicated for me than it would be for a mathematician or physicist to make a documentary summary, a bibliographic or archival description or simply, on occasions, write a good text. Is that why one discipline easier than the other?

It is probably the aptitudes of each one that makes them more or less complex.

Being from “science” or “letters” does not imply being more or less intelligent; It implies having greater or less facility and taste for a certain subject; It implies that intelligence is used in each case to study different and complementary aspects of the same reality, the analysis of which would be incomplete without the presence of both visions.

Choosing an easy or difficult career?

What do you think? Do not base your decision when choosing a race on its difficulty. Think of the low dropout rate of students in careers, a priori, as difficult as Medicine or Aeronautical Engineering. Well, although it may surprise you, the abandonment rate of this is not higher than in much simpler degrees.

We could continue to give more examples of this type. But let’s get to the heart of the matter. What makes a career considered one of the most difficult to achieve that 85% of its students finish and, on the other hand, a simpler one has a very high dropout rate? Basically the profile of the people that each of them decides to take.

Students who opt for more complex careers tend to have some points in common that allow them to successfully complete the chosen degree: a good academic career, strong study habits and a great love for what they have chosen to study.

The reality is that the only thing that can guarantee that you will finish your career successfully, even if this is the most difficult of all, is your vocation. Being clear that you are going to study something that you are passionate about or knowing that you are preparing for what you have always dreamed of, will be much more decisive when it comes to achieving your goal than any statistic.

Be consistent, create a good study routine, and work hard. If you take all this into account, there will be no degree that can resist you, however difficult it may be.

FAQS: Is a science degree harder than an arts degree?

References

Moody, J. (2019). Understand the Difference Between a B.A. and B.S. Degree. US News & World Report; U.S. News & World Report. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/understand-the-difference-between-a-ba-and-bs-degre

Shepherd, J. (2008, June 30). Science and maths exams are harder than arts subjects, say researchers. The Guardian; The Guardian. 

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