Can you get more than one Bachelor’s Degree?
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Here’s the deal though – there are “second degree rules” and they are different at different colleges.
1st, the degrees have to be reasonably different. That doesn’t mean wildly different, just different enough that it makes some sense to do it.
Ideally, much of the work from your first bachelor’s degree will apply to the second. For example, you won’t have to take freshman English all over again. Therefor, it’s possible that some people already have all the credit they need for another degree — but that won’t work. This is where that second degree rule comes in.
Almost all colleges will require 30 additional semester hours that weren’t used in the first degree for the new one. My wife’s second required 40 additional hours. It doesn’t matter that you’ve already completed all of the degree requirements, you still have to have some more hours.
My 2nd degree total is 196 semester hours with only 120 of that counting in the first degree.
The question to ask before you do this, would a master’s be a better decision? In my case it wasn’t because my first degree was in applied music (flute playing) and I wanted a master’s in something else (business) so I needed some more undergraduate credit to do that – may as well get another degree on the way. In your case, a person with a BS in pre-vet (presumed to be heavy in bio) and a DVM might not benefit as much with a BSc in Zoology as maybe one in business or public administration (to qualify to run a zoo) or a master’s in an advanced veterinary subject (to become a specialist) or even a master’s in biology (I bet most grad schools would let a vet in regardless of undergrad major) and the master’s only takes an additional year too.
There comes a point when you don’t want to take any more undergrad courses – they’re just not advanced enough for you.
just a few thoughts…
Some schools will not let you get the same degree again — meaning if you have a BS then you could get a BA, but they wouldn’t let you get another BS. This i sunusual — but I know for a fact that UC-Berkeley will not let you get an MS in two fields — but will let you get an MS and an MA. I assume they have the same rules for bachelors degrees.
I suggest you meet with a career counselor at your university. They have lots of information and resources available to help you make the best decision regarding your career and program of studies. Their services are free to prospective and ongoing students and they are incredibly helpful.
Best wishes.
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