# BA (Bachelor of Arts)



## Sunrise

MODERATOR NOTE: This thread is one of the oldest French-English threads in Word Reference. It has been shortened to allow quick reference for future users needing a specific translation (or equivalency) of the term _Bachelor of Arts_. Given the differences across educational systems around the world, you may wish to consult the Educational systems thread in our Resources sub-forum for more information.

NOTE DE LA MODÉRATION : Ce fil est parmi les plus anciens dans le Forum Français-Anglais. Il a été abrégé pour permettre aux futurs utilisateurs une référence rapide sur la traduction (ou l'équivalent) du terme _Bachelor of Arts_. Vu les différences parmi les systèmes éducatifs dans le monde, vous êtes invité à consulter le fil Systèmes éducatifs dans notre sous-forum Ressources pour avoir des précisions.

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Hi everyone,

I'm a very new member of Wordreference Forum.  My native language is Vietnamese, and English is my second one.  I'm studying French now.  Is there anyone can help me to translate "Bachelor of Arts" into French?  I have searched in the dictionary, but it doesn't show the exact word.... Thank you very much.


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## Agnès E.

Bonjour Sunrise,
Bienvenue sur le forum !

I propose *licencié(e) ès lettres*.


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## panzemeyer

As explained there: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor_of_Arts , Bachelor of Arts can relate to any field, not only the fine arts or literature. 

Although there is no exact match, I think "licence" is very close to it. It basically refers to a degree that you get after successfully attending university for 3 years. You may specify the degree's main subject as follows: "licence de lettres", "licence de droit", and so on.


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## Catwoman06

In fact, a Bachelor of Arts is really difficult to translate in french.
A bachelor is the equivalent of a "Maîtrise" and not a "license". A bachelor in a 4 year study cycle
(I know that because I'm gratuated of a Bachelor of Sciences)
The Bachelor of Art in a large thing. With a Bachelor of Arts, you can be gradauted in arts, but also in communication, languages, ....
I think you can see it like a "maitrise de lettres"


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## Jean-Michel Carrère

Am I wrong in believing :
a) A Bachelor's degree or Bachelor degree is normally taken in three years, not four ?
b) Bachelor of Arts cannot be translated into "licencié de lettres", which in French means your BA specialized in French literature, while a B.A. can be obtained in many subjects, English literature but also many other subjects, e.g. History, Geography, Foreign Languages, Business Administration ...


If all this is right, then my suggestion for Bachelor of Arts is simply : licence and Bachelor of Arts in French (for instance) would be the equivalent of a licence de langue, littérature et civilisation françaises


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## panzemeyer

Catwoman06 said:
			
		

> In fact, a Bachelor of Arts is really difficult to translate in french.
> A bachelor is the equivalent of a "Maîtrise" and not a "license". A bachelor in a 4 year study cycle
> (I know that because I'm gratuated of a Bachelor of Sciences)
> The Bachelor of Art in a large thing. With a Bachelor of Arts, you can be gradauted in arts, but also in communication, languages, ....
> I think you can see it like a "maitrise de lettres"


As far as I can remember from a stay in the UK, British Bachelors (aka LLB's) are taken in 3 years. 4 year degrees are called Masters.


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## E-J

I did my Bachelor of Arts degree here in the UK. It took four years, with the third year spent working in France. I have always referred to it in French simply as a "licence (de langues)".


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## Sunrise

Jean-Michel Carrère said:
			
		

> Am I wrong in believing :
> a) A Bachelor's degree or Bachelor degree is normally taken in three years, not four ?
> b) Bachelor of Arts cannot be translated into "licencié de lettres", which in French means your BA specialized in French literature, while a B.A. can be obtained in many subjects, English literature but also many other subjects, e.g. History, Geography, Foreign Languages, Business Administration ...
> 
> 
> If all this is right, then my suggestion for Bachelor of Arts is simply : licence and Bachelor of Arts in French (for instance) would be the equivalent of a licence de langue, littérature et civilisation françaises


 
In my country, Bachelor's degree takes 4 - 5 years depending on which department we want to study. Normally, it's 4 year, except pharmacy, marine, architecture studies...


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## massie1

Lorsque j'étais encore étudiant, il y maintenant trop longtemps (?), à l'Université de Montréal les études du premier cycle mènaient au baccalauréat. Le _Bachelor of Arts _étaitreconnu come *Bachelier ès Arts. * A la faculté des arts, on obtienait donc un baccalauréat ès arts. Dans toutes les facultés, les études du deuxième cycle mènaient à la license, suivie de la maîtrise après le troisième cycle, et du doctorat.

J'ai bien l'impression que la situation n'a pas changé.


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## somody

Agnès E. said:
			
		

> Bonjour Sunrise,
> Bienvenue sur le forum !
> 
> I propose *licencié(e) ès lettres*.


What's "*ès*"?  I've never heard of that.


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## E-J

It's a preposition meaning "dans les". It's archaic but is still seen in certain very specific contexts. It's used in degree titles to denote the speciality: _une licence *ès *Lettres / *ès *Sciences_, etc.


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## massie1

somody said:
			
		

> What's "*ès*"? I've never heard of that.


 
Il s'agit d'une contraction de "en" et de l'article pluriel "les". C'est une forme bien établie (certains diront même viellie ou archaïque) qui signifie "dans les..." ou "en les..."


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## zam

panzemeyer said:
			
		

> As far as I can remember from a stay in the UK, British Bachelors (aka LLB's) are taken in 3 years. 4 year degrees are called Masters.


 
an LLB is a (UK) Law degree. 

As E-J said, the translation here is 'Licence', that's how -25 yrs ago, my Licence d'Anglais was translated as by N.A.R.I.C (UK agency who deals  with finding equivalents to foreign/overseas degrees). Equally, my B.A Honours was 'une licence' in France.


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## Amityville

I equate a first degree with a licence too. In England it takes three years (with an extra year abroad if you are studying a modern language), in Scotland four and in the US the system seems totally different - there is a detailed discussion here (in English )http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=47114&highlight=degree


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## panzemeyer

zam said:
			
		

> an LLB is a (UK) Law degree.


You're right, an LLB is law degree, or more precisely, a Bachelor of Arts in the law area. You only need three years to get it, as Amityville already confirmed. That's the reason why I can see no better translation for Bachelor of Arts than "licence". But it looks like a settled matter anyway.


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## JazzByChas

Well, in the USA, Bachelors Degrees are obtained after 4 years in a university and about 120 semester hours (semester = 1/2 year) . They can be in the Arts (B.A.) or the Sciences (B.S)

The arts comprise such things as languages, social sciences, the arts, or politics.
The sciences include the physical sciences, the Engineering sciences, Business, or the Computer Sciences, among others.

After a Bachelors (licence, en france), one spends another two years or so, typically about 40 semester hours to obtain a Masters.

After that, one can obtain a Doctorate (Ph.D, EdD, and others, I think)

I believe there was another thread about French degrees, and what they signified. If I can find it, it will post a link to it.


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## James Brandon

There are variations from country to country, within the English-speaking world, but there is no doubt that the basic translation is generally considered to be:

-BA or BSc = Licence
-MA or MSc = Maîtrise
-PhD = Thèse 

In the past 5 to 10 years, funnily enough, French universities have started awarding degrees known as "un mastère" (spelling may be wrong), which is a transcription of "Master's degree", even though "master" in English comes from Old French "maistre" (modern French, "maître" => "maîtrise"), itself derived from Latin "magister". In other words, one is borrowing from the person one has lent to in the first place...

James B.


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## Isotta

I always just say "bachelor" in French, with a French accent, and usually the person knows what I'm talking about. If they look puzzled, I tell them that it's something like license but that it takes four years in America. 

I feel like saying "license" is underbilling it, since it takes a year longer.

Z.


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## James Brandon

Isotta,
Indeed, in the French system, 4 years is a "maîtrise", unless it has changed since I was familiar with it. (See previous emails.) I did a "maîtrise" at a Paris university and the minimum was one year after the "licence" (which was 3 years). But you could do your "maîtrise" part-time and extend it over several years, thus becoming "un étudiant perpétuel", and there were many of those 20 years ago! You had people well into their 30s working on a "maîtrise" or a "thèse", the latter turning into a labour of love that was a good excuse for not looking for a "real" job!...
James B.


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## Isotta

Yes, thank you for pointing that out, only that if you were to transfer from America to France to do graduate studies, it wouldn't correspond that way. You would probably have to do the maîtrise year over again, as a French person with a maîtrise continuing graduate studies in the United States would likely have to do undergraduate work.

For that reason, I just say "bachelor," because there are all these functional problems. 

Z.


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## James Brandon

Isotta,
One thing that matters too is not only the length of the studies (quantity) but the nature of the work done (quality). This has not been discussed in this "thread" very much because it was not the question that was put, but it is relevant. In France, to get your "maîtrise", at least in History, which I did, you had to write a dissertation, which, in my case, involved more than a year of research on original documents and resulted in a 180-page essay. For the "licence", it was just ordinary lectures and exams, etc. The "maîtrise" entailed genuine research work, whereby one is no longer a mere student but is becoming a proper historian (or at any rate training "in the field"). In practice, of course, from one country to the next, administrative and bureaucratic rules/concerns/priorities tend to prevail over academic ones when making decisions on "conversion courses" and other "équivalences" (to use the French term).
All best
James B.


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## Isotta

I just think it's less complicated to leave it in English.

The American university experience differs so much from that of the French--that could be its own thread--that I can't call what I have done in America a "maîtrise," even though it entails an honors thesis, which I dare say resembles your dissertation.

I understand all these things, but the French school system which I am in the midst of is still alien to me, and thus the maîtrise seems inaccurate to me, though my opinion may have been obscured from personal experience. 

Isotta.


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## claudine75

i think neither correspond _exactly_ ie. a BA is _a bit more_ than a French Licence but _not quite_ a maitrise...

Having a French "bac" and a US "BA"(linguistics) myself, ive personnally struggled through the problem of explaining the equivalency to  future employers during interviews...they usually cut me short with "how many years does it take to get a BA ?" ,i then explain that it s usually a 4 year degree but that i got one year for my bac so got mine in only 3 but they usually cut me short again and decide for themselves: "thats a bac+4 then..."
  i really think the truth is that's in between the two...but most of the time people here "give"  me an equivalency of bac+4.Of course linguistics may be a bit different from most other majors in that people rarely go on to a masters unless they want to do research as thats pretty much all it leads to.
I  try to avoid the problem on my cv/resumé by just putting "BA" and the date...I have also had the reverse problem of people interpreting  "Bachelor of Arts" as  "oh yes..A Baccalauréat !" which nicely robs one of 3-4 years of university,thats why i now also mention my french bac  even though one usually doesnt  bother to mention it if one has a University/higher degree...

Equivalencies between different educational systems are a big mess...!


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## Varenka

Est'ce qu'on peut dire aussi "license des lettres" pour 'Bachelor of Arts'?


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## James Brandon

I believe the correct formulation is traditionally "licence _ès_ lettres" and you also hear "licence _de_ lettres". "Licence" is written with a "c" in French, by the way, as is the noun in British English. "Lettres" of course means "the arts" here (cf "a man of letters"), as opposed to writing _missives_. The Thread gives you a lot of details about usage, differences in various countries, etc.


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## James Brandon

A French "licence" is roughly the equivalent of a British "BA" or "BSc", hence should entitle you to move on to the next stage, i.e. an "MA" or "MSc". 

Americans may be able to comment and re-direct you to the relevant website - all this kind of information must be available on the web and the US embassy in your country of residence ought to know.

The issue is whether degrees and qualifications in your country are fully recognised or not in the USA. Otherwise, apart from having to prove proficiency in English, you may need to do an extra year for instance (along the lines of a "conversion course" when you move from one subject to another within the same educational system).


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## wildan1

in my experience, a French baccalauréat will give a student entering the US university system 1-2 years of university-level credit, depending on the field of study, whether the specific bac matches the course major studied in the US, and the standards the accepting university sets for foreign student admissions. Universities are autonomous, so you won't find it interpreted in only one way...

One way US higher educational administators describe Licence/BA/BS in a generic way is to call any of them a "first university degree" (as opposed to a Masters/Maitrise, PhD, etc.)

"Bac + 2" (or +3, +4 etc.) will mean nothing to a North American. You either have a degree, or you say have x number of years of university study.


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## New Elenita

Je suis nouvelle aussi sur ce site. J'aime apprender le français. Je voudrais connaître comment on dit "Bachelor of Arts" en français. Je pense que il est compliqué. J'ai trouvé la signitification dans mon dictionaire, je ne suis pas sûre: Licencié(e)ès en lettres????  Déroutant, je pense.
Licenciée en lettres ?
Licencié en lettres?
ou Licencièes en lettres?

Mais, j'ai trouvé la signification sur ce site "wordreference", on dit  diplôme universitaire de lettres.


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## James Brandon

As far as I know, it is "Licencié ès Lettres" for a man and "Licenciée ès Lettres" for a woman, with "ès" an archaic formulation used for this -- at any rate it was when I was a student, but that was a while back, and maybe nowadays they do not use "ès" any more. Someone may want to comment and confirm, and they might know the origin of "ès". 

The degree, though, would be referred to as "une licence de lettres", as far as I recall.


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## New Elenita

Thank you Mr.Brandon, your explanation for me and previous ones are very helpful. 
Licencié ès Lettres for a man
Licenciée ès Lettres for a woman
It's description not noun or verb?
I'd like to see examples of sentences if you don't mind.
I'd like to try to use them in contexts.
Ex.  Elle est licenciée ès lettres.   
Il est licencié ès lettres.
So, I think it's easier to use une licence de lettres if I want to talk about degree.

J'ai obtenu une licence de lettres.


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## Pedro y La Torre

Au Canada Français:

Bachelor of Arts = Baccalauréat ès arts (B.A.) (un B.A. dure 3 ans au Québec, je ne connais pas le système en Acadie)
Master of Arts = Maîtrise ès arts (M.A.) (1-2 ans, dépendant de la formation)


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## James Brandon

I would not dwell on the French Canadian versions, because they are a compromise between the mainstream French and the English and will only confuse you, I am afraid: they would only be relevant if you were living in Canada or applying for a job/to do a course in Canada. 

I believe it is correct to say:-

Une licence de lettres (a noun referring to the degree)
Elle est licenciée ès lettres (where 'licenciée' is an adjective, about a woman)
Il est licencié ès lettres (where 'licencié' is an adj., about a man)
Elle est une licenciée ès lettres (about a woman, used as a noun)
Il est un licencié ès lettres (ditto, about a man)
Il a une licence de lettres 
Elle a une licence de lettres 

I think the last 2 would be most commonly used when describing the person's qualifications. 

J'ai otenu une licence de lettres - this would be correct in my view. 

Using 'ès' sounds a bit archaic and very formal. But it is correct.

French-speakers may want to confirm what I have said and will flag any confusion there could be on my part, but I think what I have indicated (above) is correct.


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## Pedro y La Torre

James Brandon said:


> I would not dwell on the French Canadian versions, because they are a compromise between the mainstream French and the English and will only confuse you, I am afraid: they would only be relevant if you were living in Canada or applying for a job/to do a course in Canada.



That's not entirely correct. A baccalauréat, in days gone by, was the legitimate French term for what we call a "Bachelor's". It is also, apparently, still used as such in Belgium. "Licence" is a more recent phenomenon. Similarly, no-one can dispute that "Maîtrise" is more authentically French than "Master".

Of course, Canadian French is a minority version (10 million speakers as against 60 odd million), but worth knowing, nonetheless.


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## LivingTree

And the thing is that the original question was about a French term for the English "Bachelor of Arts", and that's exactly what the Quebec (and all over Canada) _baccalauréat ès arts_ is.

A French speaker who wanted to investigate what a "Bachelor of Arts" is (in the Canadian or USAmerican educational systems) could refer to Quebec/Canadian sources for _baccalauréat ès arts_, which would explain the degree in French.

For example, from the bilingual University of Ottawa:

http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/info/regist/calendars/programs/byDiscipline.html
http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/info/regist/annuaires/programmes/parDiscipline.html
Baccalauréat ès arts de 4 ans avec deux mineures
Baccalauréat ès arts de 4 ans avec majeure
Baccalauréat ès arts général de 3 ans
Baccalauréat ès arts général de 3 ans avec mineure

 (Ontario universities - not sure about the rest of Canada - still offer 3-year (general) and 4-year (honours) B.A.s. The time needed to obtain an M.A. after that will be affected by the nature of the B.A.)


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## Pedro y La Torre

Quite right LivingTree, I had overlooked the University of Ottawa, which is of course bilingual. Indeed, as some of the world's best ranked French-language universities and institutes of higher education are Canadian (HEC Montréal, Université Laval, Université de Montréal, Université d'Ottawa, etc.), it is rather important to at least be aware of the difference in usage.


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## James Brandon

If the person is looking for a term that is used in Canada and may be used in Canada, they should go for the French-Canadian term[...]. Then again, each country will use a different terminology. 

I was referring to standard French terms I am aware of in France[…]


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## James Brandon

[…] If someone wants to render into French a term such as BA or BSc, they have to find the nearest equivalent, which, in French (of France at any rate), is Licence. This is the way things are done when you, say, translate a CV. […]


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