The reason most respectable colleges don't list majors on diplomas...

[wb.john]

Institution Program Search
Institution Program Search

It seems that the OP is not 100% accurate.

[UGAChemDawg]

Institution Program Search
Institution Program Search

It seems that the OP is not 100% accurate.

Those are just programs that are available at those colleges. They are not part of the degree title though. That Yale list, for example, is just a list of majors that you can get within a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree program.

Still, your Yale diploma will just say Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science, not Bachelor of Arts/Science in Whatever you Pick From That List to Study.

For example, if you look here:

Connecticut Department of Higher Education Comprehensive Program Search Results

You will see Alburt Magnus College in the first two positions. Both say "Art" under "Program Name" but if you look under "Degree" one says "BFA" and the other just says "BA." So while completing both majors would give you a degree with a major in art, only the BFA would say "Bachelor of Fine Arts" on your diploma, because it is a named degree which signifies that it is more than just intensive study withing a given subject under the umbrella of a general liberal arts degree. The Bachelor of Arts with a major in Art, on the other hand, would just say "Bachelor of Arts" on the diploma because Art, the major, is not part of the degree title for the less professional degree.

[wb.john]

Those are just programs that are available at those colleges. They are not part of the degree title though. That Yale list, for example, is just a list of majors that you can get within a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree program.

Still, your Yale diploma will just say Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science, not Bachelor of Arts/Science in Whatever you Pick From That List to Study.

There must be an element of regulation here, otherwise COSC would have separate names for their programs, right? It may not change the degree name, but there is a difference...

I don't think there's anything wrong with someone wanting a program that is officially recognized as being a program covering what they want to study.

[slickelvis]

Very informative post. The only thing I question is that "most respectable colleges don't list majors on diplomas". From the diplomas I have seen from respectable schools, I'd say at least half or more list the major on the diploma. Of the ones that do list the major, quite a few use the wording BA/BS "in" Blah blah blah.

Granted, it could be that people with diplomas listing a major are more apt to post pictures of their diplomas online then those whose major is not listed. Do you happen to have a more extensive list of colleges that do/don't list majors on their diploma?

[UGAChemDawg]

There must be an element of regulation here, otherwise COSC would have separate names for their programs, right? It may not change the degree name, but there is a difference...

I don't think there's anything wrong with someone wanting a program that is officially recognized as being a program covering what they want to study.

I am going to look more into these CIP codes. Thank you for bringing them to my attention. I intend to find out what they are for, why they exist, who governs what specific criteria a program has to meet to be listed under one CIP code or another, and who uses them officially.

I wonder if CIP codes appear on transcripts. Do graduate schools or government jobs use them to determine what your degree is really in, despite what your school calls it?

The descriptions of the various codes are so vague as to be practically useless in terms of dictating the content of a given program. Two Biology programs, for instance, could be entirely different and still fall within the definition of the CIP code for biology.

[Pinkie]

CIP user site

CIP Classification of Instructional Programs

I didn't copy the whole list in Biology, just wanted to show an example.

26) BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES.
26.01) Biology, General.
26.0101) Biology/Biological Sciences, General.
26.0102) Biomedical Sciences, General.
26.02) Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology.
26.0202) Biochemistry.
26.0203) Biophysics.
26.0204) Molecular Biology.
26.0205) Molecular Biochemistry.
26.0206) Molecular Biophysics
.26.0207) Structural Biology.
26.0208) Photobiology
.26.0209) Radiation Biology/Radiobiology.
26.0210) Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
26.0299) Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Other.
26.03) Botany/Plant Biology.
26.0301) Botany/Plant Biology.
26.0305) Plant Pathology/Phytopathology
.26.0307) Plant Physiology.
26.0308) Plant Molecular Biology.
26.0399) Botany/Plant Biology, Other.
26.04) Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences.
26.0401) Cell/Cellular Biology and Histology.
26.0403) Anatomy.
26.0404) Developmental Biology and Embryology.
26.0406) Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology.26.0407) Cell Biology and Anatomy.
26.0499) Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Other.
26.05) Microbiological Sciences and Immunology.
26.0502) Microbiology, General.
26.0503) Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology
.26.0504) Virology.
26.0505) Parasitology.
26.0506) Mycology
.26.0507) Immunology.
26.0508) Microbiology and Immunology
26.0599) Microbiological Sciences and Immunology, Other.
26.07) Zoology/Animal Biology.
26.0701) Zoology/Animal Biology.
26.0702) Entomology.
26.0707) Animal Physiology.
26.0708) Animal Behavior and Ethology.
26.0709) Wildlife Biology.
26.0799) Zoology/Animal Biology, Other.
26.08) Genetics.
26.0801) Genetics,

[dcan]

Very informative post. The only thing I question is that "most respectable colleges don't list majors on diplomas". From the diplomas I have seen from respectable schools, I'd say at least half or more list the major on the diploma. Of the ones that do list the major, quite a few use the wording BA/BS "in" Blah blah blah.

Actually now that I think about it this has been my experience as well. I've seen quite a lot of diplomas hanging on walls, almost all of them "non-professional" (i.e. not lawyers, doctors, etc -- mostly business, IT, etc) and they have almost all read "Bachelor of Science in Accounting", "Bachelor of Science in Computer Science", "Bachelor of Arts in History", etc.

I never really thought about this until I noticed one on a co-worker's wall that simply read "Bachelor of Science" and nothing else. It stuck out. Another co-worker has two diplomas from the same school that read "Bachelor of Science in Management" and "Master of Science in Public Policy". And another has a "Master of Science in Counseling" from that same school. (Troy State)

[CollegeStudent7]

For not caring about a diploma, you all make a bigger stink over it than I do.
It's too bad that I haven't bumped into anyone with a diploma like the ones you describe. I'm over that already, though.

[Lindagerr]

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9G...pJfB3uqcd5http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9G...sW0qQ0P9xAhttp://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9G...3IsErFattwhttp://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9G...vrWvXSyM8ghttp://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9G...lKxjvGKIqKhttp://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9G...pSdpGDcg5ahttp://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9G...4dxAG2aoxA

Some do some don't, name brand college or CC. Some say the major or concentration some don't.

Edit: I was only allowed to include 4 pics. Google College Diploma images to see more

[CollegeStudent7]

Thanks. Interesting to see. I think I've totally moved past the diploma thing. Not because I think TESC's answer was acceptable, but because at this point, I literally just need ANY Bachelors slapped on my resume ASAP.