104 



Tue degree is simply an abbreviation of the diploma, and tbe title merely in- 

 dicates that the student has received the training of the undergraduate course 

 of a college. The name of the college may with great propriety be included in 

 parentheses after the degree. For the second degree resident graduate study 

 or successful practical work should be required, and then the degree should be in 

 keeping with the work that has been done. 



A. B. Storms, of Iowa. The tendency of the older eastern institutions is to 

 .siniplify the matter of degrees, as the paper states, and there is evident 

 necessity for this. Originally the bachelor of arts degree imi)lied that the 

 student had pursued a certain well-defined course of study, the courses of study 

 leading to the degree being limited. It was assumed when this degree was 

 given to a man that he had studied Greek and Latin, or at least Latin. With 

 the growth of scientific studies, however, there has been a great enlargement of 

 the curricula of the schools, with a multiplication of bachelor degrees of 

 various kinds. I do not think the bachelor of science degrees are sufficiently 

 definite as significations of the courses pursued. I would like to add the 

 designation of the line of study, as, for example, bachelor of science in agricul- 

 ture, r.achelor <if science means that a student has pursued the general scientific 

 ■course. When we give the degree of bachelor of science in agriculture it means 

 the student has pursued the agricultural course, and I think that is essential. 

 T do not believe j'ou can radically change the degrees that are already fixed, 

 like those of engineering, veterinary medicine, etc. 



H. C. White, of Georgia. I suppose we all recognize that no baccalaureate 

 degree should be given except on the comi)letion of a course of study 

 reasonably satisfactory to the faculty as indicating that the man who pursued 

 it has had a certain amount of general training in which there may have been 

 certain special lines of work. Now. the ditticulties that I'ave confronted the 

 faculties — certainly the difl^culties that have confronted our faculty through our 

 entire history — is to determine just what lines of special work we shall admit 

 lor our baccalaureate degrees. It of course touches the broad question which 

 was in part discussed at the National Association of State Universities the 

 other day as to how far professional training might be admitted into the years 

 of the man's college course usually dedicated to his undergraduate work. In 

 our technical courses in the sciences I fancy we have less trouble with the 

 degree given of liberal arts. We have less trouble because some of our tech- 

 nical sciences are pedagogically of such value in science training that we have 

 had no great difiiculty in permitting our undergraduates to take certain lines 

 which might be regarded as specialized lines. Now, assuming that they may 

 take these various specialized groups in agriculture, or even in pure sciences, or 

 the application of pure sciences and chemistry- — we have such an instance in 

 our own case, that of engineering — that the faculties are careful that the num- 

 ber of years which are dedicated to the undergraduate work shall include just 

 the study which will give the man the necessary mental training and discipline 

 to put him side l)y side with the man in the liberal arts course: that is to say, 

 in the general collegiate training, we started out by dilTerentiation in the name of 

 the degree. We gave the degree of bachelor of engineers, and also bachelor of 

 agriculture, and we gave the degree even of bachelor of chemical science at one 

 time, and the tendency was to differentiate in the name of the degree. We found 

 there A\as one effect of this in the mind of our students. When a man came 

 and entered, for exam])le, he would enter in the freshman class for the degree of 

 bachelor of engineering. Before he passed into the sophomore class he would 

 want to substitute this or that or tlie other study for something we thought 

 ))etter for his general training in the freshman work, and so eventually we 

 came to the conclusion — and it is a conviction with us, because we have now 



