what does the ba stand for in a degree
Asker's rating. Report Abuse. BA stands for Bachelor of Arts, MS stands for Master of Science, MA stands for Master of Arts, PhD stands for Doctor of Philosophy.The order of course for Biology is BS(Bachelor of Science) then MS then PhD.Unless you will proceed to medicine course, Biology Course is a prerequisite for proper medicine courses.owever, some biology degrees can be BA's (like for that of going into teaching programs), so it depends. If you want to be a Biology Teacher aim for a BS or BA (rare to find for bio) in Biology, or if you are aiming for something like a doctor, pediatrician go for BS.