A Major is the field in which a student focuses during the course of his/her degree. It should provide a depth of knowledge and sophistication in a specific area. Different academic departments in the college will have different requirements, so it’s always a good idea to check out the department website of a school before applying.
A Minor is a secondary concentration that often complements the student’s Major. As University of Chicago website puts it, “Minors permit students to use their free electives with intellectual effectiveness and precision—to take a cohesive set of courses that complement studies in one’s major or to explore an unrelated area of intellectual interest.”
Double Major: What is it?
A double major is a combined focus on two academic subjects. Although these subjects may be closely linked (such as economics and business), they can also be vastly different (such as biochemistry and French). In order to successfully complete a double major, you’ll typically need to take double the number of major-related classes, since you’ll typically need to fulfill up to 12 classes in each of your chosen subjects.
Advantages:
Learn as much as possible: make the best use of your time at school to take up academic knowledge
Become more competitive when applying to graduate schools and jobs: Studying two subjects can not only help you see each one from a new perspective, it can also give you an edge on the competition by providing you with more insight and experience than other candidates. When employers review your background, they are likely to be impressed by your strong work ethic.
Exposure to new career paths: Tackling more than one subject at once will give you exposure to different industries and opportunities, as well as networking opportunities with professors from different departments. This will also help you to narrow down your choices by eliminating industries that aren’t a good fit.
Disadvantages
Spend more time studying, and take fewer elective courses for fun
Less time to do extracurriculars and student activities on campus
Increased cost of tuition: depending on the college, adding a second major might mean higher tuition. There’s also the possibility that it might take you more than 4 years to complete the double degree.
Special Dual-Degree Programs
Some schools collaborate together to offer unique dual-degree programs. This means that you can graduate with 2 degrees, one from each school. Often, these programs are created between an art school and a university to give students an opportunity to integrate artistic and academic work. At the same time, this means that there will be more requirements for applicants and a higher bar for admissions.
Examples of joint/dual-degree programs include:
Brown University & RISD: five years in length. Students may receive a Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) degree or, with careful planning, a Bachelor of Science (Sc.B.) from Brown and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree from RISD. Prospective students must apply and be accepted to both institutions and then be approved by a separate Brown|RISD Dual Degree admissions committee.
Columbia University & The Julliard School: Bachelor of Arts from Columbia College and Masters of Music from Juilliard in five years. After successfully applying to Juilliard for graduate study, students admitted to the Joint Program enter Juilliard for their fourth and fifth years of study.
UC Berkeley College of Engineering & Haas School of Business. The Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration simultaneous degree is part of the Management, Entrepreneurship, Technology Program. It aims to educate leaders with a seamless understanding of technology innovation, from idea to real-world impact. In 4 years, students earn two Bachelor of Science degrees in one program.
Comments