Double major

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>I've done some reading on this and I understand from a "job perspective" point of view a double major doesn't help much at all, and in fact it could hinder me by coming out of college with a lower GPA. If I do end up double majoring, I am opting for the 5 year route. I don't give a crap about this "finishing on time" non sense, as if there's a rule for it.</p>

<p>I wanted to double major in ECE and Mathematics. Now, between the programs I have found a decent amount of overlapping,</p>

<p><a href="http://www.rowan.edu/colleges/csm//departments/math/BA%20BS%20Requirements/BS%20Requirements%20101612.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.rowan.edu/colleges/csm//departments/math/BA%20BS%20Requirements/BS%20Requirements%20101612.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Rowan</a> University - The College of Engineering</p>

<p>especially in the 1st & 2nd years of study: Calc I, II, III, Linear algebra, Diffy Q, College Comp I & II, intro to mechanics, and intro to electricity and magnetism; are all normally completed in the ECE program by either taking the course or by taking equivalent courses in the forms of</p>

<p>Advanced Calc I & II = Calc I, II, and III; Engineering Analysis I & II = Linear Algebra and Diffy Q.</p>

<p>Now I've been at a CC for two years, which consisted of me starting at the bottom of the barrel with reading/writing/math skills, forcing me to take a lot of pre-reqs; which have taught me a lot, and am currently in chem II, calc I, and into programming.</p>

<p>I think I'm prepared enough to enter the engineering program and do fine(I'm basically were a high school senior who took the appropriate classes is at), but I want to double major in math because I've come to love it. I know that a lot of higher end math classes are going to be more if not all abstract, and not pure but I don't care. Another reason I think that I'll be able to double major and do fine is because I've banged out course equivalents for the College Composition I & II classes, the public speaking class, and have taken a few social science/humanities courses at CC that should transfer over and lighten my load in the forms of general education courses.</p>

<p>To me (from my little experience) this doesn't seem like its going to be THAT hard....</p>

<p>Thoughts/comments? I'm looking for advice from people who have double majored or know people who have.</p>

2

<p>There’s no reason to think that just because you enjoy something you want to double major in it. Just pick and choose what you actually like - it’ll do you a lot more good than a double major.</p>

3

<p>Well, I do “want” to major in it. I like computers(I build them for fun) and circuit boards, that’s why I want to do ECE(plus the salary), but I also like math; so I want to major in that also.</p>

<p>I think (hoping) by “want” you meant “should”; in which case I understand your point. Perhaps I wasn’t clear in my OP, but I do “want” to major in math, the dilemma is the lack of job opportunities. Hence I want to double major.</p>

4

<p>There’s no need to major in math to learn more of it. Just take classes.</p>

<p>The point of a major is to get a degree. And it seems that you don’t especially want a math degree, but rather a math education.</p>

5

<p>Well, discuss this with your academic advisor. You can start out as a double-major or a major-minor (which is more common) and then adjust as you go along. You may decide you don’t like ECE after or all, or the upper level math courses might be a turn off. If it requires an extra semester or two, that is up to you to decide if you can afford it.
I don’t think you should disregard the idea if it is what you really want.</p>

6

<p>Keep in mind that in some schools double majoring may involve more than simply checking both degree checklists (as Mrs. Turbo found out). Also, there may be a minimum number of specific electives that need to be taken (again, as Mrs. Turbo found out due to DIY advising). Since you will be transferring and taking courses in a different sequence, this could be important.</p>

<p>Also depending on what area of math you focus on (past the obvious Calc 1 thru X, ODE, and the like) and what area of ECE you focus on, there could be super-awesome overlap (the obvious Fourier this and Laplace that, but also the not so obvious numerical analysis, statistical communication theory, and the like). </p>

<p>In either case plan to be in college for a while, take summer courses, or both.</p>

7

<p>Was the Mrs there for longer than 5 years? I mean even if I only single major I’m basically going to be in school for another 4 years no matter what because of how I started out in CC, I spent 2 years doing mostly pre-reqs(which I needed and learned A LOT from). So if I single major and go for a masters its a little bit shorter than if I double major and go for a masters.</p>

<p>edit: I’m transferring out of CC without an associates</p>

8

<p>OP: I have known people who have double majored, combining engineering with math, economics, or even other engineering disciplines. As you acknowledged in your post, it has no real advantage in industry or academia and is not in my experience worth the investment of time and money.</p>

<p>But.</p>

<p>It is your life, your time, and your money. If this is what you want to do, and you understand the requirements, costs, and impacts, then I see no reason why you should not. As others have noted, you can certainly study math without taking a full math najor, but depending on the school you may find greater access if you declare the double major - some of the most popular classes are usually reserved for those in the major. I would say that with the right selections, a BS in engineering + MS in mathematics may well be as long or even shorter than the double major, and more advantageous, but you need to investigate to be sure.</p>

<p>I do think that turbo93 has offered some sage advice - be aware that the length of time to complete the double major is highly variable dependent on the rules of the school / departments as well as the specialties chosen in each major.</p>

9

<p>The Mrs. found out that even if you complete the checklist for both according to school regulations at the time you need to declare ahead of time and do extra courses to get the double degree/double major. This would have added almost a year to her undergrad (Comp Science and Statistics). She chose to take the Comp Sci undergrad and did her first grad in Stat (no prereqs as she had done them all).</p>

<p>A semester before graduation she found out that the ‘Science’ elective meant ‘Science with Lab’ so she was not able to use STAT such-and-such as a ‘Science’ elective and had to spend an extra (hot) summer in school to learn about the differences between yogurt cultures in some Biology for Poets class (with lab). </p>

<p>Both were school regulations, the second more obvious, the first a bit more more obscure. I’m facing this in a couple years as DD2 will likely go double major Comp Sci and Econ or Comp Sci and Bio/Genetics. I don’t mind the extra year (considering how long the Mrs. or I were in college) so I would not worry about it.</p>

<p>Some majors can be done as an MS degree, but prerequisites could be an issue.So if you take, say, the Math MS prereqs as electives then you have another path to the second degree, and better chance for funding.</p>

10

<p>I would support what others have said in taking more math classes but not necessarily getting a math degree. Getting a second degree often times requires extra electives since the two majors are in different schools/colleges (ie College of Engineering vs College of Liberal Arts & Sciences), which will likely have different breadth and depth requirements. I would recommend figuring out what aspect of computer design in particular you’re interested in during your first couple years, and then seeing if there are any specific math classes that would aid you in that field. You might consider graduate math courses too.</p>