<p>Can you take some classes not geared to one of your two majors and still be able to do a double major? Do people do triple majors?</p>
<p>I think something like 25% of kids at Brown double concentrate. I plan on doing it myself. You only need to take 2-3 classes or so per semester to double concentrate.</p>
<p>I plan on doing bio and IR myself.</p>
<p>Double concentrating is pretty easy. I am even planning on fitting in an ScB and an AB. I think a few have triple concentrated, but this would be extremely unusual.</p>
<p>People do triple-concentrate, but as GHBrown says, this is very rare. Unless the fields are closely related (say, Econ, Poli Sci, and Math or Bio, Neuro, and Chem) you'd probably have to take an extra year to do it. I don't really see why you would do this -- I don't think it'll add much to your resume or grad school app, and it just prevents you from having more freedom to explore other areas.</p>
<p>But you can definitely double concentrate in four years and have time to take classes in other areas. If you have specific departments in mind, you can look them up on brown.edu and check out the concentration requirements. Most concentrations require between 10-13 credits (more for Sc.B.), and you'll probably take at least 32 classes during your time at Brown.</p>
<p>theoretically, with the potential to take up to 40 for credit courses while you are at brown, triple concentrating is possible. there is usually a small handful of extremely ambitious people who do this each year. the trade-off, is that it leaves very little (if any) time of exploration and electives outside of those concentrations</p>
<p>Would someone mind breifly explaining the difference between double-majoring, dual-concentrating, and dual degrees. And which are the easiest to do, particularly at Brown?</p>
<p>Concentrations are the same thing as majors, so double majoring and dual concentrating are one and the same.</p>
<p>Dual degrees mean you complete an AB and an ScB concentration, and you physically get two separate diplomas. This almost always requires at least 5 years of undergraduate study. I personally don't see much advantage to this over just double majoring.</p>
<p>Double majoring / double concentrating is fairly easy at Brown. As GHBrown08 says, geting dual degrees is harder and takes longer, but is also possible.</p>
<p>whats the difference between dual concentrating and getting dual degrees?</p>
<p>Uh, as a brown student reading might be a valuable skill....</p>
<p>right i saw what you wrote...i mean in terms of classes and such. I mean i find it very plausible to double concentrate in 4 years...so what is the difference that makes it necessary to take another year in order to det two degrees?</p>
<p>For example, I want to concentrate in biology and IR...would concentrating in both of these mean i get a ba in biology instead of a scb?</p>
<p>your confusion probably underscores the limited value of staying for the extra year. in theory, the dual degree allows you to take up to ten more bachelor's degree courses at brown than you otherwise could, while also "allowing" you to spend an extra years-worth of tuition.</p>
<p>it seems more useful to folks who figure out they want both an Sc. B. and an A. B. later in the game (a lot of people come to college undecided about which course of study they want to pursue and decide at the 11th hour)</p>
<p>well i just dont see any value in staying for another year if you can easily complete 2 concentrations in 4 years. thats why im wondering if there is any sort of advantage to staying for 5 aside from taking more classes? wouldnt you automatically get 2 degrees if you concentrate in 2 separate fields, like ba and scb?</p>
<p>Right, but an Sc.B. often takes a lot more classes than an AB, so getting an AB and an Sc.B. at the same time is a lot harder.</p>
<p>Take, for example, Bio and IR. You can double major by getting an AB in Bio and IR and do it in four years.</p>
<p>However, if you want an Sc.B. in Bio, you'll have a lot of credits to take care of. From <a href="http://bms.brown.edu/bug/biology_program.html%5B/url%5D">http://bms.brown.edu/bug/biology_program.html</a> I count 19 credits. IR is 11 plus a language requirement (but you can usually place out of this from high school study). This adds up to 30 credits, which would be nearly impossible to fill in 4 years, because although you technically have enough "time," some things are offered only once a year or once every two years, and key classes might overlap. Also, even if you somehow miraculously manage to do all 30 credits in 8 semesters (maybe because you got out of 2 or 3 of the bio requirements through AP stuff), you will barely have any time to do anything else. Assume that you take 4 classes each semester for 8 semesters, and spend 28 of them on your concentration, that leaves you only 4 "extra" classes, or maybe a few more if you decide to take 5 classes at a time a few semesters.</p>
<p>Also, to answer your other question: you only get 1 degree if you double major by getting two AB degrees (say, an AB in Bio and an AB in IR). However, you get TWO degrees if you get two different KINDS of degrees (say, an Sc.B. in Bio and an AB in IR).</p>
<p>Ok sorry if I was rude before....</p>
<p>Ilovebrown thats not the whole story. Even though I am planning to complete an ab and scb concentration (and I don't think its terribly hard if you take 5 courses a few semesters), I still wont get dual degrees. </p>
<p>"Students who wish to earn both a bachelor of arts degree and a bachelor of science degree may do so in a five-year program in which the work for both degrees proceeds concurrently. Programs of students who elect this five-year plan will usually be arranged so that those who wish may change to either degree candidacy alone prior to the fourth year. Exceptional students may be allowed to complete the combined degrees in nine semesters with the approval of the Committee on Academic Standing.</p>
<p>Students who are considering a combined AB/ScB should speak with Dean David Targan no later than the end of their sophomore year.</p>
<p>Students may complete the requirements for two concentrations in a regular 4-year undergraduate program, even if one concentration is an AB concentration and the other is an ScB concentration. Only students who wish to receive two degrees are required to complete five years of study. "</p>
<p>I think that the only advantage is being able to say you have both an ab AND an scb from brown and listing two degrees on your resume....which really isn't that exciting. </p>
<p>Otherwise, you'd have to say I have an AB from brown OR an ScB, and if you do both concentrations, then you can pick which one (I'll list the ScB, since it is much harder to complete....)</p>
<p>Finally, as Ilovebrown said, two AB's could never result in dual degrees.....and I guess same goes for two ScB if this has ever been done even.</p>
<p>But if you get an AB in both biology and IR...dont you kind of have two degrees, not technically but i mean on your resume or whatever you can say you have an AB in both bio and IR from Brown which is like the same as saying you have an AB in IR and a ScR in Bio?</p>
<p>Well an AB in the both isnt the same as an AB and an ScB....the Bio ScB is way more involved than the AB as I am learning, so I dont think I understand your question.</p>
<p>No, it's not the same thing. A Bachelor of Arts is a different KIND of degree from a Bachelor of Science. That's why they're separate. If you graduate from Brown with a double-major in IR and Bio (both AB) then you would put on your resume that you have an AB from Brown in International Relations and Biology, whereas if you get two degrees you would put that you have an AB from Brown in International Relations and an Sc.B. from Brown in Biology.</p>
<p>I know, it sounds technical, and in the long run, doesn't matter too much unless you're planning on going on in Biology. But this is something you can talk to your advisor about once you get here.</p>
<p>thanks. i just got the course catalog so ive been trying to figure everything out ahead of time to the best that i can.</p>