<p>Is it possible to double major in Computer science & Economics at UIUC within 4 years? I have a bunch of ap credits to skip chem, a couple physics courses, and the basic calc courses as well, to give extra room for econ.</p>
<p>Highly doubtful simply from a course scheduling perspective.</p>
<p>Possible if you do summer programs in additon to semester but not practicable. There is a truism at UIUC that goes like this: hundreds of engineering freshman come in with large egos resulting in their greatly overestimating their ability to handle course work and the firm belief that they will easily be able to double major. By end of sophomore year, when the double major decision needs to be made, the number that apply for double majors is usually in the low single digits because all of the others have come to their senses.</p>
<p>To attempt the double major you want, which is actually called a double degree program when you are seeking majors from two different UIUC colleges, you will have to be admitted as a freshman to one of the programs and then toward end of sophomore year apply for entry into the other program with the other college, effective junior year. Realistically that means you would need to start in engineering because it is easier to be accepted for a second major in the A&S college than it is if you are from A&S trying to get admitted to a second major in engineering. Acceptance into the other program is not guaranteed. Required, besides good grades, is that you complete during freshman and sophomore years all the same courses that freshmen and sophomores in that other program need to complete. In other words, while you are attempting to complete the huge nimber of freshman and sophomore requirements in engineering, you would also need to complete any requirements of economics and the A&S college. Though a daunting task, it is possible because math courses can overlap and you can use gen ed courses for both majors. </p>
<p>To complete a major in both colleges, you must complete any course requirements of both colleges. Again there is overlap but there will be many econ and gen ed courses you will need for A&S that you will not need for engineering and have to somehow be taken while you are taking a full engineering load. Moreover, you face the 30 hour rule. To qualify for a double major from two colleges requires thirty more semester hours than whatever are the total hours needed for your first major. In other words, if the engineering college requires 128 semester hours to graduate in your major, you will need 158 if you want a double major. That is the equivalent of adding at least an extra year to your undergrad schedule. There is no “overlap” to that rule, in that you cannot somehow lower the total by taking a course that applies to both majors; you just have to have 30 more credit hours.</p>
<p>An additonal problem one can face with a double major is scheduling conflicts. With any program, you will have certain courses you need to take as a prerequisite to taking higher level courses the next semester or year. When you have unrelated majors, you may run into the issue of needing to take a required course for one major at the same time you need to take a required course for the other, e.g., you are in sophomore year and an engineering course required before you can take junior year courses is offered only at the same times as a course you need to take in economics to be able to take junior level courses in that major. UIUC does not offer relieif from those conflicts if they arise, in that you are just SOL.</p>
<p>I have seen a few questions about dual bachelors degree in engineering and a business discipline. Can a student or other poster help me understand the tradeoffs between spending more time getting to two bachelors degrees vs getting an engineering BS in less than four years and following up getting an MBA? or possibly working a few years as an engineer and then getting an MBA.</p>
<p>I would think that the engineering BS plus the MBA ultimately has more value than double bachelor degrees in engineering and business. When is a the dual degree the better option?</p>
<p>So theres no possible way in 4 years @drusba without summer courses? Damn.</p>
<p>Another option would be L & S comp sci & econ double major</p>
<p>Also, I looked the credits for AP. I will get 50+ credit hours. That should definitely help and then I will be able to complete in four years right?</p>
<p>Obviously if you come in with 50 semester hours of credit, the chances of being able to complete a double degree program in four years without summer school rise significantly, as long as you get admitted to the second program. Also, a double major seeking one BS degree in one college, like it would be for CS/math in LAS and Econ in LAS is a different animal from seeking a double degree. That double major would not be subject to the extra 30 hour rule that applies to double degree programs. You still have to complete the required course work for both majors and that would mean a lot of extra non-overlapping hours for that second major but with decent overlap of gen ed and math courses for both majors, you could easily lower the total credit hours needed to mid 140s (which includes any AP credits you would have).</p>
<p>As to the engineering degree followed by an MBA program mentioned above that is a more common approach to getting degrees in both in engineering and business areas and also one that in my view creates far more employment value added than getting an engineering bachelors degree and an economics bachelor degree. However, if interest is really economics, an MBA is not going to get you that education. Despite the belief of similarity including because some basic economics courses are required for any business degree, an economics major is really a social science major (and to a significant degree a math major) and is something significantly different from any of the possible business college degrees at UIUC. </p>
<p>Thanks a lot 
really cleared a lot of it up.</p>
<p>BTW, I was thinking of double degree in Econ & CS and then get an MBA after anyways. I feel like I would be able to get into a better MBA program by having the economics experience.</p>