Double majoring in CS/Econ or CS/MS&E and coterminal masters

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

Hello,

I wanted to find if it is possible to double major in CS & Econ OR CS&MS&E and ALSO do a coterminal masters degree in CS in 4 years at Stanford? Does anyone have experience with this or know of anyone who has done this. I would love to hear from them. Thanks!

2

BS + Coterm is a 5-year program. A coterm BS+MS requires 225 units, while a standard 4-year degree requires 180. However, it’s possible to finish in 4 years if you start out with a lot of transferable credits. The page at https://engineering.stanford.edu/admission-aid/coterminal-study-engineering reports 18% of engineering/CS coterms finish within 4 years. In contrast a double major (assuming BS+BS) requires 180 units and can more easily be completed in 4 years.

3

I did a double major in Comparative Literature and Mathematical Science and a coterm Masters in Linguistics in 4 years. Hard but doable. Not sure about the engineering/econ combo, though.

4

Two things that makes double majoring or co-terming at Stanford very difficult to complete in 4 years.a) A course cannot be used to satisfy two majors and b) the same course cannot be used towards a BA/BS and MA/MS degree. So

  1. BS CS + MS co-term is difficult but possible in 4 years if you get max credits from AP and waive/test out of language requirement.
  2. BS CS/MS&E and MS co-term in 4 years - not possible. Double majors for high credit (100-120) majors like engineering/CS takes more than the required 180 credits for BS.
  3. Forget about BS/BA CS/Econ and MS co-term in 4 years. Dual degrees requires 225 and MS 45 more.credits.
5

Everyone comes into Stanford talking about triple majoring in CS/Econ/MS&E because they’re probably the most pre professional majors at Stanford that all the “prestigious” companies want to hire from.

CS/Econ double major is doable, but very difficult. I’ve only met one student ever who has done it. The CS major is already demanding enough.

I’ve never heard of a CS/MS&E double major.

CS major to MS&E co-term is very popular, as well as Econ major to MS&E co-term. MS&E is probably one of the best co-term programs available.

Double major + coterm in 4 years is pretty much impossible.

Truth is, once you get to Stanford you’ll realize there’s not much benefit to (and also alot of difficulty in) double majoring, however this is more applicable to Engineering majors. Humanities majors are easier to double major in because of different credit requirements.