<p>i read in harvard's promotional brochure thingy (you know the thing they send you in the mail when you join the mailing list) that there's a limit on the number of classes you can take each semester. like, if you want to take more than that you need special permission. so i was wondering, do double majors end up staying at harvard longer than 4 years to finish their degrees? because obviously they have more classes to take. and plus its harvard, so the classes are bound to be difficult. if there are any double majors out there, what is it like? (btw, i want to do economics/ international economics and poli sci or international relations)</p>
<p>^ I know many Govt and Econ double majors and they've all graduated in 4 years so don't worry about that!</p>
<p>I think it depends on your major. I have heard from some fairly reliable sources that Harvard is trying to limit double concentrators and wants kids kids to stick to one concentration and one secondary field. However, if your concentrations are very similar, as yours are, I would say that it is doable. You can take 4-5 courses a semester after your first as a freshman.</p>
<p>Well, joint concentrations usually have special requirements so that the overall number of courses to fulfill the reqs. of a joint conc. is less than the no. of courses it would take to satisfy the requirements each concentration individually.</p>
<p>However joint concentrations are only for fields of concentration that can form some sort of coherent theme (e.g. physics-math). If you plan to have concentrations in disparate fields (like music and biology), it is best if you take a secondary field of concentration instead of a joint one.</p>
<p>How about Mechanical Engineering and Business? Would those two be too far apart to have them both as joint majors?</p>
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How about Mechanical Engineering and Business? Would those two be too far apart to have them both as joint majors?
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<p>Umm... Harvard doesn't have a business concentration. Closest thing you can get to business is maybe economics.</p>
<p>There is no poli sci or international relations, both are covered under the "government" major, so that solves your problem!</p>
<p>But, here's the scoop:
Majors at Harvard are called "concentrations." You can have joint concentations (double major) in related fields, approved on a case-by-case basis. When they say related, their definition is lose, so don't worry about it. There are some departments that do not allow joint concentration at all, like Romance Languages or (I believe) History. However, you can also have a minor, called at Secondary Field at Harvard. I believe secondary fields actually require you to go more in-depth than other schools, taking more classes, so that's a plus!
But, to answer your original question, lots of people do joint concentrations, and almost all of them graduate in the normal 4 years. It shouldn't be an issue!</p>
<p>You don't need special permission to take 6 courses a semester after your freshman year (I think they do moderately discourage you from doing 6 your freshman spring semester, but I know someone who did it).</p>
<p>I don't know if they'd have a problem with more than 6, but I assure you that you'll NEVER want to take more than 6 courses. 6 itself is very rare, and many students that try it decide to drop down to 5.</p>