<p>I plan on going to graduate school for Computer Science, but I think I would be better off spending my undergraduate years double majoring in mathematics and physics and getting a minor in computer science. Math and physics will help me develop the problem solving abilities that will be essential as a Software Engineer later in life and getting a Master's in computer science will allow me to study the things that really interest me.</p>
<p>Can I double major in math/physics and minor in computer science in 4 years? It seems that the computer science classes would push me to 5 years at least.</p>
<p>It depends on the school and what its requirements for the various majors and minors are.</p>
<p>Why not double in math and computer science (possibly with a few courses or minor in physics if you are interested in it), if you want to do computer science with an emphasis on theory, math, etc.?</p>
<p>I’ve considered doing Math/Computer Science and it’s still an option, but I’m really interested in physics (Astrophysics, Quantum Physics) and I’d like to give a physics degree a shot. The truth is that I’d love to triple major in math, physics, and computer science, but I don’t hate myself enough to go through that!</p>
<p>The material you learn in a physics major is unlikely to be directly useful to you as a software engineer. The experience in problem solving will help, of course, but you can just as well develop that with math and CS alone.</p>
<p>What you want to do is doable in 4 years, though if you’re not “ahead of the game” in any of those subjects, it might not be feasible to get the most “legit” degrees in both subjects. In other words, if your college offers both an “easy route” and a “hard route” to a physics or math degree (typically one is designed for someone who wants to continue onto graduate school in that discipline), it may be unreasonable to take the harder route in all subjects (in particular, the standard graduate preparatory sequence in physics is quite challenging). Personally, I would suggest doing the majors in CS and math, and minor in physics. In any case, you probably won’t have many free spots in your schedule, and you may have to overload on classes a few semesters (unless, as mentioned before, you’re ahead in math or something).</p>
<p>If I were you, I would initially follow the major sequences in all three subjects. You could be on track for all three majors by taking one course in each subject every semester for the first two years. Only in your third year do you really have to decide which subject(s) you want to pursue more intensively.</p>
<p>For the sake of concreteness, at my undergraduate college a double major in math and physics with a minor in computer science would require the following courses:</p>
<ul>
<li>12 math courses (starting with Calc 1)</li>
<li>9 physics courses (starting with Intro)</li>
<li>5 computer science courses (starting with Intro)</li>
<li>9 non-science courses for general education requirements (assuming no AP credit)</li>
</ul>
<p>That’s 35 courses, which is doable in 4 years with an occasional course overload or AP credits (the “normal” course load is 4 courses per semester or 32 courses in 4 years). However, I suspect that you might want to take more than the minimum number of computer science courses for a minor; and odds are that you will get bored with the math major once you hit the abstract courses (most students do). </p>
<p>Keeping your options open sounds like the best strategy here.</p>
<p>Some schools have a co-terminal B.S./M.S. combination which I think is better than a double B.S. if it would take you 5 years. the B.S. Physics and M.S. Computer Science is a good combination and quite doable if you fill your electives in the physics program with computer science courses. A physics degree has a heavy dose of applied mathematics so you won’t miss out on that either.</p>