so i’m seriously considering adding another major and a minor but i’m wondering if it’s just going to be way too difficult? i’m currently a communication studies major, but I really want to add peace studies as another major and a journalism minor. has anyone done this before and if so, is it too overwhelming? I’ve always been a good student, but i’m not sure how different college is from high school yet. so far everything has been very easy for me and I want more of a challenge. but is this too much? thanks!
It depends. It depends on how much overlap there is in courses for meeting the requirements for the majors and minors. Your advisor should be able to help you with a course sequence to determine if it is possible in your case.
thank you! from what I’ve seen the courses do overlap quite a bit. the head of the peace studies department told me that comm and peace studies work very well together. i’m more concerned with how minoring will factor in because there are quite a few required classes for the journalism minor. however, some of those classes overlap as well.
the question is do you really need a communications major and a journalism major. Why both?
You may say I will take Journalism but then a few communications classes and some peace studies classes. You don’t necessarily need a formal double major or minor.
Yeah, why do this? Just take some classes in the other field(s). Free yourself for taking interesting electives as they come.
my goal is to be a journalist, so I would really like to have a journalism minor (as I mentioned before my school does not have a journalism major.) and of course communication skills are extremely important in the field of journalism, so i’m majoring in that. and I’ve read in various places that the people who are most likely to get hired for journalist positions are people who have expertise in a certain area, and that’s where peace studies comes into play.
We are not saying not to take Journalism classes, but do you have to have a formal Minor? So if there are 3 classes you want to take but a formal minor is 4 classes, then is it necessary to have a minor or just necessary to take the classes of interest?
This is the kind of thing I would talk to your adviser and professors about once you get to college.
Maybe it is better to major in journalism and take communications classes.
It’s definitely extra work, but if the coursework is interesting, you should definitely do it.
I double majored in anthropology and English literature, with a minor in comparative literature. I think the overlap with the lit subjects saved me one course, that I ended up taking anyways because I was interested in the subject.
When I look back, it wasn’t that much extra work - I never had a quarter where I felt swamped. That being said, I did do summer school and stayed an extra quarter, but I was always interested in the subject and opportunity. Two of the three summers were off-campus (one study abroad, and another archaeology field school), while the other one was like regular school except no one was at the campus and it was way less work.
I really liked each field, and it’s fun to have a double major if you can afford (in terms of workload and money) taking the extra classes.
You need to count how many courses you need to satisfy both majors and your college’s other requirements (e.g. general education), accounting for courses that count for more than one category, to see if it is doable within the usual number of courses you will take before graduating, or if you need to overload.
No one else can really help you if you do not name the college.
It depends on the student. Do as others say and map out what it would look like and decide whether it would be too difficult for you. My D is doing a dual degree, a minor, and a masters. Her easiest semester on campus (excluding semester abroad) is 19 credits. It’s a lot of work, but she can handle it. Most can’t. You have to be honest with yourself.
I’m guessing but might be wrong that your trying to do both majors and a minor in 4 years. I would map out a quick schedule of all the classes including prerequisites and general ed and see if they fit into a 4 year program. Don’t forget to figure out if any classes need to be done in sequential order.
If it looks doable one thing that could be a potential issue is if certain classes are only offered certain semesters. You may be able to email an advisor from the two majors and the minor to find out how often classes are offered as in just spring, just fall etc. A summer class may be helpful if offered in the summer.