or math, or technology and art.
I need some ideas how to do the most efficient search.
Colleges that are good for science sometimes don’t have a good Art major or vice versa.
Our college counselor is busy and the wait is long. So I thought I could get faster answers here.
Thanks in advance
I heard Harvard is good for both those things.
One place that you might want to start is with the federal government’s College Navigator. You can search by the states you’re interested in, the size of school, etc. But, you can also select different programs and majors and ensure that the school offer ALL of them (though don’t forget, sometimes a school might call it different things). But while you’re in there you can also see how many students graduated in that major in the most recent year of data available. The more students (whether as a raw number at big schools or as a percentage for smaller schools) generally means that it will be a respectable program offering. There are certainly schools with small numbers of majors that are very strong in that department, though, but if you’re just developing an initial list, it’s one resource to try.
But, another great resource is the site you’re on right now, College Confidential. This post will provide more information, but some of the highlights are:
- If you want others to suggest schools to you, use the
match-metagInclude details
When you click “+ New Thread”, your post will include a template that you can follow to include the most relevant information. That template includes:
- Demographics (location, residency, HS type, legacy, US or Int’l, gender, etc)
- Intended Major(s)
- UW GPA, Rank, and Test Scores (also weighted GPA for systems like UC/CSU)
- Coursework (college coursework for transfer applicants)
- Awards
- Extracurriculars (incl. summer activities, competitions, volunteering, and work experience)
- Essays/LORs/Other
- Cost Constraints / Budget
- Schools including Safety, Match, Reach (include ED/EA when applicable)
Do not ignore this template! You’ll get the best feedback if you include all of these details.
Don’t forget the budget, because it’s useless for posters to suggest universities if they won’t be affordable.
Is there anything Harvard is not good for? just kidding.
A dream school. My kid is not into Harvard, but likes other Ivies…we are also searching for all types of acceptance rates.
Thank you neela1
Thank you AustenNut for detailed info!
By the way I didn’t know that federal gov had a college search web.
I also wonder if there a forum for this type of double major.
You’re welcome. One school you might want to consider if Rensselaer Polytechnic in New York. It definitely has strengths in STEM and art, though possibly more graphic design and game design, but perhaps all kinds. Certainly one I would check out.
Carnegie Mellon (PA ) is very competitive for admissions, but it really appreciates students who cross the science/art boundary. I’d take a close look at that one, too.
If you can give us any additional information about your kid and your budget, we can provide much more helpful recommendations. What areas of the country? Does your kid want urban, suburban, or rural? Size of school? Big focus on school athletics or Greek life or something else? Does your kid prefer more of a pre-professional vibe or something else? What’s your kid’s GPA and standardized test scores?
Actually there are quite a few. You have to look out though for a few things:
The feasibility of double majoring, especially if the art degree is a BFA
The availability of classes in the medium/media of interest. Many art departments focus on traditional media (painting, sculpture etc) and are thin in new media (digital, video) and graphic art.
LACs: Williams, Wesleyan, Hamilton, Haverford, Vassar
Midsized privates: Brown, Yale, WUSTL, CMU
Following this thread. I have a S26 who is interested in engineering, all things physics and chemistry, and is also a very talented illustrator. He also loves history and he wants to be fluent in Japanese. I know it is years away before my S needs to worry about applying, but it will be nice to come back and search this thread.
As for schools, I might look into Tufts, which has a separate Arts school and Engineering school. I don’t know how much cross-major/collaboration happens, but I could see it being a good one to check out.
Schools such as Williams and Hamilton offer strong programs in disciplines such as math, physics and visual arts. You may find technologically oriented, interdisciplinary options at these schools as well, such as in digital arts.
People have listed some fancy schools. So I’ll list a couple another tier down from that.
Case Western Reserve University has unrestricted majors (if you get into the school you can study mostly whatever you want) and is strong in STEM and I believe art as well. They give decent merit aid.
Rochester Institute of Technology is also strong in art, particularly more modern media.
momrath, you have a very good point.
"feasibility of double majoring’ ? could you elaborate?
TIA
As posters have begun to suggest, I believe your question implies two aspects. For a college to be suitable, it must offer a range of programs across various disciplines, with perhaps interdisciplinary options, and it must make these programs available to typical students.
merc81, exactly. I have more than one question in my Q.
A college that is strong in science, math, tech as well as art .
What do students usually do when they want two different majors?
I wonder if double major is the option to go?
-Interdisciplinary? im not so sure about it as it requires my kid to make specific decisions in each field.
TIA
Thanks, coldwombat. We are searching up and down as it relates to tiers.
There are a lot of questions that might help people help the OP. First, I want to know what sciences? That can mean a lot of things. How do they intend to use them? Is graduate school a consideration? Is it going to be used as a backup in case things don’t go as planned with the art degree. Art? What arts and again what are their goals once they graduate. If a student plays an instrument and just wants to continue to play many universities will have opportunities that don’t require a degree. If on the other hand they are considering it as a career either performing or teaching that’s something else all together. Are there location restraints, budget constraints, what is the students aptitude? All of these could be used to help the OP. We could name hundreds of schools across the country that have good science and art programs. They would range from elite to hidden gems depending on the end goals. I would posit that nearly all of the state flagships have excellent science and art programs. There will many schools that will be considered locally excellent and as others have mentioned many (not all) of the elite programs will be strong in these areas. Good luck OP.
Most of the state flagships are going to be good in both. I think the place were you are going to see a big difference are the specialty schools. That would be either the art schools or the engineering schools.
An undergraduate degree in studio art can be either a BA or a BFA. BFA programs tend to be more narrowly focused, are often sited in separate Schools of Art (plus design, fashion, architecture etc) and may require the submission of portfolios for admission. BFA course requirements, especially studio time blocks, MAY make double majoring difficult. I think you have to research each BFA school separately as there’s a good deal of variation.
Most LACs, and many medium sized privates, only offer the BA, and don’t require students to declare their major(s) until some time toward the end of their sophomore years.
Williams, my son’s alma mater, says 49% of its students double major, often in disparate disciplines. I think this is fairly common among LACs. (My son had a two track major— art studio and art history—but it was not strictly a double major as both were housed in the Art Department.)
Williams doesn’t offer minors, but at many schools it’s possible to supplement a major in one discipline with a minor in another.
Interdisciplinary programs whether they are majors or concentrations are somewhat different from double majors or major/minor combinations as are dual programs at two separate institutions, like the Brown/RISD joint program.
Double majoring in disciplines that are in different colleges of a university (like art and science CAN be but don’t have to be) often requires completing any core courses in both colleges. That can require an extra semester or year. It just depends on the university, the core requirements, and whether you can fit the courses into your schedule. Art may be part of the college of fine arts (often a BFA that has a lot of extra art credits) and sciences (physics, chem, bio) are usually in the college of arts and sciences and award a BA.
My daughter started as a theater major and it wasn’t possible at her school to major in theater, a BFA degree, and education. Didn’t make a lot of sense because often theater majors become secondary school teachers, but that wasn’t possible. What students had to do was complete the BFA and then do a masters in education.
Just something to look for when picking out schools, even if the school has both an art major and a science major you like.
Agree that double majoring within the same College is definitely more feasible. For example, UC Davis has a huge selection of majors within the College of Letters and Sciences including Science, Math and Art, as well as an Undeclared/Exploratory Physical Sciences Major. Another option is to pick up a couple of minors. Both are easier if your student enrolls with AP or DE credit.
A tier down is SMU. The Meadows School of the Arts and Dedman College for Science. My daughter is a biology major with lots of pre-med friends. Students are encouraged to double major.