<p>I dunno where to ask-So I'm gonna ask in the parents section. </p>
<p>My question is this: is there any point of having a double major? If I did have two majors would that help me find a job more easily (exp. if they are from different subjects, like Humanities and the Sciences) </p>
<p>What about minors? It seems like people only pursue them b/c they like the subject but don't want to major in it b/c it would be hard to find a job. </p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Both double major and major/minors help in finding jobs. DW was often interviewed for her finance degree and received job offers based on her math degree.</p>
<p>At some schools (particularly large public universities) declared majors get priority for enrollment in the department's courses -- and in some departments (film, for example) there are quite a few courses that you can ONLY take if you're in the major.</p>
<p>Also, if you ever want the option to teach, the "highly qualified" teacher rules (at least in our state) automatically consider you highly qualified if you have completed a major in the subject.</p>
<p>A second major may also make a candidate more interesting for graduate school: a geography or sociology major who has a second major in statistics or computer science is clearly bringing a lot to the table.</p>
<p>On the other hand (there is always an other hand), having a double major restricts your ability to choose courses in the way you want in college. You will face so many requirements that you will rarely have the opportunity to take an elective -- and this may mean never studying topics that are of great interest to you.</p>
<p>I have noticed that some of the most prestigious colleges don't have minors, and some of these colleges tend to discourage double majors (although they do not forbid them) on the grounds that they are overly restrictive. On the other hand, maybe if you come from one of those colleges, you do not need a double major in order to sell yourself to an employer.</p>
<p>Don't assume a double major or a minor will help your job prospects. It really depends on what you study but if you have a major directly related to the job field, like electrical engineering for example, the employers will generally mostly care about that one major. They may find the fact that you took, for example, a psych major, along with it attractive or more likely, not care.</p>
<p>OTOH if one had a CS major and a chem or bio minor, for example, it might help them with a position in biotech.</p>
<p>That's at the bachelors level; if you go on to get a grad degree then I'm not sure what would have been gained job-wise from the double major.</p>
<p>Interesting thread. My daughter is a science major but she had a wonderful English teacher for her honors English reqs and decided she wanted more classes with her and the idea of an English minor started entering her mind. Her schedule hasn't allowed her to have classes with that particular teacher again yet but she has been lucky enough to run into some other wonderful English teachers. The minor is almost a certainty as she is coming close to completing the requirements and now I hear the beginnings of thoughts of a double major being floated. The teacher she has this semester normally teaches grad level classes and she is absolutely loving his class doing very well in it.</p>
<p>It just shows what a wonderful teacher can do as English was not a subject she liked at all in HS. Perhaps the English at college level allows for more creativity, I don't know. But to be honest I hear more excitement when she talks about her English classes than when she talks about the science classes so I wonder if she is in the correct major (she thinks it is because she has had to do a lot of required classes in the parts of science she does not enjoy, like chem and physics - her love is biology and she will not really start on the major classes till the fall which she is excited about).</p>
<p>As a slight aside - the wonderful teacher that started this was one she chose by looking at ratings on ratemyprofessor (thinking to get through her least favorite subject as painlessly as possible). One student in the class said she almost didn't take the class because a poster on RMP said the teacher changer his life and this student said she liked her life and didn't want it changed thank you very much. I thought that was pretty funny. But she is a life changing type of teacher - she certainly awakened something in my daughter.</p>
<p>Will a minor in English, or a 2nd major, help her in a science career. I honestly have no idea. I am thinking probably not. But it may (or may not) open other completely different avenues to her. And either way, it is just so exciting to see her so excited about these classes. Though her college education will hopefully ultimately lead to a career, having it spark a new passion is a wonderful thing.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Will a minor in English, or a 2nd major, help her in a science career.
[/quote]
Even if it doesn't help her directly in landing a job, if she becomes a better writer as a result, her written skills will surely help her in her science career in the long run.</p>
<p>I had a double major in chemistry and English, then worked for 20+ years as a synthetic organic chemist. The English major did not help me in the job market but was a great asset in the job, especially since many bench researchers are also expected to publish. I also did a lot of editing and proofreading for my colleagues and became known as "the English expert" in my department. (How many times did I have to explain the difference between "effect" and "affect"?)</p>
<p>I think the generalized answer is "no" for this question, but there are plenty of exceptions, and is is really dependent on what those 2 majors are and what you are looking for in terms of career. You can always take classes in areas you are interested in without a major or minor. But the examples of a stats minor is a smart choice. </p>
<p>Some departments with combine areas so you don't have to double major, for instance my daughter is getting a ScB in Mathematics and Computer Science, awarded in the CS dept.</p>
<p>I don't think her school encourages a double major because it is so restrictive, but there are plenty doing it. I met one kid who was pre-med and public policy double major.</p>
<p>Is pre-med a major at her school? I did not think premed was a major at most school. My daughter considered being a doctor for a while and all the schools she looked at said pre med was not a major and that pre-meds were encouraged to major in a subject area of interest that they would be happy with a career in (not neccessarily a science major) while making sure to include the pre-reqs for medical school.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the replies. I am currently an engr major. I have thought about a minor in math/CS/ or Chinese. I was thinking it would be pointless to take classes just for interests sake since money is hard to come by. I guess Chinese would be the most advantageous being bilingual has many aspects. Engr majors have so many restrictions I sometimes wished I declared a different major, but for now I like taking math/science courses. </p>
<p>Would you say that learning some Chinese (but not getting the minor) is better than completing a minor in CS/math (both are similar fields)?</p>
<p>bump! 10 char</p>
<p>What kind of engineering major are you - ME, EE, etc.?</p>
<p>For our son the dual major in comp sci/cog sci was a program requirement for his program in artificial intelligence. However his dual minors in philosophy and game simulation arts and science was due to his intense interest in these areas of study. </p>
<p>It had nothing to do with resume building or post grad job projects. Even in hs he chose to march to the beat of his own inner drummer figuring that it was his happiness that was important. The same for his college academic choices. He took full advantage of what his college offerred and made choices which made sense in the moment with no consideration on how it would play out in post grad life.</p>
<p>He did get a great job with a major computer game develolper and will be going to grad school next September. I believe that his success is due in large part to his attitude to follow his passion.</p>
<p>I think it depends on the choice of the extra major/minor. Does it really strengthen your original (or main) major? Will you still be able to graduate on time or incur extra college costs? </p>
<p>Neighbor's kid is majoring in meterology. He should graduate in May but this year decided he also wanted to get a minor in Environmental Science. He won't be able to finish by May so his parents (full-pay) are paying for an extra semester (summer school) for him to finish a minor.</p>
<p>Will it add that much to his resume? Worth the cost of another semester,room/board? </p>
<p>I dont think so since his goal is to work in weather broadcasting.</p>
<p>no, pre-med is not a major. when you mention it, people assume you mean one of the usual majors for people who intend on applying for med school. same with prelaw.</p>
<p>Brando, for most of the engineering majors, a CS minor is not bad at all. In fact, way back when I was employed for a major IT vendor, I worked with a couple of guys who majored in ME and EE. They were software engineers, basically. Chinese as a minor... well, if you like the language, learn it. You don't have to major or minor in anything. It may or may not be useful. I do speak some other languages, all of them, including my native, are not that useful in terms of my career.</p>
<p>D. (pre-med) has 2 minors. The purpose of both of them are strictly to get more knowledge in area of great interest to enrich her life. Niether of them have anything to do with her future professional carrier. She absolutely enjoys all her classes and some of them are more R&R and entertainment than hard work. She is pre-med with minors in Music Composition and Neuroscience.</p>
<p>MiamiDAP: What is your D's major? Since pre-med is not a formal major?</p>