Random Major Questions

College Majors
1

<p>I have some questions regarding the possibility of double major. At the start of the 07-08 school year, I will be a high school senior. I want to major in Business Administration with a specialization in management or entrepreneurship as well as Radio-Television-Film (also known as Visual Communication, Visual Media, or Media Arts). I also want to minor in Judaic Studies. (My interest in this specific combination is because I want to be screen writer/director/ producer but also want to apply film in a more practical way like a production company - hence the major in management. Also, film is a really hard medium to get into, so I want to have something more practical to fall back on as well as a solid foundation in business, so I know what I'm doing. The Judaic Studies minor is just for fun, and I want to fill my electives with Jewish Studies courses anyway). This narrows my choices down significantly and was how I arrived at my college list. </p>

<p>American University
Hofstra University
University of Arizona (out of state)
University of Miami
University of Texas-Austin (out of state, alumni relations) </p>

<p>I have been researching the requirements for each major- the specific courses, the general ed courses, other prerequisites and what classes I get out of through AP (and possibly IB) test scores. I have not visited any of these colleges, so I don't have a feel for them, but I think I would be happy at any of them and might go to the one I have to pay the least (assuming I get in - my stats definitely need improvement). I plan on visiting them, and hopefully I will be able to judge the colleges more thoroughly. Until then, I have only the academic programs to rank them (This is my most important decision factor), but I have come to the conclusion that Arizona, Texas, and American are fairly equal, Hofstra is my favorite and Miami is my least favorite. Hofstra is my favorite because they have program called Video - Television and Business, which combines business courses with media courses. Therefore, I won't have to double major there and I can minor in Judaic Studies and Management. Hofstra would be the most practical route. Unfortunately, it does not list what courses I can get out of through APs on their website (although I can take a guess). Miami is my least favorite because it appears to be extremely difficult to pursue a double major. It also does not list which classes take AP credit and is the most expensive and possibly most difficult for admission. But the main point of this post is for the other three colleges: American, Arizona, and Texas (sorry for taking so long to arrive here). </p>

<p>As I have previously stated, I have researched all the courses I would have to take to reach my degree goal, and each one of those three program's has its pros and cons. But here is my question (finally!): Can the general ed courses count for both majors ? </p>

<p>Examples: Arizona and American both have "tier based" general ed requirements and I can (and will) receive credits for some of those courses through APs. But I don't have to take general ed multiple times for both degrees, do I? The same applies to Texas but it's general ed is not as organizaed (in my opinion). </p>

<p>At Arizona, I have to take a math course for the media arts requirement - it's a foundation course called Math in Modern Society- but if I majored in Business Admin., I would have to take three math courses anyway (Business Mathematics I & II, Statistical Inference in Management). So would I have to take the other math course? Also at Arizona, for the media arts major, I could be placed (based on AP English Language and Composition) in Advanced First Year Composition. But the business major requires English 101 and 102. Couldn't I just use the English credit from media arts for business? </p>

<p>I assume that a lot of peole will not be able to help me with this, but I believe some might. If you are a student at one of these schools, your knowledge of these issues would be extremely helpful. </p>

<p>Thanks for your time in reading.</p>

2

<p>I know a little about UofA requirements. </p>

<p>The Advanced english is really just ENG 101 and 102 combined, so you'd only have to take a semester of english vs. a year. It is required for all majors, so it would count for both. However, you HAVE to take the specific courses for each major, including all those math courses. UofA has a very generous AP credit policy, and you could probably knock a course or two off if you take AP Stat or AP calc, which could minimize the math load. I bet it's about the same for Texas, not sure about American. </p>

<p>I think it is very doable to complete the courses for a double-major. Remember, there are also other general university requirements, like science and social behavioral (psychology). You always can take courses in the summer, there are 2 sessions each summer, and sometimes classes are offered during winter break. You also have to remember that each class is only a semester, so you'll be stacking about 10-14 classes total each year. </p>

<p>Good Luck!</p>

3

<p>Thank you for your reply. I'm happy that I would only have to take the advanced english with my AP score rather than 101 and 102. I realize that math is required, but the business math is more advanced and is a prerequisite to a business major. Math in Modern Society (Math 105) is only a foundation course, and I thought since the business major requires more advanced math, I wouldn't necessary need to take foundation math. </p>

<p>I also wanted to know how many classes one can take per semester. Most university templates I have seen list 5 classes per semester. The way it would work for me would be taking 6 classes per semester and occasionally some summer classes, so if that's okay, I'm good to go. </p>

<p>I have seen Arizona's AP policies, and I will be able to get out of a good few courses. Unfortunately, I will most likely not have the opportunity to take any AP math courses, so I probably will have to take 4 semesters of math at Arizona.</p>

4

<p>I'm not sure about the math. It makes sense to me that an advanced math would be able to cover the lower one, but I would call or email someone to ask. </p>

<p>If you look here, it shows the maximum amounts of credits you can take per semester or per summer session: <a href="http://catalog.arizona.edu/2004-05/policies/enrpol.htmhttp://catalog.arizona.edu/2004-05/policies/enrpol.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://catalog.arizona.edu/2004-05/policies/enrpol.htmhttp://catalog.arizona.edu/2004-05/policies/enrpol.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Usually it's around 19 credit hours max, and most classes are around 3 credits except for some math/science ones, which makes about 6 classes per semester and 2 classes per summer session. Not bad. </p>

<p>And maybe another option to get some credits out of the way is through CLEP.
<a href="http://catalog.arizona.edu/2007-08/policies/clep.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://catalog.arizona.edu/2007-08/policies/clep.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>If you have taken Spanish/French through high school, you can get up to 16 credits of foreign language credit. I have a few friends who took it, and they said it was insanely easy. Even if your major doesn't require it (which I think the business school does), it can still count for some electives.</p>