Hi there!
I’m a transfer undergrad starting my first BS degree in Molecular and Cell Biology. However, I am really interested in my university’s BS in Public Health degree. I’d really like to work for the CDC after attending graduate school, and I’m curious if it would be worth it to pursue this route? It would be about 200 credits in total for both degrees.
Is that only 20 more than for one degree?
Look at how long it will take you to graduate and how heavy a courseload you will have to take, not how many credits it will take. Look at the actual courses you would have to take, not just the number of credits. It’s possible that some classes may only be available once a year or you may have to take some courses in sequence. You might have to take lab courses, which will take up more of your time and conflict with other courses.
If you have to overload every quarter/semester to graduate on time, it might not be worth jeopardizing your GPA. If it will take you longer to graduate, then it might not be worth the extra money to spend more time in school. If it will just take a lot of time and energy, then it might not be worth sacrificing internships, work experience, or research experience. If you can comfortably do it without sacrificing anything else, then sure, go ahead. If you have to give up something else, then you have to decide if it’s worth it. It probably isn’t, but that decision is really up to you since you know your situation the best. Getting one degree and taking courses in another area of interest is often enough, especially if your going to graduate school. Graduate schools will see your transcripts so they know what courses you took, and if you really want to highlight particular course experiences, you can always bring it up in your application. After graduate school, your graduate degree is going to matter a lot more than your bachelor’s degree.