<p>How does it work when a student brings in both transfer credits and also gets elective credits? I don't really know how elective credits are applied. He brought in four math classes and got credit for two electives.</p>
<p>My son is planning on double majoring in math and physics and now he's thinking about adding a minor.</p>
<p>I assume it helps him in some way having these credits from the get go, but I'm not sure exactly how. Does it just lighten his load, thus allowing him to take the six classes required for a minor in the same amount of time?</p>
<p>I hope what I'm asking makes sense.</p>
<p>Are the elective credits just “general elective credits”? If so, then they reduce the number of courses outside the GIRs that the student is required to complete – most majors require 180 units outside the GIRs, which is the number of courses a student would complete in four years, taking four courses per semester, if he had to take all the GIRs at MIT. So having general elective credit provides a cushion, in case a student has to drop a class at some point, but isn’t always useful.</p>
<p>General elective credit doesn’t help toward a minor. Minors are generally defined sets of courses, so students must receive credit for all the courses required for the minor.</p>
<p>Hi Mollie,</p>
<p>I think they’re general elective credits, but I’m honestly not sure. Still, the cushion would be nice. I don’t think he wants credit towards the minor since he’ll want to take all six courses (he’s thinking about nuclear engineering) for sure.</p>
<p>So, the transfer credits just means that he might finish the required math courses earlier than his four years?</p>
<p>I guess I’m trying to figure out if the transfer/elective credits could help him not have to take 6 classes a semester if he’s really determined to do a double major and a minor (which I think seems insane). Well, maybe after this first semester, he’ll see the light and choose an easier course. My son is definitely working more and harder than he probably ever knew he could…</p>
<p>It will help if the transfer credit is for courses that he’d otherwise be required to take for his major. </p>
<p>When I was at MIT, the requirement for a double major was that you had to complete all the courses required for each major, with the additional requirement that you complete 270 units outside the GIRs (vs. 180 for a single degree). With that requirement, getting general elective credit helps, because doing two majors doesn’t necessarily get you 270 units outside the GIRs by itself. They’ve since dropped that requirement, so the “only” thing you need to do to double-major is to take the courses required for two majors.</p>
<p>You are allowed to double-count classes if possible – if a course is required for both majors, or if a course would count as an upper-level elective in both departments, it goes toward the requirements for both majors. I would assume there’s at least some overlap between the requirements for math and physics.</p>
<p>And, of course, it’s always possible to drop the idea of a second major. 
Taking courses in a second department, or even submitting the paperwork to pick up a second major, doesn’t commit you to that path. Finishing the second major is not a necessity until second semester senior year, when you submit your degree application.</p>
<p>Ok, this is great info, Mollie. Yes, the courses were all math courses and my son plans to major in math and physics. Ironically, he had a lot of college physics courses but because of his 4 on the AP C E & M test he took freshman year, none of those courses counted (and, ahem, he slept through the ASE) so he started over with 8.012. Maybe he’ll drop the double major idea. It’s good to know he doesn’t need to decide anything right away. :-)</p>
<p>Thanks very much, Mollie!</p>
<p>Always! </p>
<p>Figuring out what’s necessary for an MIT degree is not a trivial exercise, especially when double major plus minor combos are on the table.</p>