Okay, so I got accepted by UIUC for Physics in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. I was reading up on double majors and dual degrees, but I still did not get enough clarity. I want to pursue the following:
Double Major (or) Dual Degree in Physics (College of LAS) and Computer Science (College of Engineering)
Minor in Mathematics
Minor in Electrical Engineering
Is this possible in UIUC? Do they allow two majors from different colleges?
If you view the CS@UIUC website, it will tell you that double majoring is not an option to anyone other than top students. You can minor in Math, and you can minor in EE. You just have to understand that how many credit hours you walk in with will directly dictate your course of action.
Are you trying to do the standard physics curriculum, or the specialized physics curriculum?
If you’re in the standard physics curriculum, then you can double major. You’re basically required to at least take a minor, and doing a second major is typically very doable.
However, if you’re doing the Specialized Physics Curriculum, you can’t do a double major. Instead, you have to apply for a second degree. It requires at least 30 hours of distinct credit on top of your first major. Working the minors in may be difficult, but I’m sure it could be done with proper planning.
emshadez, do you know how they decide who are the “top” students. like do they see course grades or what?
comfortablycurt, I haven’t decided yet whether I will be doing Specialized or Standard. Though I do want to become a grad student in Physics, I also love Theoretical Computer Science so I don’t want to throw out the option of CS grad either. I like the fact that you talked about proper planning. Do you know people who have actually managed stuff like this?
Thanks for the replies, guys!
When I went to visit UIUC, they said it wasn’t at all hard to minor. Double majoring is a different story. It seems to be easier to do in related fields, less likely to occur for engineering/CS majors, and you’re more likely to graduate in 5 years if you do so. You should email your advisors; they’d probably be the best people to ask!