Does anyone know why double majors are so common at Vanderbilt? Are they relatively easy to attain or is it probably because the student body it so motivated? I’m really considering double majoring in Economics and Human and Organizational Development. Would love some input
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- Be very careful when going into HOD the requirements are insanely stringent and a few fuckups can ruin you.
- I think double majors are common because of the motivation factor and because you can skip certain reqs. Like I'm going to be Asian Studies and Computer Science because i can avoid the math req that way.
Double majors for students in CAS/Peabody is very common. Most of CAS majors need like 30~36 credit hours to complete the major, it’s really easy to squeeze in another major/minor. There are even students triple majoring, but that’s a bit hard because you have to finish AXLE in CAS.
Now, HOD + another major (especially econ) is a really common combination .Partly because HOD classes are relatively easy. If you are considering HOD+Econ, I’d recommend entering to Peabody, because then you wouldn’t have to do AXLE
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Upon graduation, you only need one job and lots of employers will not look at your second degree. So, you have to choose with field/iindustry that you will work and specialize in. Check with your advisor or ask any of your professors regarding this question as it relates to your professional career in the future.
@IvyLeagueIsMine : What do you mean “avoid”, you mean it is already integrated into one of the majors? It doesn’t sound right that any school would allow you to “avoid” a gened or major requirement due to double majoring. Also, this aversion to AXLE sounds weird, those requirements do not appear more stringent than other schools with more serious gen. ed requirements and such places have high amounts of double majors in arts and sciences units as well. In addition, usually if you choose, say, at least one non-STEM major, the major would be rigorous or have a range of courses so that many gen. ed requirements can be completed within the major (for example if AXLE included continued writing requirements, most majors should offer several courses that fulfill it)
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But at the same time, having two degrees will definitely help you in some situations.I have alot of friends double majoring in econ and chemE/computer science and going into either industry or business. Personally, I’m BME and Cognitive Science .
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AnnieBot said: I have alot of friends double majoring in econ and chemE/computer science and going into either industry or business.
I would chime in: So your so called a lot of friends, do they work two jobs? like in the morning doing Chem E job and in the evening will teach at college course Econ 101? do you know that engineering job is full time job and it needs full concentration? I never know anybody has done that.
Also, Computer Science grad after graduation will do Source Code, debugging, data structure, networking, algorithm job. So, your so called a lot of friends will do computer science job as programmer or network guy and in the evening will teach Econ 101?
You only need ONE JOB after graduation. If you want to make a career, you have to stay focus and can not do two jobs. Well, unless you are superman or superwoman and you have the necessary time.
Especially if you work as computer science jobs doing programming and when the source code bombs and don’t run, you have to do debugging. Debugging takes a lot of time to find the root cause and its solution.
ALSO, to be a good and professional Econ, you need master or Phd. Working in a bank or teaching college for econ, they require you to have advance degree not just Bachelor. And who wants to waste their time to do Econ and taking Chem E?..in addition, you know that chemE is engineering? and engineering major or minor needs to take engineering classes and physics, higher math etc?..
are you an engineering student? if not then try to browse the engineering classes and requirements, you will be amazed. Do you want to graduate 4 yrs in engineering doing ChemE and wanting to take minor in Econ too? then you will graduate in 5 or 6 years.
@Tulanefan101 : Yes, most engineering or hardcore (say physical sciences) STEM majors do not really need help from an econ. major. You could honestly get away with taking some of the important courses or if you attend a school that has one, take b-school courses. Maybe they are talking about the possibility of being involved in entrepreneurship but often the engineering majors will expose students to different opps. that provide a chance to spread their inventions or ideas even for profit. Knowing econ. is always useful for life, but majoring is not necessary. And in fact, among econ. majors, seeking a job or further degrees in the field, the ones with more math or a math intensive major have an advantage. It could be the engineering major doing the heavy lifting for job prospects. This is seen intensely at places like MIT and Stanford where a significant chunk of TE majors are going into finance.
I think AnnieBot is confused between Double Major Econ and ChemE/Comp Science with ChemE/Comp. Science and MBA. My son finished Vandy in mechanical engineering last may 2016. Now, he is working as aerospace engineer in aerospace company, Cali. Now, the CEO of that company had engineering degree (Electrical Engineering) and after working several years, he took MBA (paid by the company). He is now CEO running a big company in Cali. When the CEO was in undergraduate, he did not take any second major or minor or major at Business School, etc. He simply did not have time since engineering school is tough and to maintain high GPA is even tougher (more difficult) let alone to get another minor in anything. However, to advance your career, you need MBA especially from top schools like Sloan, Haas, UCLA, etc.
Anyhow, a good friend of mine is working for IMF (International Monetary Bank, kind of World Bank, etc). He has a good career starting as an analyst and becoming manager now. His school was purely econ major nothing else. He took it all the way till Phd. He told me one time that "he loves to work in the bank as analyst (commercial and retail banking not investment banking) and the requirements to get good analyst banking job at least Master level. So, he did the schooling but not with any another minor and major.
Food for thought: This is for anyone who wants to do double major like Econ and chemE, or Econ and Comp Science, etc. Ok, so you have two degrees and when it comes to interview for your entry level job the hiring manager will ask: do you want to work as chemical engineer or you want to work in accounting, sales (as sales engineer) or management? and you perhaps having dual degree will say: oh I like to do chemical engineering job and management. The hiring manager will tell you: you can not do management since you are so green and no skills yet. How can you manage your subordinates that are highly skilled and college degree too while you have no experiences and too green. Also, Chemical Engineering job requires chemical knowledge and hard work with full concentration and analytical skills. So, you will not be able to do chem E job and doing business degree or econ degree job at the same.
I really admire for those kids that would like to do Double or even triple degrees in college. But, upon graduation, you only need One…yes one job to build your successful career. Don’t be crazy like going to buffet restaurant where there are lots of food to eat for one price. However, you can not eat them all otherwise you get sick. The same like undergraduate programs. You only need one degree and upon graduation you will work hard to be successful at your work/career.
@Tulanefan101 : Yes, I honestly never understood the “strategic” double majoring. There are many ways to build skills in something else you are interested in without majoring. A double major should be for those who are truly intellectually interested. I basically did chemistry and biology because I was more interested in problems at the interface of the two and how I could use chemistry to enhance my understanding of biology. But to ensure that got that I had to tailor both majors to develop those skills along with be a part of some other programs to gain skills.
It’s not a double degree, it’s a second major. You get a BA in blank with a second major in whatever, or a BS in the case of engineering and a BM in the case of Blair primary majors. So, for instance, a Blair major getting a second degree in computer science will not have a BM and a BS, but rather a BM in blank with second major in CS.
Second majors are so common because with a little effort at directing your elective credits in a certain direction, you can get one, and that’s an appealing thing for our inquisitive and ambitious student body with several interests and lots of motivation. Vanderbilt is probably the most accommodating of the elites for double majors like this, not saying it’s easy (it’s not!) but it’s a path that’s so commonly taken that it is at least facilitated and isn’t such foreign territory as it may be at our peers.
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Senior2016M: So if you have a degree for example major in Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering and another major in Blair in music. Then what is your first job will be? do you want to work as an engineer (primary) or as musician? and if you got a job at aerospace company (morning job) then you will go to second job at the bar doing your musical thingy?
or perhaps you want to work as musician in the morning and moonlighting as engineering?
Employers mostly do not care of your second major (degree). That is what I am trying to say.
Yes, Vandy as a school does not care if you want to do second major or even triple majors. But, what do you need any second major at all while after graduation, lots of employers will not look at your second major at all.
I have another example. Say you get a major in Computer Science and do another major at music school. And after graduation, you will apply an entry level job at google, facebook, etc. When the hiring manager calling you for interview, he will not bother to look at your second major, music. And when he is doing interview, if you bring the subject that you have another second major in music, the hiring manager will ask you for fun: so, you want to do coding, debugging and data base all in the morning and after work you will go to the bar for music thingy?..what if you are programmer and the sour code bombs and you have to do debugging. Debugging takes time. Sometimes, it will take two days. And at the same time, you really need to be at the bar since it is a big night for your group to do performance?
Once again, you only get one job with your degree(s). You may do two majors but still the employer(s) will not care for your second major.
Bernie12 said: There are many ways to build skills in something else you are interested in without majoring. A double major should be for those who are truly intellectually interested.
I would say: Just for the fun of it, perhaps you can ask the admission office why some kids do double majors (Major and minor, etc) however when upon graduation they can only work at one job. Or, perhaps you can ask any professors of yours as what is the logic behind in doing double majors or major-minor?
Let me give an example of the real world thingy. I have never seen any economists working in financial institution like banks, stocks and bonds company, etc and moonlightning as engineer in the evening since they have double majors or major-minor.
Also, have you heard any professors from Music College (school of music and dance) and teaching at Engineering School like Fluid Dynamics, Calculus 2, Physics, control engineering (Electrical Engineering class)?..let me know if you know that. That will be interesting.
I agree with you if anyone has been playing piano/keyboard or trumpet since 5 years old. And when they go to college major in engineering and still wanting to keep up with their instrument skills. However, this is what I would say to them: take an elective class or two just to satisfy their musical talent. But never do it as minor in college and keep playing that instrument in a band or group after classes or week-ends only. Then after graduation, they will go to work in the morning and build their career in their single major and still playing their instrument with their buddies after work or week-ends.
@Tulanefan101 I am quite unsure of what you are asking if I’m honest. I merely explained why pursuing a second major is a common trend at Vanderbilt and clarified the structure of doing so, which is two components to one degree as opposed to two degrees. The choice is entirely personal. The Blair school of music is the only premiere conservatory of its kind in the context of a major research university with such easy facilitation of double majoring and interdisciplinary study. Why wouldn’t you second major there if that was an interest? It isn’t a question of employers wanting to see it, it’s a question of music as a passion and ____ as a profession. I don’t really see your point, perhaps if you have a pressing question you could clarify.
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Senior2016M: Ok, I see that you still don’t get I am trying to say. Let me break it down with some examples as follows:
- Any schools like Tulane, Vandy etc do not care if you will take two or three majors or one Major and two minors, etc. However, the question is would that benefit you or anyone upon graduation in looking for entry level job. You only need ONE JOB not two or three as per your major.
- Let see if you have two majors or perhaps One Major and One Minor. for example: One major is music from blair and the other minor is ChemE or Math. Then upon graduation, you will work using your music degree or will look for work in engineering? If you want to work in music industry then want to moonlight also as engineer?
- Another example is: One Engineering degree as in Mechanical Engineering or ChemE and another minor in Music College at Blair. Upon graduation, you will look for job in Aerospace or oil company as engineer. Then during interview with hiring manager you mention that you have a minor in music. Then just for the fun of it, the hiring manager will say: Do you want to make a career as engineer or musician? The engineering job requires precession, focus and time consuming. And when you want to work as musician, after work? ALSO, we are aerospace or oil company and NOT music company. So, you are in the wrong business to apply for engineering job and still want to pursue your passion as musician.
So, let me say it again: any schools does not mind if you do two majors or one major and one minor, etc. But, you have to ask yourself, will those things benefit you after graduation and looking for entry level job?
You only need one job to build your career on that. You can not work two jobs at the same time. Either you want to purse music or engineering (or other). Or you can not major in Econ and minor in Computer Science and after graduation you want to work in business or computer science as programmer or networking guy. You have to choose. Econ and business degrees will not work for entry level job if you want to do data structure, algorithm, debugging, mainframe, etc.
@tulane101
I think I understand. Yes, you’re right. Sometimes it’s not an issue of employability, but rather interest. For instance, I know of several Blair colleagues who are pre-med, but studied music for the enjoyment. Also, a BM with exemplary pre-med performance stands out from the crowd, rather than another biochem degree, so that’s another benefit many see with studying music alongside biology or engineering or whatever other STEM field. It’s not about getting a job in music and _____, it’s about loving one and wanting a career in the other.
Vanderbilt doesn’t care how you configure your degree. All I meant was that they facilitate double majors and minors and make the requirements relatively easy to fulfill if you make a conscious effort to direct your electives a certain way. I actually am partly of the @bernie12 philosophy that double majors aren’t necessary and that one should instead not care about the label on one’s degree and rather focus on enjoyable electives that expand the thinking. But, Vanderbilt provides so many avenues for this that for many it is a wasted opportunity not to take it (speaking as a blair student with 2 minors already and a potential second major in who knows what).
College is not just about employability at the end of it - that’s one of many factors. But, second majors can add another layer to an application or resume, but that certainly isn’t the primary interest for our ambitious student body. It’s about passion and the existing desire to pursue more than one subject in depth. You seem rather up in arms about this from the tone of your posts, which is fine, but I’m not sure what the big deal is?
Double major or don’t. Not hugely important either way, but is a remarkable opportunity and an advantage that Vandy holds over all its peers in my opinion.
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You can learn music and your passion for music after you have secured your entry level job. Any college students will aim at a good entry level job with high paying compensation. In order to get that high paying job, the employer will require you have High GPA, internships or research, REUs (Undergraduate research) and some times good LOR (letter recommendation). And anybody knows that engineering majors are hard let alone to maintain high GPA. So, if you have two majors and one of them is engineering, it is next to impossible to maintain high GPA like 3.6 out 4.0 for engineering. Yes, you can get job with 3.2 GPA but it is so-so job not high paying job at aerospace, oil companies, etc.
I know to each-each own, but two majors or one major and a minor with any engineering school, it is hard for anyone to get those high GPA and REUs, internship etc.
Like I said before, why don’t just have one major and the other one like music, etc, you have to pursue after getting the entry level job. Anyhow, it is like going to buffet restaurant where you will see lots of varieties of yummy food with One Price. You feel like to eat and try them all. But, in the end, you will get sick cause of eating too much. So, you can have two or majors but all you need is just one professional job to build your career on.
@Senior2016M and @Tulanefan101 : Well, this phenomenon isn’t new, and again, even at schools “less accommodating”, the percentage of double majors is similar to say Vanderbilt. So it is pretty much everywhere at elites. Students mainly do it because they can. It may also reflect how “demanding” (or not) the majors at these schools are. Don’t get me wrong, many courses at these schools are much more demanding than at less selective schools, but when there is a lot of choice in each that allows you to balancing say one demanding course with several not as demanding courses, then the double major option just opens up easily. Also, most majors (at most schools) do not require capstones or serious research projects, so many are inclined to kind of “dabble around” and it ends up being two majors so I kind of see that perspective @Senior2016M . Also, given the proliferation of certain pre-professions (where a certain major is not particularly more beneficial than another or is not even required) at elites, there seems to be little incentive to deeply engage (this may be for those going to grad. school or specifically aiming for jobs in that arena right after college) one discipline of interest and instead you get a more wide exposure to more than one. It becomes more of an “enjoy the ride” model if you don’t plan to have any of you academic curricula as a career after college. I know some pre-healths for example, choose biology out of the “alignment convenience” (as in course requirements align with medical school requirements) and will openly admit it and then will choose whatever they enjoy at kind of a leisure level/intellectual interest as another major or minor.
Again, it is very possible that the structure of many programs make doing another full major easy almost. At my school, there is the popularity of 1 million joint majors lol. I suppose they are supposed to be for those with truly interdisciplinary interest, but I am not completely sure if this is effectively the reason for their popularity. However, the flat out interdisciplinary major (these basically build in the “dabbling” but ensure that students deeply engage the major by requiring many electives, or senior projects, service projects, various research related upper-levels. They usually also have a fairly stringent core curriculum) with rigorous credit hour requirements or capstones is also beginning to develop.
*I don’t think Vanderbilt has this as an advantage over peers. I believe Vanderbilt’s advantage is what those interdisciplinary offerings ARE and not their mere existence (many schools offer similar offerings, but say, the ones in Peabody, are done really well at the undergraduate level even though Peabody is more known for graduate and professional education. The programs are also flexible enough to allow you to “cross over”. At other schools. analogous programs tend to be more rigid). I say this because many schools have interdisciplinary offerings and special programs (not just departmental honors) like the ones I allude to above that make students more deeply engage that single field and that actually does benefit the student in terms of what they get out of them (it ensures the major does what it claims it aims to by holding the students’ feet to the fire, which bluntly, as undergraduates, many often will not prefer such a scenario). This is sort of an “to each his own” thing. Some schools get more students who want to “go deep” and some get students that prefer a lot of flexibility. Again, it kind of aligns with the schools that feel more academic versus those that are more laid back and balance. These programs will have a different type of success, but as long as they are run well, there will be a lot of success.
Given the inevitability of the double major phenomenon on elites, it would be interesting if there was data so that you can kind of compare what students tend to double major in at most elites and if there is a pattern.
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Alright I just finished my biochem final today so I finally have time to reply
@Tulanefan101 lol wow so condescending. " Are you an engineering student ". Yes. I am. BME stands for biomedical engineering. I’m a sophomore at Vandy who is double majoring in both the engineering school and peabody. I am on track for both. I have/will continue to have a 3.95+ after finals are over this week. I do ALOT of extracurriculars outside of classes. I WILL graduate in four years, maybe earlier. Just because your son wasn’t able to balance the workload doesn’t mean other Vanderbilt students here can’t.
People do double majors in engineering+something else here. While I do admit its not as popular in the general student population, a reasonable amount of people in my group of friends are doing it ( I’m Asian, and most of my friends are too, so that may slightly skew the sample ). If you’re really doubtful, I can PM you some LinkedIn profiles to look at.
And heres the thing about double majors at least to us undergrads: we don’t know what we want to do with our lives. Personally I’m interested in going into industry after I graduate. Or med school. Or engineering grad school. Or academia. Having 19-20 year old kids choose what they want to do with the rest of their lives on the whim of a major is honestly pretty scary. Yes, you can only get one job. But whats it gonna be in? If I’m interested in both ChemE/CompSci and Econ, should I flip a coin to see which one I major in? If I can succeed in both majors, why not take them both?
I can’t really talk about the ChemE/CompSci + Econ double major because I’m just repeating what I heard from friends, but I know for sure that what I’m doing right now will really help me with what I currently want to do in the future with neuroengineering. The background I have in BME along with my knowledge in cognitive sciences/neuroscience definitely trumps being a pure BME major in the field. The projects I’m currently working in the research lab I’m in requires knowledge from both fields. And going into the field I want to work in, being a double major in both I feel like is definitely more attractive than simply being a BME major.
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