Specifically in the school of arts and sciences, which majors tend to give students the greatest challenge? Also, how easy is it to switch your major?
You can’t really say which majors are the “hardest” universally as it varies student to student. But according to a survey of 1500 Duke students (Arcidiacono et al.), the most difficult majors based on amount of study time and stringent grade standards are the hard sciences (physics, chemistry, biology), engineering (four depts at Duke), and economics. That is probably the case at most universities nationwide. Yes, it’s extremely easy to switch majors at Duke – it’s as simple as signing up for different courses and then checking a box on a form. You don’t even declare your major until the end of sophomore year most times.
@bluedog thank you for the response! This information was extremely helpful and reassuring.
math