<p>Why do some people double major?</p>
<p>I can understand why someone would want knowledge but can't they take classes in two areas they like whether or not they declare a double major? </p>
<p>Is there some practical gain from double majoring in terms of applying to other schools or getting a job?</p>
<p>Right now, I have declared a second major because some classes that I want to take are restricted to that particular major, and actually receiving that major is not that much more of a reach for me. </p>
<p>By and large though, there is no tremendous benefit to that second major; minors will typically provide exposure to the alternate subjects that interest you the most.</p>
<p>It's easy to work in a second major within your elective credits if your major includes a lot of them.</p>
<p>My son is double majoring. His department requires a double major at the school he is at now and even though he's transferring he has decided to continue to double major because he has so many credits in both areas it just makes sense to get the two degrees. It might open a few more doors for him when looking for a job.</p>
<p>Having a double major can make you more money and it also looks good on your resume. Some majors build off each other. Math and an area of application, political science and journalism, psychology and biology, and so on. Lets say you majored in art but also took a bunch of computer science classes. Having a resume that has both art and computer science opens more doors then art or computer science alone. It gives you versatility and lets you do what each major can do seperately as well as something that is a synergy of the two. Sociology and statistics would be another great example, sociology is a lot of theory but is also based on statistical information.</p>
<p>Making you more money and looking good on your resume are both debatable. It depends on the field, and also on whether or not you would be significantly using the skills from both degrees fields. </p>
<p>If you're majoring in sociology, you don't need a second major in stats to make your degree look better. If you can do basic math you're set. Grad school would be the exception if you were leaning towards the quantitive side rather than theory. </p>
<p>But in some cases, I can understand it. Economics and political science used to be a classic, but it's not so common anymore. That would be a good combination for a career public policy/public office. </p>
<p>So if you can't see a direct, logical benefit of majoring in both, just minor or take a few courses in the subject. I cringe when I see students asking about the possibility of double or triple majoring. Take courses of your liking and interest from a variety of disciplines to increase you breadth of knowledge, and enjoy them. When people used to give me that advice I thought it was crap, but I've come to understand the importance of becoming a well-rounded student. Plus, chances are you won't have the opportunity to take a course in philosophy or art history when you are 40 and have a career, family and home to maintain!</p>
<p>The way I see it, if you have enough interest in two areas, why not double major? There are plenty of situations where double majoring isn't the best option, but if you have enough interest in two areas to want to major in both of them, why not? It isn't like you'll only be taking classes in those two subject areas, and if you discover something else that you like, you don't have to keep the two majors you had formerly decided upon.</p>
<p>I like having the option to choose between two ultimate career choices should I ever (likely, as indecisive as I am) backtrack and decide I detest my current choice. </p>
<p>For example, I'm working on a program with Fordham and Columbia where I'll receive a degree in Computer Science at Fordham and a degree in engineering (I haven't chosen an exact field yet) from Columbia.</p>
<p>I do think it's a little redundant to major in two closely related fields, like print journalism and print communication.</p>
<p>Any engineering field you pick won't be redundant with having a computer science degree. You are right though, some can be redundant.</p>