danpo

Hi everybody,

I'm an international student from Austria and I will apply to MIT by the end of this year. Being accepted is of course utterly difficult, but it is still a good idea -- if not a must-do -- to think about what I want to achieve and how I could do this at MIT. I know that this is something I have to do for myself and I have already come to a conclusion: I want to double major in Computer Science and Physics. I just can't imagine not to do so, although I'm pretty much aware of this being an unbelievably hard task. However, I have the advantage of attending a school that specializes in the field of Computer Science and additionally has a tough maths and physics curriculum, so I think of myself as well prepared.

A few questions regarding my situation have come to my mind that I couldn't properly answer myself, so maybe you could help out:

- First of all, is it even possible to double major in Computer Science and Physics at MIT? Am I allowed to do so? If so, are there any restrictions? While I have read about combining a science and a humanities subject, I'm still not sure about two science subjects...
- Could I ever manage to do so? In other words, would it be possible to cope with all the pressure and deal with my studies?

Thank you in advance for your answers!

Regards,
Daniel

Fermion

Hey -
Good luck, International admissions is horribly selective.

I'm about 99% sure that double majoring in "Electrical Engineering and Computer Science" and "Physics" is possible. Students don't actually declare a major until their sophomore year, though, so don't worry about what you want to major in now. Concentrate on getting in. You'll know if you'll be able to handle the extra workload after your freshman year. If you are very dedicated, you'd probably be alright.

molliebatmit

It is absolutely allowed to combine any two majors at MIT for a double major. (Technically, it's a "dual degree", I think, because two physical diplomas are awarded upon completion.) A single major at MIT requires 180 units (15 classes) beyond the General Institute Requirements, and a double major requires 270 units (22.5 classes).

The difficulty of a double major depends on a) which two subjects they are, b) how flexible the requirements for each major are, and c) how much AP/college credit you come to MIT with. Personally, I came to MIT with almost no college credit and completed a double in two science subjects, but I chose two subjects which were very flexible. I was also okay with having several heavy terms.

Physics is usually considered an easy double in terms of the structure of the major -- if you take the "flexible option" outlined here, you can pick and choose your classes and even take non-physics classes for your physics degree.

According to the second major statistics, both physics and EECS are popular doubles.

A disadvantage of a double major is that it may leave you less free to take electives in other departments. There will also likely be terms where you would have to take more classes than perhaps you'd like to take. There are not generally restrictions on classes at MIT, so you'd be free to take physics or EECS classes whether or not you were a registered major.

gnrfan

It's possible but is it realistic? I'm looking into an EECS and physics double major but I've heard that both these majors are very tough.

Sungchul

An off-topic question about majors and minors. If an MIT undergrad wanted to double major or minor in something not offered at MIT, but is offered at Harvard or another school MIT's hooked up with, could we take all the calsses there?

molliebatmit

I guess I don't think of the inherent difficulty of the majors as being the biggest roadblock -- I mean, if you're planning to do a major in EECS or physics, the additional difficulty of the other degree isn't your biggest problem. Your biggest problem is juggling your schedule so you end up with a reasonable courseload every semester.

In other words, I don't think the difficulty in doing a double major lies in the inherent difficulty of the courses. I think the difficulty lies in how many courses you have to take per semester to finish the double.

You could presumably take all the classes required for the minor or major there, but you would likely not get official recognition of the major or minor on your diploma at graduation.

The academic guide says
Students can additionally take only about two classes at another school per semester, so completing an entire major at another school would be logistically daunting.

But don't forget that the actual words on your diploma are not really the important part -- if you really like studying Arabic or something, you don't need to major in it to take a bunch of classes, or to tell prospective employers that you're fluent in the language. What's in your brain at the end of your college years is what's important, not the major(s) specified on your diploma.

sakky

There's a guy in the MIT alumni database, Chee-Seng Chow, who apparently quadruple-majored, getting bachelor's degrees in mathematics, physics, computer science & engineering (CSE), and EE. He then ridiculously went on to get 3 graduate degrees at MIT for a total of 7 MIT degrees.

However, it should be pointed out that MIT no longer allows you to earn more than 2 degrees simultaneously.

Master0fBalances

This exact combination is something I've been thinking of for a while. It's definitely doable. I believe that you could take Physics as a major and do a minor in EECS (or vice versa) as well, if you decide that you're tending one way or the other.

molliebatmit

You actually can't minor in EECS. A list of possible technical minors is here, and a list of possible humanities minors is here.

danpo

Thank you for all your answers, you really took a load off my mind. Keeping in mind that I can do exactly what I want makes me feel unbelievably happy and a lot more confident and enthusiastic about the admission process. (Although it's hard to be more enthusiastic than I already am. )

That's exactly what I do, but thinking about the next step is also very important -- at least for me.

sakky

Although this may not follow the flow of this thread, I think I should point out that, frankly, double-majoring is probably not worth the trouble. The problem is that, sadly, employers and grad schools don't really care much, and certainly not by enough to justify the extra effort involved. I think that's wrong, I think they should care, but the reality is that they don't really care. I have seen a LOT of people with doubles lose out on the job or the grad-school admission that they really wanted to somebody who had completed just a single. In fact, I will always remember one of them ruefully cursing his choice to do a double, saying that he should have spent less time doing that and more time on his interview skills or on career networking. What's so great about pulling off a double if you don't end up with the job that you really want?

So what I would say is, if you are going to pull off a double, make sure you are doing it because you are truly interested in both subjects. Don't do it because you think you are going to garner some competitive advantage in terms of getting jobs or getting into grad school because, truthfully, you probably won't get an advantage, and it may actually hurt you because of all of the extra time you will have to expend that might be better used on other things. This is one of those cases where hard work may not be rewarded. Sad but true.

molliebatmit

I think this deserves to be highlighted:
I did double major, but I don't think it gave me any sort of advantage in the graduate school admissions process.

My litmus test for double majoring: Would you take the same courseload if you didn't get an extra diploma for it? If not, don't double. About 20% of MIT students graduate with a double major. I suspect that many others consider it, but don't pursue it; this isn't because it's too hard, it's because it's not worth it.

danpo

I agree with you that a double major is probably not worth the effort, if one is not truly interested in it. Anyway, you might have noticed my passion regarding both of these subject, so I think I'm on the right way.

Again, thank you for your very informative answers!

Olo

<<Physics rep>>

I was thinking of double-majoring in physics/eecs, though not for my benefit. I have a psycho parent who was threatening to withdraw financial support if I didn't major in engineering.

The important thing to know is that there are two types of physics degrees: focused and flexible. Focused is more for students who wish to pursue graduate school in physics, whereas the flexible option allows you to (more) easily integrate coursework. Most of the people I know doubling in EECS and physics are going via the physics flexible route.

As for me, I don't think it's worth it. I'm just going to end up taking the classes I really want to take, and a physics degree will fall out of there. I'll probably end up taking some interesting EECS classes, but not for a degree.

As for my father... he thinks I'm an EECS major. . How convenient that you don't have to declare until your sophomore year.

drunner2007

i'm thinking about double majoring in math and physics. like you guys have pointed out, i need to be careful about how many courses i take per semester. about how many more classes would you expect to take if you add a double major in physics (on top of a math major)

i should be coming in taking analysis and differential equations for math, and hopefully the second year undergraduate mechanics/e&m classes for physics.

also, if i plan on double majoring, should i go ahead and take these classes during the pass/fail term, or would you advise that i get core classes out of the way (classes in other subjects). i'm asking this question because i do not know how much time and effort these other classes will consume.

thanks