Engineering/Economics Double Major Feasible?

lemniscate
Thu, 17 Jan 2013 23:11:51 +0000

So I found out a few days ago that I was accepted to UVA for the Class of 2017 and invited to the Rodman Scholars Program. I still have yet to make the decision about where I will attend next fall (I have applied to several other top tier universities), but I see UVA as a very solid option for me at this point.

I’ve always had an interest in engineering because I like technology, gadgets and whatnot, but I am unsure if I ultimately want to have a purely technical career. I really like calculus and other mathematics, and I have become pretty invested in science classes and activities at my high school, but I think I would like to eventually get into management. I have an interest in business/finance and have a feeling that the knowledge of markets gained through an economics major would compliment the technical knowledge gained through an engineering major (at this point, I am thinking electrical or computer engineering, but other fields might be worth considering too) well. Perhaps it is worth noting that I plan to go to graduate school and will likely apply to combined MBA/M.Eng. programs.

Considering all of this, I am curious about the feasibility of double majoring in engineering and economics at UVA. I’ve done some research throughout this forum and on the UVA website, but some further information would be helpful.

Some questions: How much overlap is there between the majors; would I have to overload every semester? Does being a Rodman Scholar make double majoring easier? Also semi-related, do Rodman Scholars have exemption from any kind of general education requirements like the Echols Scholars do (with the area requirements)? Humanities classes bore me to death, and I would like to avoid, if possible, courses that require heavy reading; to instead take classes that are heavy on problem sets.