D2 was delighted to receive the full Banneker-Key offer. But she’s not sure she can do a dual degree with chem and another major outside the school in four years without losing a lot of flexibility. The chem major alone is apparently 63 credits. If she has to pay for a fifth year, a significant chunk of the financial advantage of B-K goes away.
I’d be grateful for replies from any students who have done dual degrees or parents whose students have done so. Were they still able to take a variety of courses? Did they take 18 credits a semester?
I’d appreciate any advice and information you can offer. She needs to decide in the next few days, of course.
The ability to do a dual degree depends a lot on how closely related the majors are (overlapping classes can dual count), how many AP credits she is coming in with (do any count for gen eds?) Sometimes, it is more feasible to do a minor than a major if they are totally unrelated. However, if the areas of study have similar/overlapping classes (ie engineering major with dual major in math) then it is doable.
You would need to sit down with an adviser to lay out a four year plan to determine how that would look in terms of classes and credits per semester. Maryland is VERY flexible but u have to understand that the ability to fulfill two major requirements is challenging and needs to be planned for if you want to complete in only 8 semesters.
I would not suggest taking 18 credits the first semester…even B/K students need to acclimate to college life and learn how to manage time differently with all the distractions and opportunities at college and adjust to different teacher expectations. 15 or even 16 is the most I would recommend for first semester.
After that? 18 credits can be done without a problem, largely depending on the type of classes selected. As long as she throws in a few “lighter” classes in the mix of each 18 credit semester, it is feasible. The most my son took was 19 and he said it wasn’t bad, but he’s got good time management skills. Typically, my son (engineering) takes anywhere between 15-18 a semester.
Son did double major in 8 semesters - Engineering and English, if you can believe that. And, yes, it was a lot of work and he had to take unreasonable number of credits/semester. Maybe smarter kids can handle better. I personally would not recommend it unless your D has a clearly defined academic objective and/or if your parameters (i.e., number of years in college) are flexible. My two cents.
Arlmom2, my son is a recipient of the full B/K scholarship & he’s getting a dual degree in four years; he’s also completing the Gemstone four-year honors program and earning department honors in Computer Science. Here’s how he’s doing it (he graduates in one year):
*he entered with 55 credits from AP classes (UMCP is very generous with AP credit)
*sem. 1 = 17 credits
*sem. 2 = 15 credits
*sem. 3 = 17 credits
*sem. 4 = 18 credits
*sem. 5 = 18 credits
*sem. 6 = 15 credits
*sem. 7 = 19 credits
*sem. 8 = unsure
It’s possible to accomplish even without 55 credits, since my son had to take 18 credits worth of Gemstone classes and also specific classes for CS honors. Also, my son is studying abroad right now, so he had a bit of wiggle room. As you can see, he’ll be well over 150 credits by the time he graduates! FYI, Gen Ed requirements often double count.
The tricky part for him has been ensuring that he has the appropriate classes for each degree (he’s earning a B.S. and a B.A.), and it definitely involves a ton of meetings with advisors and much work on his part to keep everything straight.
As to the variety of classes, since my son is getting two very different degrees, he’s had the opportunity to take everything from Machine Learning to Archaic Latin.
I’m happy to answer any questions you might have. My son and daughter (twins) are both at Maryland, and they absolutely love it.
@Arlmom2, my D is a B/K scholar and dual major in BCHM and another major outside CMNS. If your D is an incoming freshman, she will need to transfer in a significant number of AP credits (up to 16 credits may be applied to Gen Ed, I believe) if she wants to graduate within 4 years. A dual degree requires 150 credits, with work applied almost equally to both degrees. That said, she may need to take summer or winter classes if she falls short of AP credits and wants to graduate in four years. She will almost certainly be limited to carrying no more than 16 credits per semester, if her primary college is CMNS. The physical science courses have tons of labs that can be considered another course added to the workload. So, the workload is very heavy for the CMNS, as well as ENGR, students. And remember, your D must stay on top of her cumulative GPA. B/K scholars require a 3.2 or higher to keep their scholarship, and academic rigor only increases over time. If she’s considering med school, she’ll need a 3.7 to submit a successful application. Your D should also consider having enough flex time in her schedule during years 2-4 to work in a research lab during the school year or becoming a TA. She may also want to become involved in some of the many student groups on campus. These activities will be difficult if your D is carrying a workload greater than 15-16 credit hours per semester.
Your D will meet with an initial adviser during freshman orientation who will register her for first semester classes. First semester is pretty much non-negotiable for the physical science majors. For example, since D2 is a CHEM major, she must take calculus. MATH140 or MATH 141 are very rigorous math courses. Also, the university is concerned about the transition from high school to college. Therefore, all students must take a one credit course that introduces the student to university life–UNIV100, HONOR100, or other such equivalent courses. After first semester, your D will be assigned to an adviser from her primary college but she will need to meet with advisers in both colleges to develop her four-year plan. The four-year plans and requirements for each major are posted on the umd.edu website. Hopefully, there will be plenty of required course overlap between her two chosen majors. All the best to you and D2.
