<p>Parents, how do you feel about your children (or students in general) desiring to have double majors? Are you for or against it?</p>
<p>Neither for or against. IMO the value of a double major is how that translates into the skills a student possesses as s/he graduates. If the extra major does not mean anything more than having fulfilled a certain number of courses required, what’s the point? But, if the extra major means having developed another set of skills in addition to those in the major, that signifies an important educational advantage for the student. On a practical level it may not mean very much to be a double major in psych and sociology or biology and chemistry, but a combination of say math and sociology has the potential to arm the student with a variety of skills that would be a real advantage in the academic and/or business world.</p>
<p>I had a double major, and my daughter (a rising senior) is intending to pursue a double major. Despite what would appear to be my bias in favor of double majors, I recognize they aren’t for everyone. I had to know my college catalogue thoroughly and still had to meet with the registrar on several occasions to ensure that my courses were distributed the right way (e.g. I took a linguistics class through the English department which could have been credited to my core requirement; I needed it credited to my German major or I would have been short a linguistics class). If a student is motivated and organized, I don’t see anything wrong with going for it. </p>
<p>Having said all that, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if my daughter ends up with a major and a minor instead. I think it’s hard to make a firm decision until you have some classes under your belt…and that’s assuming her choice in major(s) even stays the same as it is now.</p>
<p>Double major? Single major? Gen ed major? </p>
<p>I don’t think anyone reading a resume or CV of a college grad cares how many majors one has, or even what the major is, other than observing that a college major says a bit (but not much) about what preparation one had in college.</p>
<p>Whether for grad school or a job, what matters is the skills and knowledge one gains during the college years, in and outside the classroom. The college’s packaging of this stuff into a major, typically for the convenience of the college, is of marginal importance.</p>
<p>My D is considering a double major in a liberal arts field and in music performance (probably an extra year involved). I’m all for it, because otherwise, the choice between the two would be an either-or proposition between two very different educational experiences. But I wouldn’t suggest two liberal arts majors. As Newmassdad says, the value of the resume will not be enhanced. I’d invest the addition effort at the Masters level.</p>
<p>I had double major, as well, and a minor. Finished in 3 1/2 years. Sigh! My D will have double major, but supportive. It works if they support one another. For D it’s International Relations and Spanish, and probably German minor. The languages will help her with her career choice. Tough to do IR without language.</p>
<p>I didn’t bother with a double major, even though I actually had more credits in Chinese than I did in my history major.</p>
<p>To finish the major, I would have had to add a year of classical Chinese, and didn’t think the opportunity costs (i.e. giving up other courses that interested me more) were worth it.</p>
<p>I’ll be happy as long as each of my DS’s and DD have some major completed at the end, and haven’t changed it so many times it takes 7 years to get it.</p>
<p>DS2 is going for a major in mechanical engineering and minor in music. How’s that for weird? His school has a Renaissance Scholar award that goes to the strangest combination of major and minor, and he’s angling for it.</p>
<p>Education majors are often required to double major. My daughter is majoring in education and sociology/anthropology. I understand why they require it for secondary ed majors since they have to be certified in a certain subject, but she’s an el ed major.</p>
<p>I think the best use of double majoring is when you develop fluency in another language.</p>
<p>Some are to compensate for primary interest in the arts (e.g., the classic Music and Business, Theatre and English) or aimed long-term at a future career (e.g. Psychology and Biology for a future psychiatrist, Engineering and Business, etc.)</p>
<p>It shows focus and planning, but otherwise is all about the purpose for that individual.</p>