More Than One Major or Degree

Students who plan carefully can often earn a degree with more than one major or earn more than one degree without significantly extending the time between beginning college and graduation.

It is also possible for students to earn one or more minors at the same time as they earn a degree with one major. If you plan on multiple areas of specialization, you will be assigned to an academic advisor in each department. You should work carefully with all of your advisors to make sure you are optimizing your choices and avoiding redundant work that will slow you down.

Double Majors

A double major is the term applied when a student earns only one degree, but two or more areas of specialization. Examples might be: a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in Spanish and Geography; or a Bachelor of Science Degree with majors in Mathematics and Chemistry.

Because there is only one degree being earned, degree program requirements must only be met once. The courses used to meet General Education and Degree Program requirements perfectly overlap; so no additional work is required to meet them.

Dual Degrees

Double major is a term that only applies if the degree earned with both majors is the same. If the majors are offered by two different academic units or if they are offered within one academic unit but with different degrees, you will need to earn a dual degree.

For example, if you wish to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in English and a Bachelor of Journalism degree you will be earning two different degrees (BA and BJ). Therefore you will need to be enrolled in both academic units (Arts and Science and Journalism, in this example) and you will need to be accepted to both degree programs (English and Photojournalism).

If you want to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geological Sciences and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, both your degrees are offered by the College of Arts and Science and you will only be enrolled in that one Academic Unit, but you will be earning dual degrees (BS and BFA).

Because you will be earning two different degrees, each with its own set of requirements, you will need to complete both sets of degree program and major requirements.

This is not to say that you won't be able to use some courses to meet both sets of requirements. Just the opposite is true: there are many instances in which one course can be used for more than one purpose. It does, however, take careful planning and consultation with both your advisors.

Also, because students in this situation are earning two different degrees, a minimum of 12 additional hours is required for graduation. For example, if both degrees individually require completion of 120 hours, students earning dual degrees must complete a minimum of 132 hours to graduate.