Double majors in the United States

A double major is an undergraduate student who completes two sets of degree requirements. Although they declare two separate majors, most schools only award one bachelor’s degree listing both majors at time of completion. Increasing numbers of college students in the United States are accumulating more than one degree, with an estimated 25% of college graduates with more than one major. Some schools report that 30% to 40% of their undergraduates are double majors. A number of factors are thought to contribute to this increase, including greater numbers of students entering college with AP credits and the belief that a second major gives a student an edge in the job market.

There is sometimes a difference in the time it takes to pursue a double major compared to a single major, such that it may take an additional year or more. The added benefits of a second major include the opportunity to increase your knowledge and the expectation of increased earnings and competitiveness. In fact, students cite enjoying the coursework, gaining parental approval, and finding a job after graduation as the three most important reasons for pursuing a second major. Additionally, the pursuit of a double major can be an “identity project” by which students appear to focus on their “low status” major as their “core identity,” while their high status major is used when discussing their education with parents and potential employers.

A 2008 study found that 27% of double majors had two arts/social science majors, 14% had two business majors, while 39% had two majors that crossed disciplinary categories. Some first majors lend themselves to greater likelihood of acquiring a second. Business Administration, Social Science and Education majors are the most likely to have pursued a second major. According to the Teagle Report, the ten most popular concentrations for double majors are:

In addition, the ten most popular double major combinations are:

The goal of many colleges and universities is to produce students of a wide breadth of knowledge, an aim that is evident in the implementation of general education courses and other similar curricular requirements. An additional major suggests a greater likelihood of achieving this and researchers have begun to unpack the relationship between double majors and their knowledge base. A study, in particular, identify two kinds of double majors – those who “hyper-specialize” and those who “hypo-specialize.” Hyper-specialists are those who have both majors in similar academic fields (e.g., psychology and sociology), while hypo-specialists have majors in distinct fields (e.g., English and chemistry). Most double majors are hypo-specialists, but close to a third of double majors hyper-specialize.

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