Dual-majoring may not be worth extra work

Some college students think just having one major is a ton of work, but an increasing number of seniors are graduating with double and even triple majors.

According to the Lansing State Journal, 424 students graduated from MSU with multiple majors in 2003. Last year, that number had grown to 563 — a 33 percent increase over five years.

Even with a high number of students graduating with multiple majors, MSU is still behind the curve of what seems to be a growing national trend.

To major or not to major — that is the question.

The increasing numbers of students who feel the need to double or triple major might be connected to how difficult it is to find a job in some fields after graduation. Multiple-majoring gives a person more flexibility in the job market. If the areas in which a person is double- or triple-majoring aren’t linked to one another, it can be helpful when they’re seeking a job.

For example, if a person is applying for jobs in a competitive field, such as engineering, and has a hard time finding work, maybe they’ve obtained another degree in a field that has a higher demand for workers.

Taking on multiple majors can say a lot about someone’s character. It can display a person’s ambition, dedication and their motivation to succeed, as well as good time management skills.

But there can be some disadvantages as well.

Employers might view someone with multiple majors as indecisive, and question which degree is more important to that person.

If applying for an entry level job, the employer might view the person as overqualified for the position and seek to hire someone who appears as though they need the experience.

Multiple-majoring obviously takes extra time and effort. With so many requirements, the student might not have time to get involved with extracurricular activities, volunteer work, internships and other forms of work experience. Some employers might be more impressed with a person’s social skills and work experience than their multiple degrees.

While MSU is lagging behind this growing trend, the reason might be because it’s easier to double and triple major at other universities. Some majors overlap or, in other words, a major can have classes that can also be used toward another area of study.

It might be a better idea for students to stick with minor and specialty programs that are more tailored to specific majors. If students are multiple-majoring, the pressure on them to do well could affect their grades in all their courses. It might also be hard for some students to give each major the attention that is needed to excel in the program, and they could graduate not having reached their full potential.

It’s not a bad idea to have multiple majors, but students might want to take the negatives into consideration when making the decision. It’s good to have a backup plan — or major in this case — but if it comes at the cost of earning good grades, it might not be worth it.

Published on Tuesday, May 13, 2008