Combined Major vs Double Major, is it possible to get a job?

[flyingpig]

http://www.northeastern.edu/registrar/major-2.html

According to that site there is actually a difference. My university has two campuses and each offers one of each. The above is not my university and I don't know if those definitions applies to my university or are universal.

At the end they both say

the student will choose which degree designation will appear on the transcript and diploma.

Students completing a combined major receive one degree and one diploma. The combined major and home college will appear on the transcript and diploma. When the two components of the combined major individually offer different degree designations, the degree designation that will appear on the transcript and diploma will be designated during the approval process.

From the description it seems like there is more work for a double major and they seem to give the same feeling of pride.

Now here is my question, what is the significance of having one degree labelled on a transcript as opposed to a diploma? Will I get a job in one but not the other just because one isn't on a transcript/diploma?

 

[chiro]

http://www.northeastern.edu/registrar/major-2.html

According to that site there is actually a difference. My university has two campuses and each offers one of each. The above is not my university and I don't know if those definitions applies to my university or are universal.

At the end they both say





From the description it seems like there is more work for a double major and they seem to give the same feeling of pride.

Now here is my question, what is the significance of having one degree labelled on a transcript as opposed to a diploma? Will I get a job in one but not the other just because one isn't on a transcript/diploma?

What kind of fields of study are we talking about? Engineering? Science? History? Law?

 

[flyingpig]

science

 

[thegreenlaser]

You should check if those definitions apply to your university, because they're definitely not universal. At my school, there's no such thing as a double degree, but you get a combined degree by completing all the requirements of both degree programs, which seems to be how that website defines "double major".

 

[chiro]

My advice is to get skills in one or two specific areas. I can't really give a rule of thumb, but personally I think doing a double degree in chemistry and political science is probably not a good idea.

Usually universities have specific double degree programs. If you can pick two areas that complement one another in some practical sense, that would help.

If you want to do something out of interest then that's ok.

Also I'm talking about jobs that relate to your degree. If your applying to be an engineer and you have a double degree in commerce and engineering, the firm will probably not be hiring your for your commerce knowledge (and often you will probably be at a disadvantage because other applicants have more engineering knowledge than you).

Having said this though, I do think its a good idea to learn things that aren't completely complementary or even necessary for a job. It's good to be exposed to different ideas, ways of thinking, perspectives and so on. For example a lot of people that are technically minded might think that history is not a serious or valid subject in its own right, but those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.

Also I don't know specifically about what is put on your diploma so I can't give any advice with regard to that.

Also I would advise against a double major for the sake of pride. Focus on one or two things that you like and feel you can be persistent in and build your skill-set in that area. People hire people typically because of their skill-set specialization: people can learn anything if they are given enough time, but time is something that most people don't have, especially employers.

 

[flyingpig]

I want to do math and physics because I thought I could get a job in math with a BS if I decide to not go into physics.

 

[chiro]

I want to do math and physics because I thought I could get a job in math with a BS if I decide to not go into physics.

Both are good choices.

Some advice though is to do courses where you have to present stuff. These are good because this is what many technical people have to do, including but not limited to, engineers, actuaries, analysts and so on. If you can take something complex and use language to communicate the bottom line to someone who has no technical background like yourself, that will be very very helpful.

Building on this, find classes that not only emphasize oral presentations, but also written presentations: both are equally important.

It's not just for jobs though, it's a great life skill. When your in an interview, your language and your presentation are important. Communication is really important in any job and in environments that deal with tens, hundreds, or even thousands of people, it's vital.

I guess in a way there is always a way to take your skills in any science course (maths, physics, chemistry and so on) and use those in a way that is probably not at first sight obvious. In my opinion though, anything applied where you get your hands dirty is better than the other type. Working with real data and analyzing it is good.

In saying this something like statistics, applied math modeling, numerical analysis, and programming are some good choices. Some employers want people that have gotten their hands dirty and have worked on problems that are not elegant or beautiful, or analytic, or simple, and most real world problems are like that.