Alfred University creating pathways for students to earn double majors
Alfred University faculty have approved a new policy which allows students to pursue cross-college double majors. Students from across the University can choose from among eight double majors in the College of Business and eight in the College of Liberal 艺术 and Sciences.
琼Cardinale, head of the Division of Biology and Bio化学 at Alfred University and Interdisciplinary Program manager, said faculty unanimously approved the new double majors policy last October. Steps are now being taken to develop “official pathways” for students to pursue double majors.
A double major refers to a student pursuing an academic major or field of study in addition to their primary degree program. Students who double major fulfill the requirements for both majors and receive a single degree.
Alfred University faculty approved the following double majors in the College of Business: accounting, 工商管理, 业务分析, 数据分析, equine business management, 金融, healthcare planning and management, 和市场营销. Double majors approved for the College of Liberal 艺术 and Sciences are biology, 化学, 沟通研究, 刑事司法研究, 英语, 心理学, 政治科学, 和社会学.
The 工商管理 double major is only available to students enrolled in a non-College of Business degree program.
Alfred University students have for years had the opportunity to pursue double majors, but they were traditionally offered within the same academic unit. 例如, a student pursuing a degree in 金融 may have sought a double major in another College of Business program, such as accounting; or a student pursuing a 化学 degree may have earned a double major, 比如生物学, within the College of Liberal 艺术 and Sciences. The double majors approved last fall offer opportunities for students to pursue a wider variety of secondary majors across different academic units.
Throughout the current spring semester, Cardinale说, faculty will create “official pathways” toward earning a double major. The pathways will coordinate scheduling between academic programs to allow students to take the coursework required to earn majors in both programs.
Students often choose to pursue one or more minors, and some traditional major-minor pairings — for example, 刑事司法研究 major/政治科学 minor; or engineering major with a biology, 化学, or physics minors — will be looked upon as models when developing pathways to earning a double major. Two majors often share some required coursework and elective offerings, which helps ease the path to a double major.
“The double major is similar to a minor, but there are more required courses” needed for a double major, Cardinale解释. “The double major is more in depth.”
Double majors are beneficial in that they show that students are well-rounded in their academic pursuits, something on which employers look favorably. Cardinale说 having a double major will be advantageous to students in the job market and those pursuing graduate school.
“From a practical standpoint, employers see a double major as a stamp of a multidisciplinary perspective,卡迪纳尔说. “It demonstrates that the student can solve problems from two different perspectives. The problems the world is facing aren’t single perspective problems; they’re multi-faceted. Having a double major shows you can think outside the box.”
Each year over the last seven years, between 6 and 8 percent of Alfred University students have earned double majors. By approving the new double majors, and creating pathways to earn them, Alfred’s numbers should come more in line with the national average of 25 percent. 教师 from the University’s undergraduate academic units are expected to propose additional double majors in the future.