Double the textbooks. Double the classes. Double the requirements. Double the degree? Not at Fairfield. Still, more and more students are double majoring.
“I chose to double major because I wanted to have all the qualifications needed to get a good job,” said Angela Lively ’06, a finance and marketing double major.
The class of 2003 contained a total of 94 students who graduated with a double major, according to Phyllis Fitzpatrick, director of management information.
Many students choose to major in two areas because the extensive number of core classes can often be grouped into a second major.
“I looked through the course booklet and saw that I could [double major] because I could count most of the American studies major as core, so I figured why not?” said Chris Karch ’04, a biology and American studies double major.
“I was originally a psychology major, but as I started junior year and was more than half done with my psych requirements, I realized that I really enjoyed English and creative writing,” said Crystal Patenaude ’04, a psychology and English double major.
“I had already taken several creative writing classes for fun and as core, so last semester, as a senior no less … I declared a double major,” she said.
Others just want to be as flexible and qualified as possible for the workforce or graduate school.
“I want to go to law school, which is really competitive, so I am trying to find any way that will make me stand out on the application,” said Carey Dever ’06, a history and international studies double major.
According to Judy Arel, assistant to the registrar, the university currently has 278 students who are declared as double majors. However, as many freshmen are still undeclared and most students wait until their junior or senior years to declare a double major, this number grows each semester.
Timothy Snyder, dean of the College of Arts and Science, speculates that one factor adding to the large number of double majors is the high quality of students.
“One reason could be that our student quality has increased in general,” said Snyder. “Juxtaposed to this, surveys indicate our student body, as a group, does not study a lengthy amount per week as much as Fairfield students over the last dozen or so years. One might conjecture that our required work load might require less time than it [had] in the past. For these reasons, students may have greater time to take on the likes of extra majors.”
Robin Crabtree, chair of the communications department, believes that psychological factors are one of the causes of the double major trend at Fairfield.
“Having taught at other universities, I have found that Fairfield University students [are] much more orientated toward double majors and minors,” she said. “It’s strange that once students complete their core and are well underway on their major, they seem not to know what to take. I could open the course schedule and find 50 courses I’d love to take if I had the time, and they wouldn’t all be related to my major, the job I hope to get or anything else.”
Professor Arjun Chaudhuri, chair of the marketing department, feels students who double major are just motivated and curious people.
“They are genuinely interested in two subjects and want to take on the challenge of doing a double major,” he said.
However, the university only offers one degree to double majors, so many of these students felt cheated and unrecognized.
“A degree is only a piece of paper, but it’s very disheartening for the administration not to openly recognize the extra time and effort people put in to try and further their education,” said Lively. “[They are] charging us close to $40,000 a year, and they can’t afford to give two degrees to people that double major.”
“I feel cheated in a way,” said Patenaude. “I took extra classes and put in extra effort, especially in the second semester of my senior year, in order to leave here with two degrees. There should be some acknowledgement of that on a diploma.”
Other students believe that since their hard work will still be recognized on their transcripts, a second degree is not necessary.
“I look at your diploma as more a piece of paper than a representation of what you’ve accomplished,” said O’Neill. “I don’t think it hinders your ability to get a job in either field; it’s just a piece of paper. It’s not like you show your diploma to a potential employer.”
Professor Anna Martin, associate professor of finance, assures students that double majoring is still worthwhile, despite the lack of a second degree.
“I think that because the job market has tightened, many students want to have maximum flexibility,” she said. “Getting a double major can open up more career options. Just because a second major isn’t listed on your diploma doesn’t mean that the student hasn’t completed the requirements. Potential employers will recognize the hard work.”
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