One of the biggest questions incoming college students face is which major to declare. From engineering to theater to graphic design, there seems to be no end to options for a specialized field of study. Ohio University alone offers over 250 undergraduate degree programs, according to its website, and there are countless others throughout the country. With such a broad selection, incoming students can often be overwhelmed with choices and forget a key fact during their decision making: there doesn’t have to be just one choice.
Students have the option to declare multiple majors or add minors and certificates to a degree program. If the path of an extra major isn’t suitable, there is nothing preventing a student from taking random elective classes in order to diversify their course load and thus their educational experience as a whole. Essentially, the world of collegiate education is as vast as a student makes it, and those who choose to expand their educational realm will find a myriad of benefits.
One of the foremost reasons students take on second or even third majors is to increase their appeal to potential employers. According to popular job site Indeed, “a double major can give you a competitive edge as a job candidate, as you’ll have a unique insight into two fields.” Because approximately 20% of graduates have a double major (according to U.S. News & World Report), those applicants will also stand out from the 80% of applicants with just one major.
Additionally, most opportunities offered to college students will have a job title that is vastly different from their major title (i.e. a student with a degree in journalism may not start off their career as a journalist, but rather as a web developer, PR specialist, social media manager, etc.) By getting a head start in diversifying their resumes, interdisciplinary students will undergo a much easier job search and acclimation to an unfamiliar role.
Not only will an education in multiple fields help a job candidate get in the door, it will also serve them in their career and in life; an intersection of disciplines grants students the chance to synthesize their learning and find ways to apply their knowledge across multiple areas.
The benefits of this synthesis and expansion of a classic, one-sided education can be seen in an article titled “Benefits and obstacles of interdisciplinary research: Insights from members of the Young Academy at the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities.” The article, found in the National Library of Education, references the personal experience of young researchers in an interdisciplinary research model. According to participant Franziska Baessler, “interdisciplinary research has challenged our contemporary beliefs about bounded research disciplines.”
One of the biggest drawbacks of pursuing an extra degree or an additional minor or certificate is the extra workload. The choice to pursue an interdisciplinary education must be made after personal reflection and coming to the conclusion that the extra work is manageable. If this is the case, students will come out the other side with a stronger work ethic and unique, valuable experiences that will serve them both in the workforce and in life.
Sophia Rooksberry is a junior studying journalism. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Sophia know by tweeting her @sophiarooks_.
