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When it comes to postgraduate applications, does a person studying a major and a minor have a disadvantage compared to someone studying a dual major degree in the same fields?
If so, how big of a disadvantage?
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Kevin Greenlees
Accountant, Financial Analyst, Automations Developer
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Kevin’s Answer
I agree with Olivia, and would further mention that many of my postgraduate peers didn't have their undergraduate degree the grad program's field. This is why you may sometimes find grad programs with "bridge cohorts"--extra sets of courses designed to help students catch up and prepare for advanced studies in a given field.
For instance, I earned my master's in accountancy (MAcc) after finishing my accounting degree in undergrad. It was a pretty direct line from one program to the other, and I only had to complete ten grad-level accounting courses to finish my MAcc. However, some of my peers joined the program without any prior accounting education. Among them, a few had business degrees, while others had studied subjects that weren't directly related to accounting. For these students, my university required an additional "bridge cohort" of classes to prepare them for graduate-level accounting coursework.
In my experience, the university didn't seem to mind whether any of us had double majors, let alone accounting majors.
Of course this may vary widely, depending on the nature of the program.
For instance, I earned my master's in accountancy (MAcc) after finishing my accounting degree in undergrad. It was a pretty direct line from one program to the other, and I only had to complete ten grad-level accounting courses to finish my MAcc. However, some of my peers joined the program without any prior accounting education. Among them, a few had business degrees, while others had studied subjects that weren't directly related to accounting. For these students, my university required an additional "bridge cohort" of classes to prepare them for graduate-level accounting coursework.
In my experience, the university didn't seem to mind whether any of us had double majors, let alone accounting majors.
Of course this may vary widely, depending on the nature of the program.
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Olivia’s Answer
Short answer: No.
Long answer: College majors and minors are helpful in getting you in the door for your first job since it helps build credibility since you don't have work experience in that field yet. After a few years of acquiring skills on the job, your major has little to no impact on your future career path. I've worked in business for about a decade. The vast majority of individuals I've met do not have business degrees - some are philosophy majors, history majors, or French majors. The exception to this is for fields where specific certifications are required. For example, if your career path is to become a CPA, you are required to have a specific number of class hours before taking the certification test. I imagine engineering would be very similar.
Long answer: College majors and minors are helpful in getting you in the door for your first job since it helps build credibility since you don't have work experience in that field yet. After a few years of acquiring skills on the job, your major has little to no impact on your future career path. I've worked in business for about a decade. The vast majority of individuals I've met do not have business degrees - some are philosophy majors, history majors, or French majors. The exception to this is for fields where specific certifications are required. For example, if your career path is to become a CPA, you are required to have a specific number of class hours before taking the certification test. I imagine engineering would be very similar.