Pursuing multiple fields

Pursuing multiple fields Aha! We have a question! Jon asks Also, I was wondering (uh oh heres a question) if you could tell me how easy it is to double major in two fields that are totally unrelated. For me I love both physics and literature but Im concerned that it will be too tough to try to get degrees in both. Well, Jon (and others who were wondering the same thing), there are different options you can follow to study multiple fields. For two related fields (like Course 7 and 9, for instance) its obviously more convenient to double-major than for two unrelated fields, but that doesnt mean that for unrelated fields, it cant be done. As you asked about Physics (Course 8) and Literature (Course 21L), lets use those as an example: No matter what your major is, you have to get credit for 8.01 (Physics 1), 8.02 (Physics 2), 18.01 (Single-Variable Calc), 18.02 (Multi-Variable Calc), 5.11x (Chemistry), 7.01x (Biology), and eight humanities classes (the humanities requirement is more complicated than that, but we wont get distracted by that here). For their departmental program, Course 8 students have to take 18.03 (Differential Equations) 8.03 (Physics 3 Waves and Vibrations) 8.033 (Relativity) 8.04 (Quantum Mechanics) 8.044 (Statistical Mechanics) 8.05 (Quantum 2) 8.06 (Quantum 3) 8.13-8.14 (Junior Lab, has the same number of units as 3 ordinary classes) 8.ThU (Thesis) Either 8.07 (EM 2), 8.08 (Stat Mech 2), or 8.09 (Classical Mech 2) An advanced (beyond DiffEq) math subject So, thats a total of 156 units beyond the General Institute Requirements (GIRs). For reference, a normal courseload is 48 units/term. For the 21L departmental program, students must take Three seminar-level lit subjects Seven additional lit subjects (again, the requirement is more complicated, but lets not get distracted) If we assume that three of those ten subjects satisfy GIRs (a reasonable assumption), then youre looking at around 84 units beyond the GIRs. Add that to your 156 from before, and you get 240 units beyond the GIRs, which is 2.5 years worth of work at a normal courseload. But theres a slight catch. In order to double-major, you need 270 units beyond the GIRs. So in addition to your GIRs and the classes in your majors, youd have to take 30 extra units (about 2.5 classes) to graduate. And that plus your GIRs will come to a little over 400 units, where four years worth of normal courseloads is 384 units. So, thats what sort of picture youre looking at. Maybe this sounds good to you. Or maybe, youd prefer something with a little more flexibility. After all, under the program described above, you dont have much room for classes outside your majors. In fact, you have to take more than 48 units at least one term in order to graduate in four years. Luckily, many departments offer a flexible option (such as 2A, 7A, or 8B), which is intended for students with multiple academic interests. Since were already looking at Course 8, lets look at 8B, for which you need: 18.03 (Differential Equations) 8.03 (Physics 3 Waves and Vibrations) 8.04 (Quantum Mechanics) 8.044 (Statistical Mechanics) 8.05 (Quantum 2) OR 8.033 (Relativity) OR 8.20 (Intro to Special Relativity) 8.13 (first half of Junior Lab) OR non-physics lab of similar intensity One other physics subject Three subjects forming an intellectually coherent unit in some area other than physics Now, this is ideal for a double-major because your three intellectually coherent unit subjects can be in your second major. So if you dont count those, this program requires about 90 units beyond the GIRs, as opposed to the 156 from the original physics program. Because you still need 270 units beyond the GIRs, youre still going to have to take close to the same large number of units as before, but a lot more of them can be used for whatever you want, not just your majors. But what if you want to study two fields in depth, but without so many units? If your two fields are a science field and a humanities field (as in this case) or an engineering field and a humanities field, theres a completely different degree option you can take 21S (for science/humanities) or 21E (for engineering/humanities). For either of these degrees, you take a bunch of subjects in your science or engineering field, and a bunch of subjects in your humanities field, and youre awarded a single degree that indicates both fields of concentration. If none of these appeals to you, you could simply minor or concentrate (a concentration is sort of a humanities mini-minor that you have to do if youre not majoring or minoring in humanities) in your second field.