The number of Georgetown students with double majors has increased by over 150 percent since 1997. A recent article in The New York Times cited Georgetown as one of a number of schools that represent a growing but not necessarily desirable trend in double majoring.
The number of Georgetown students pursuing a double major has increased from 384 in 1997 to 587 in 2002. According to University Registrar John Q. Pierce, in the class of 2003 there are 365 double majors in the College of Arts and Sciences and 231 in the McDonough School of Business. Students with double majors comprise 12.8 percent of the students in these schools. Neither the School of Foreign Service nor the school of Nursing and Health Studies allow students to double major.
However, Pierce said that since students do not declare a major until junior year, many may be working on a double major and have not yet declared it. Pierce estimated that the actual proportion is closer to 24 percent.
Pierce attributed the increase in the number of double majors to a heightened focus among students.
“It seems to say that students are focusing their education more than they have in the past. They are going more into depth,” Pierce said.
Vice President for Student Affairs Juan Gonzalez said that he is not surprised by the increasing number of students who choose to pursue double majors.
“We live in such a fast paced and changing environment that students have to have an incredible set of expertise to achieve their goals,” Gonzalez said.
However, Associate Dean of the College Anne Sullivan said that she is not certain that the “dramatic” increase in double majoring is a positive trend. Sullivan stated that some students may double major for the wrong reasons.
“When students choose to do things because they believe it will impress someone of something outside and beyond Georgetown, they can make decisions harmful to their own prosperity and flourishing while undergraduates,” she said.
Sullivan said that a double major may “take up all the oxygen” in a student’s academic plan by limiting course selection during junior and senior years.
Claire Corson (CAS ‘03) said she is double majoring in psychology and history because she could not decide between the two. She stated that despite double-majoring, she feels she has many options in course selection.
Corson said she feels that the decision to double major should be based on each student’s preferences.
“If you can’t decide or if you find two subjects that you are interested in and want to combine them, then you should double-major. It’s not as hard as it sounds,” she said.
