Have you ever thought about double minoring? Maybe you have, or maybe you never even realized it was a possibility.
The most common way to combine multiple fields of study is by double majoring. But double majoring requires taking on a boatload of work and cramming more classes, credits, and assignments into your schedule. Managing two majors with extracurriculars or jobs can be even more grueling.
But what if you have other interests that you’d like to study? What if the job you want requires studying more than one field at once? You should probably double minor.
Getting one minor can be beneficial if you’re interested in more than one discipline. If you’re a student like me who’s interested in both Psychology and Criminology, you can major in one and minor in the other. But if you have enough interests or subjects you want to study outside of that, two minors are actually better than one.
To make the most of double-minoring, I recommend minoring in something in the same realm as your major. If one or both of your minors are in the same college as your major (like Humanities and Social Sciences or Education and Behavioral Sciences), there’s more potential for a class to cover both a major and minor requirement at the same time. If your interests are way outside of your major, though, any combination can be great.
you get to avoid pesky lac’s
You know those pesky LACs and electives you don’t want to take? Well, double minoring can help you be less annoyed while still studying a subject you enjoy. When you indulge in more than one minor, you can actually fill up most (or all) of your LACs/electives with classes that fulfill your minor requirements. And you might not even need an extra course load to manage them!
I’m a Psychology major myself, and I minor in both Criminology and Spanish. I originally planned on minoring only in Spanish, but I ended up slipping Criminology along with it because I didn’t want to let my interests go unstudied. I had an elective class that I had to take last semester, and I chose Intro to Criminal Justice, which covered a credit for my Criminology minor. I got to take a class in a specific subject that I enjoy while also getting the elective credits I already needed! And in the future, I’ll have the option to continue filling my LACs and electives with other Spanish and Criminology classes.
you’ll have more job opportunities
Another benefit of having more than one minor: you can expand your list of job opportunities. Studying three different subjects will absolutely bring more job opportunities to you. You might even make more money post-grad by having experience in more fields than the average applicant.
For me, Criminology has been an amazing minor. Not only do I find it interesting, but it goes hand in hand with Psychology. There are a multitude of jobs I could obtain that combine these two disciplines, such as a forensic psychologist position, which directly combines Psychology and Criminology to mentally assess criminal offenders.
Minoring in a language adds even more job opportunities to the table, because companies are always looking for someone who speaks more than one language! For that reason, I recommend making a language one of your double minors. As long as you enjoy Humanities classes.
So, why limit yourself to only one major and one minor? Make the most of your college experience and future career by double minoring.