SECOND DEGREES, DOUBLE MAJORS, MINORS

In almost all cases, the important thing for your future career is that you have earned a bachelor's degree in a worthwhile major, and that you feel good about it. Beyond that, employers and graduate schools will be interested mainly in your capabilities, your initiative, and your grades and standardized test scores, not in double majors or second bachelor's degrees.

On the other hand, breadth in your scientific and technical background is a quality that is attractive to employers and is vital in many graduate programs which branch out from physics (such as atmospheric sciences, geophysics, biophysics, and the like). So it often is desirable to include in your program a significant number of credits in some other field, including enough so that you can complete advanced courses in that field. In some majors this is called a "minor" in the second field which should not be confused with the University of Washington Minor offered by many Departments (including the Physics Department) upon completion of certain courses. About two-thirds of all physics bachelor's degree recipients complete such minors. All students seeking teaching endorsement for physics must have a minor endorsement also. If you have questions about becoming a certified teacher for the State of Washington, please check with the College of Education-Teacher Certification is a graduate program administered by that College. Initial advice may be obtained in the Physics Department by consulting the Physics Education Group adviser Karen Wosilait (peg@phys.washington.edu / 206-685-2046 / C208, PAT).

Second majors (double majors) usually take extra time and expense. Common second majors for students in Physics are Mathematics and Astronomy, but some students have their second majors in other fields, including foreign languages, humanities, and the arts. Before committing to a second major consider how long it will take to complete it (and the expenses necessary), how much time you will have available to study for both majors, and how it could effect your grades.

Second bachelor's degrees (in contrast to second majors) require an additional year of study and 45 credits beyond 180 credits. Second degrees primarily are sought by people who already hold a bachelor's degree and who wish to make a new start in a very different field than their original major. For example, someone who received a bachelor's degree in English several years ago may decide to change to physics and return to earn a B.S. in Physics.

Occasionally a student considers a third major. We advise students not to pursue this path unless they have the time and resources to do well in all of them.

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