What is the difference between single, joint and double majors, emphases and minors?
A major is a concentration of courses grouped around one subject area. Many majors contain courses from just one discipline. For instance, a theatre major contains all theatre courses. Other majors include courses form a variety of fields. A management major includes courses from a variety of fields like accounting, business administration, finance, management and marketing. Majors vary in size from thirty hours (or ten courses) to sixty-nine hours (more than twenty courses). Generally speaking, the largest majors are those like biology, education, nursing and athletic training, which require extensive laboratory, clinical, or practical hours in addition to classroom study. Certain majors offer the student the opportunity to specialize. For instance, an art major allows the student to specialize in studio art or graphic design and a history major allows a student to specialize in American or European history. These specializations within a major are called emphases.
Some majors, called joint majors, blend study in two fields. For instance, the philosophy-religious studies major allows students to take courses in both these disciplines. Sometimes a student wants to complete more than one major. A double major joins two complete majors, for instance, a business administration major and a math major. The student must complete all the coursework in both majors to receive a degree. Because completing a double major with its heavy course requirements can be daunting, students planning for a double major must complete a double major planning form (link) before registering their double major.
A minor is a less extensive concentration in an academic field. Usually a minor contains nine courses, eighteen hours. Students use minors to develop a skill or talent, to study a field closely related to their major, or to follow an interest. A minor is optional, although one major, business administration, demands that students choose a minor or a second major. Use the major declaration form (link) to declare a minor.