Hello hello! In today’s blog, I’m going to talk about how to manage double majoring and studying abroad at Amherst. As always, please email me with any questions at sgoldsmith24@amherst.edu! I would love to talk to you about any questions you have about life at Amherst.
Course Requirements
Amherst College has an open curriculum, which means there aren’t any specific classes that every student needs to take in order to graduate. Every student must take a First-Year Seminar during the fall semester of their first year, and must fulfill the requirements for the major(s) that they choose, but there are not any general education requirements for the entire student body. This makes double majoring and studying abroad pretty easy, because it leaves room in the schedule for more open classes.
The number of course requirements per major varies from eight courses above intro level (languages such as Spanish and French) to… several courses (see neuroscience, which has at least 15).
Double (or Triple) Majoring
There is definitely a debate among professors regarding whether students should double major. On one hand, completing only one major allows students to take a variety of classes in other fields that they are interested in, without having to choose between taking classes to fulfill requirements and taking classes out of enjoyment. However, double or triple majoring allows students to deeply study a few select fields, and can prepare students for interdisciplinary work in the future.
Often, students at Amherst who don’t double major end up fulfilling 2/3 of major requirements for a second major, just because they are interested in that field in addition to their major. Before you decide to double or triple major, I advise that you evaluate why you feel driven to complete more than one major. It can be hard to draw the line between double majoring because you genuinely want to learn about both things or double majoring just for double majoring’s sake (there are a lot of overachievers here!), but deciding whether or not you actually want to double major will help dictate whether you are happy with your decision.
It is worth noting that you do not have to be a part of a certain major in order to take classes within the major – classes are open to everyone regardless of declared major.
Studying Abroad
Amherst has several approved study abroad programs, and if you want to do a program that isn’t pre-approved, you can easily petition the Office of Global Education to let you do the program.
If you speak a second language (or are majoring in a non-English language), there are programs that will fully immerse you in that language and promote rapid learning. If you only speak English, or aren’t interested in studying abroad in a non-English language, there are several programs in English that offer both humanities and STEM classes. Most majors accept at least a few classes from non-Amherst schools (be it in the Five College Consortium or in a different country).
How I’m Doing Both
The way I’m both double majoring and planning to study abroad is simple: I’m going to knock out four of the minimum of eight required French major courses while in France. Because one of my majors is a language, this is relatively easy and straightforward, but it is still possible to double major and study abroad if one of your majors isn’t a language! As I said, there are several study abroad programs in English-speaking countries in which you can take STEM or humanities classes that contribute to either of your majors. If you already speak more than one language, you can study abroad in that language and take classes to contribute to your STEM or humanities major (if you aren’t majoring in your non-English language).