Two majors might be better than one, but not all UF students are rushing to the advising office.
Students who choose to double major are more creative and have better integrative thinking skills compared to their single-major counterparts, according to a recent study from Vanderbilt University.
Steven Tepper, co-author of the study and an associate professor of sociology at Vanderbilt University, said adding a double major can enhance a student’s mind.
“We did not find that [the students] were more creative to begin with based on their own self ratings,” he said. “We found that the double major provides students an opportunity to make connections and broaden their minds in ways they might not have had otherwise.”
UF student Heather O’Rourke said she feels her dual major of marketing and advertising has helped her develop more dynamic thinking skills because she often brings information she learned in advertising to her marketing classes and vice versa.
“I talk about things that they have no idea about,” the 22-year-old senior said about her single-major classmates.
The five-year study, which involved about 1,700 undergraduate students with double majors at nine colleges and universities, divided students into two categories: hyper-specialization majors and hypo-specialization majors. The groups represented students with majors that are similar and students with majors that are dissimilar, respectively.
Tepper said hyper-specialization students have higher integrative thinking skills, while hypo-specialization students tend to be more creative.
“If you’re taking two classes that are quite similar, it’s going to be easy to make those connections,” he said.
Tepper said students should refrain from just adding a major haphazardly.
Leon Franco, a 19-year-old UF accounting freshman, said he doesn’t think having a single major puts him at a disadvantage.
“It all depends on the person and how involved they are,” he said.
