Double Majors and Minors Awarded
Pursuing a second major or a minor is recommended for those students entering college with Advanced Placement credits or with college-level credits earned in high school. Also, students may wish to pursue a second major or minor with their available elective credits. Students should discuss their options with their departmental undergraduate advisor for each proposed major or minor to ensure the requirements and expectations are clearly defined and understood. In some cases, depending upon the primary major, double majoring or pursuing a minor may not be possible in some areas due to program demands. Furthermore, all students must complete the necessary number of credits for the Liberal Arts and Sciences requirements for their type of degree, as noted in "Degree and Graduation Requirements" section of the catalog. The need to meet the Liberal Arts and Sciences requirements may mean that less elective credits are available to do second majors or minors, as certain majors and minors maybe largely comprised of non-Liberal Arts and Sciences courses. An academic advisor will help clarify how the Liberal Arts and Sciences requirements can or cannot be met within the total hours needed for completing a degree.
A double major or a major with a minor (or minors) may be earned as part of the bachelor's degree program if both are completed at the time of graduation. Both majors will be shown on the student’s official transcript. Different majors lead toward the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. The only distinction between these degrees is in the number of liberal arts credits required for graduation. Students completing a double major at the time of graduation with the majors registered under different types of degrees may select either: the B.A. or the B.S. degree. Students may not receive two bachelor's degrees for a double major. Only one diploma with the chosen bachelor's degree will be issued for double majors, even if the type of bachelor's degree is different for the two majors.
The New York State Education Department in a memorandum on "Awarding Credit for Same Courses in Different Degree Programs" permits two degrees for majors with the B.F.A. or B.S.W. degrees. These degrees are considered to represent professional preparation discrete from the learning identified by B.A. or B.S. degrees. Students doing double majors that include Art or Social Work as a major will be awarded two degrees if both majors are completed at the time of graduation.
For the Five Year Education Combined Degrees of BA/MS and BS/MS, the diploma will show the combined degree with the Education program information. If the student in the Five Year Education Combined Degree program is doing a second major, a second diploma for the second major will be issued. (The second major is for a bachelor's level degree only not a part of the Five Year Combined Degree which designates a Master's degree.)
If a student who is working on a double major is eligible for graduation in only one of the majors and chooses to graduate in the one major while failing to complete the second major, the student may not return after graduation to take the remaining courses for the double major. Any additional courses completed after graduation will appear on the transcript, but there will be no award of the double major and no notation of the completion of a second major, since it was not completed at the time of graduation. The only option is to pursue a second bachelor's degree.
Students who have graduated and wish to earn a second bachelor's degree, must be readmitted and complete a minimum of 30 credits beyond the first bachelor's degree as described in this catalog.
If a student who is working on a minor is eligible for graduation in the major and fails to complete the minor, the student may not return after graduation to take the remaining courses for the unfinished minor. Any additional courses will appear on the transcript, but there will be no award of the minor and no notation of the completion of the minor, since it was not completed at the time of graduation. Students doing associate's degrees may not declare minors.