WHAT WE DID
In Spring 2021, Institutional Research presented to Division 1 about trends in double majoring at Wesleyan. We examined both patterns within Division 1 and across the university. We also compared trends at Wesleyan to our peer institutions.
WHAT WE LEARNED
The percentage of students who graduate with a double major has risen since significantly since 2000. In 2000, 23% of graduated with a double major; in 2020, 44% of students did. Furthermore, compared to peer institutions, Wesleyan students are much more likely to double major. Only one institution in our peer set (Amherst) had a larger percentage of students double majoring.
Women have been more likely to double major than men, and the gap has widened since 2000. In 2000, 23% of women and 17 of men graduated with a double major. In 2020, 55% of women and 38% of men did so.
Of the possible double major combinations that have occurred at Wesleyan from 2016 – 2020, 44% were intra-divisional (i.e. within the same division). The most common double major combinations in these last five years were Biology & NS&B (52 students) and Economics & Mathematics (48 students).
WHAT WE CAN ASK
ONE: Why are so many Wesleyan students double majoring relative to their peers at other schools? Are they doing so for the “right” reasons? What are the “right” reasons? Is it something about our students or about the structure of our majors?
TWO: Why are Wesleyan women more likely to double major? Should we advising them to do less or for men to do more?
THREE: What are the consequences of so much double majoring, both for our students and for the institution?
This post summarizes the content of our hour-long presentation using the slide deck below.
Division-1-Double-Majors-Presentation-April-2021