Some students who double major across divisions at Miami University were finally able to enroll in courses for their second major Monday, when university-wide registration opened.
However, others are still having problems registering for both majors.
"I think it's become increasingly difficult to double major at Miami and graduate in four years," said junior Erika Wirtz, a double major in marketing and political science.
Wirtz faces the challenges some students at Miami experience - majoring in two academic divisions and trying to register for both majors. In Wirtz's case, her marketing major makes her a part of the Richard T. Farmer School of Business while her political science major makes her a student of the College of Arts and Science (CAS).
"When I register for the first time, I only get access to business because it's my primary major," Wirtz said. "It's really, really frustrating."
These registration woes stem from the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS), which requires students to list a primary and secondary major. The system can create registration problems for students who double major across academic divisions.
As the system is set up now, students can't register for their secondary major (as listed on DARS) until university-wide registration opens - and this date was Nov. 27 for spring semester.
Wirtz went on to say that Nov. 27, the first day of open registration when any student at Miami is able to enroll in courses, her problems continued.
"I missed class to register and I was locked out of every single political science class I tried to add," Wirtz said. "So-called 'open registration' is not so open after all."
Wirtz said that as of Nov. 27 she has registered for 13 hours - all of which are business classes.
Solutions to these registration predicaments are vague. And, difficulties like the ones Wirtz faces only complicate the already challenging task of double majoring. Students are confronted with separate entrance requirements to each major, creating a heavier course load.
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And according to students such as sophomore Ali Stevens, a double major in journalism and marketing, all these requirements makes registration key. Journalism is a major at Miami that requires an additional major.
Stevens spoke of her challenges with the DARS system.
"I'm a swimmer, so I get priority registration, but because journalism is listed as my primary major, I only get priority registration for that, not business," Stevens said. "It's frustrating because almost everyone I've talked to about this has been unhelpful and unconcerned."
Richard Campbell, director of the journalism program at Miami, has expressed concern about the registration problems students face when majoring across divisions.
"I think given that so many Miami students double major, Miami should be doing what it can to facilitate this and not put up roadblocks," Campbell said. "I also think that students should be able to more easily double major across colleges - say business and journalism - and do it in 128 total credit hours. If students aren't able to do this, something is wrong and we need to fix it."
While the requirements for business and journalism majors vary greatly (see box), leading to more coursework for students who choose to study in both the Richard T. Farmer School of Business and the College of Arts and Science, one aspect of the two divisions may soon become more similar. Administrators of the business school are thinking about implementing a foreign language requirement - a current requirement of the College of Arts and Science.
"Preparing students for a competitive global business environment is part of our mission, so greater facility with language, study abroad and international coursework will all be functional for business students, and all three are included in the draft language of a new international requirement proposal," said William Snavely, associate dean and professor in the business school via e-mail. "The larger practical implications, really, are those for the language departments, who will need increased funding to hire sufficient faculty to meet the increased demand."
Wirtz said that although having two majors across schools is difficult, it is worth it in the long run.
"Having a double major makes you more marketable when you're applying for internships and jobs, and it definitely differentiates you," Wirtz said.
Stevens agrees.
"Business and journalism are such good majors to combine," Stevens said. "I know other students who are trying to do this, and it's been a problem for them too, so I think Miami needs to do something to fix it."
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