Doubling-down

Emily Mufich started college knowing exactly how she wanted to finish — with degrees in two very different majors that would make the most of her time at USC.

“I like to say that history is my fun major and business is my practical major,” said Mufich, a senior from Sacramento.

Like a growing number of students, Mufich found that combining two disparate tracks — history in USC Dornsife and business administration — is giving her an edge in an increasingly competitive corporate world. As she begins her interviews for internships and jobs beyond USC, her double major has given her a powerful boost in employment prospects — not to mention a good conversation starter.

“It sets me apart,” Mufich said. “I think prospective employers really want candidates who can do the work in business, but also think critically and write well. I’ve learned to do both.”

Senior Emily Mufich is a double major in history at USC Dornsife and business administration at USC Marshall School of Business. Photo by Gus Ruelas.

USC’s strong interdisciplinary offerings and access to 19 schools, including USC Dornsife, have convinced many undergraduates to double down on their majors.

Undergraduates have married chemistry and cinematic arts; history and journalism; and psychology and computer science. And the trend to double major is building. The number of students taking this tack at USC has increased nearly 15 percent since 2010. This school year, 209 Trojans are on track to graduate with a double major, according to the USC registrar’s office.

“Some students are interested in earning a professional degree, but also wish to study chemistry, the classics or another foundational subject in the liberal arts,” said Gene Bickers, vice provost for undergraduate programs. “USC offers the opportunity to do both — the sky is really the limit.”

Students like Mufich gravitate to USC because they know that tackling two subjects won’t necessarily take longer than one. USC offers lots of collaborations across disciplines — the Renaissance Scholars program, for one, allows students to pursue disparate majors and minors.

“USC has a long history of encouraging and promoting interdisciplinary education,” Bickers said. “We make it very easy for students who want to pursue majors from different schools or in the humanities.”

Kevin Herald ’14 studied political science at USC Dornsife and theater arts. Photo courtesy of Kevin Herald.

That’s what attracted Kevin Herald ’14 of Santa Barbara to USC. To soak up an eclectic mix of fine arts and humanities, Herald studied political science in USC Dornsife and theater before he graduated at the end of fall semester. He calls it “a well-rounded education.”

“I chose USC because it allows flexibility and has equally great artistic and academic departments,” Herald said.

Herald, who performed in several USC plays, including Spring Awakening, Sweeney Todd and City of Angels, added a third dimension to his USC experience. He studied abroad in Spain in Spring 2014.

“It may be impossible, but I’m trying to figure out how to combine my love for theater, political science and Spanish into something great. I’m interested in how Spanish people express themselves through art, history and law,” he said.

Donal Manahan, professor of biological sciences and vice dean for students at USC Dornsife, emphasized the advantages that students gain from taking two majors while also interning and conducting research.

“Academic studies based on double majors, coupled with co-curricular workplace experiences, give students complementary skills and unique advantages in preparation for the next phase of their careers,” he said.

Shirley Chung of Seattle knows firsthand what a double major can do. As a senior, Chung is studying cognitive science in USC Dornsife and computer science, although she started out as a psychology major.

Senior Shirley Chung, initially a psychology major, now has a double major in cognitive science at USC Dornsife and computer science. Photo courtesy of Shirley Chung.

She believes her two majors helped land her a much-coveted summer internship at Google’s New York offices.

“Google generally likes to see people who can think differently,” Chung said. “First and foremost, you have to have the ability to do a technical job — coding. But at the same time, having cognitive science on my resume shows that I can think beyond code. Also, they have a couple of different roles that are focused on human interaction with the products. I think they like to see people who have some understanding of that.”

As Mufich looks ahead to the end of her senior year, she’s excited about her future and career opportunities. She credits her double major for helping land a local internship at Unified Grocers last summer.

“In all of the interviews I’ve done, I’ve always gotten a comment. ‘Oh, you’re doing history, too?’ If nothing else, it just gets the employer more interested in how you operate and how you would work as their employee.

“I’ve found double majoring to be one of my best decisions ever.”