Double Majoring at USC Thornton

Thornton Student Ambassadors Ellen Cheng and Ashley Melendres share their experience and advice about pursuing a double major as a USC Thornton student.

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Ellen Cheng | BM Flute Performance; BS Business Administration

Hello! My name is Ellen Cheng, and I’m a junior pursuing a dual degree in Flute Performance (BM) and Business Administration (BS) at USC. Going into college, I knew I wanted to study something outside of music to expand my career options. In classical music, it’s easy to focus on just one path, so I wanted to explore something that might offer more variety. I chose business because it is applicable to almost every field, and with the double major, I wouldn’t be limited to just orchestra or teaching—common routes for musicians—but could also work in a record label, do royalty data analysis, and explore other business aspects of the music industry. 

The process of adding a second major was surprisingly easy. At the end of my first semester, I filled out a short form that asked for my GPA and completed courses (for example, ECON 351, which was a requirement for business). A few months later, the request was approved, and I was officially able to declare my dual degree by the start of second semester. 

People often ask if managing a dual degree is difficult. The answer is—it depends. It depends on how demanding the second major is, how soon you want to graduate, and how many credits you can transfer from previous schools. If you have a lot of requirements to complete (flute and business combine for 260 units), you can spread out your courses over an extra semester or year at USC. Personally, I’ve taken about 17–18 units per semester so far, with two more 20-unit semesters planned; over the summers, I’ve also had to take four total online classes.

One overlooked benefit of a dual degree is having two academic advisors. I have one from both Thornton and Marshall, and they’ve helped me plan my four-year schedule. This has been really useful since some courses are only offered in certain semesters, and many have prerequisites that must be completed first.

For incoming students thinking about double majoring, I highly recommend it. USC makes the process simple, and there are plenty of resources available to help you. Many students pursue majors in similar fields—like music production and music industry—which conveniently have overlapping coursework and can be completed faster. But it’s also totally fine to pick two completely different majors. In fact, it can be a nice balance, so you’re not completely focused on just one subject, and it also expands your career opportunities across multiple industries.

Ashley Melendres | BM Classical Guitar Performance; BS Neuroscience with Honors, Pre-Med Track

My name is Ashley Melendres and I am a senior double majoring in Classical Guitar Performance (BM) and Neuroscience with Honors (BS) on a Pre-Medicine Track. Before I say anything about double majoring, a word of advice. If you’re pursuing AP or IB classes, I recommend taking your AP/IB exams your senior year, even if you don’t want to double major. I know you don’t want to. I know you want to just relax after years of grinding. But trust me, take those exams. They will save you time and money down the road! Depending on the course, the AP/IB class could fulfill a GE or Major requirement. That gives you more opportunities to take fun classes, or just not have class.

What I tell incoming students is pretty straightforward: If you have any inklings that you want to learn about something besides your primary major, start out with the intention to double major. It is super easy to add a second (or even third!) major as a freshman, but the older you are, the harder it is. It is also super easy to turn a major into a minor as a junior, but, depending on the area, nearly impossible to turn a minor into a major without needing to take summer courses or stay an extra semester/year.

With that out of the way, let’s talk about double majoring. If you’re reading this blog, then I’m assuming there’s at least part of you that wants to, or is curious about, double majoring. [Or you are a parent or family member who wants your kid to study more than just music. Hi parents! I promise your child will be A-Ok coming out of USC whether they have a double major or not.] 🙂 Overall, being a double major is awesome, and I try to convince literally everyone I talk to to do it!

Why You Should Add a Second Major

1. It’s fun!!! If you are passionate about multiple fields, there is no reason to not explore them all. Personally, I love being able to go from a neurobiology class to music history. Having multiple fields of study lets you meet more people than you normally would, which is awesome.
2. It’s good for future jobs. Having a diverse set of knowledge and skills is important for getting hired. A second degree expands the jobs you are qualified for, and it can impress employers or graduate schools. It also shows that you are a hard worker with good time management. 
3. It’s very manageable. People tend to laugh when I say that, but it’s true. Think of it this way: Right now, you are probably taking ~7 classes in lots of different areas. On top of that, you have homework, exams, practicing, and extracurricular activities. Maybe you also work or have family obligations. While you will take more classes than your peers and have more work, if you can balance your life now, you can balance it in college (where you are NOT in class for 8 hours a day 5 days a week). 

Advice for Adding a Second Major

Now that I’ve convinced you to add that double major, here’s some advice:

1. Explore your major’s requirements in the USC Course Catalogue.
2. The catalogue has a list of every single major and minor offered by the school. When you click on a program, it tells you what courses are required to graduate.
3. Talk to your advisor about double majoring. The sooner, the better!
4. I talked with my music advisor the summer before freshman year during the mandatory advisement to let her know I wanted to double major. After I passed General Biology in the Fall of my freshman year, I was able to easily add a major in neuroscience. 
5. Create a course plan with the help of your advisor(s).
6. This is the fun part! Now that you’ve identified what you want to double major in, how do you actually get it all done?

Overall, I strongly recommend double majoring. USC is super supportive of it, and it’s very rewarding. I hope everything here is helpful, and you are always welcome to message me through Unibuddy if you have any questions!

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The USC Thornton Student Ambassadors are currently enrolled undergraduate students at the School of Music. They are a great point of contact for prospective and admitted students to learn more about the USC Thornton undergraduate experience.