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ERIC Number: EJ1220771
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-3667
EISSN: N/A
Academic Specialization, Double Majoring, and the Threat to Breadth in Academic Knowledge
Pitt, Richard; Pirtle, Whitney N. Laster; Metzger, Ashely Noel
Journal of General Education, v66 n3-4 p166-191 2017
This article examines the relationship between academic specialization and student exposure to a range of academic domains of knowledge. It uses a concentration measure--the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index--to investigate whether students who choose single majors or double major are more or less concentrated in nine domains of knowledge most postsecondary institutions consider to be the intellectual core of a liberal arts general education. The results, based on an analysis of 240 undergraduate transcripts, indicate that--relative to single majoring--choosing similar majors (hyperspecialization) significantly concentrates student learning and choosing very different majors (hypospecialization) leads to more breadth.
Pennsylvania State University Press. 820 North University Drive, USB 1 Suite C, University Park, PA 16802. Tel: 800-326-9180; Tel: 814-865-1327; Fax: 814-863-1408; e-mail: info@psupress.org; Web site: http://www.psupress.org/journals/jnls_jge.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A