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.
Descriptors: Specialization, Majors (Students), Intellectual Disciplines, Liberal Arts, Undergraduate Students, Course Selection (Students), General Education, Professional Education, Educational Benefits, Business Administration Education, Engineering Education, Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, College Curriculum, College Applicants, Graduate Study, Research Universities, Human Capital
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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