Second Majors

Rules:

Overview (from Tufts Bulletin)
Students pursuing a major within the School of Engineering may undertake a second major with the consent of the respective department in the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Engineering. To do so, the student must notify the department of the second major at least one semester before graduation. No more than half the courses used to fulfill the requirements for one concentration may be used to satisfy the requirements for a second or subsequent one. Students may not complete the second or subsequent concentration in the same discipline.

Designating Your First Major
If one of your majors is in the School of Engineering, then this must be your first major. You will need to complete all courses identified on the degree sheet for your first major.

Students pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Engineering or the Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science are considered to have Engineering and Engineering Science, respectively, as majors and may participate in double-major programs.

Designating Your Second Major
In selecting your second major, you and your academic advisor must ensure that the second major is significantly different from the first major. For instance, if you are pursuing an Electrical Engineering first major, you cannot pursue a Computer Engineering second major. Similarly, if you pursue a Chemical Engineering first major, you cannot pursue a second major in Chemistry.

To add a second major offered by the School of Engineering, submit the Declaration or Change of Degree & Major or Minor form, available on the Registrar's Student Forms page. Indicate your choice of second major in the column labeled "Second Major." Return the form to the appropriate Department Office as indicated in the first column of the above form.

To add a second major offered by the College of Liberal Arts, submit the Declaration of Major/Minor/Change of Advisor form, available on the Registrar's Student Forms page. Indicate your choice of second major in the appropriate location on the form and obtain a signature from your new advisor for this second major. Return the form to Student Services in Dowling Hall.

Course Requirements
To complete your first major in Engineering, you must fulfill all requirements listed on the associated degree sheet.

To complete a second major offered by the School of Engineering, you must complete the associated requirements listed in the Concentration Block of the relevant degree sheet for that major. In most cases, this Concentration Block consists of 12 required courses; however, consult with your advisor for your second major to learn if there may be additional prerequisites needed to qualify for high-level concentration courses. Other than prerequisites for the Concentration Block, you need not complete additional Introductory, HASS, Foundation, or Free Elective requirements beyond those required for the first major.

To complete a second major offered by the College of Liberal Arts, you must complete the associated Concentration (or Core) requirements listed for that major in the Tufts Bulletin. It is recommended that you consult with your advisor for your second major to interpret these requirements and to confirm whether additional prerequisites may be needed to qualify for high-level concentration courses. Distribution requirements (which apply to students with a first major in the College of Liberal Arts) do not apply to Engineering students with a second major offered by the College of Liberal Arts.

Pass/Fail Restriction
All courses used toward fulfillment of a concentration requirement (first or second major) must be taken for letter grades.

Double Counting Credits
The restriction on double counting credits (see above) applies specifically to courses counted toward the Concentration (or Core) requirements for both the first and second major. There is no restriction on double counting second-major requirements toward the Introductory, Foundation, HASS or Free Elective Blocks of the first major.

Multiple Second Majors
Given that the student can fulfill all requirements, it is permissible for a student registered in the School of Engineering to pursue more than one second major.

Options for Second Major:

Among the first majors offered by the School of Engineering, the options available as a second major include the ABET accredited majors, Architectural Studies, Environmental Studies, Engineering Physics, and Engineering Psychology. Engineering Science and Engineering (No Major) are not available as second majors.

The Department of Biomedical Engineering offers a special Second Major in Biomedical Engineering program that is described here.

Among the majors offered by the College of Liberal Arts, the following are available as second majors.