Minors, Second Majors, and Dual Degrees

Minors and Dual Degrees 

Minors, and dual degrees provide opportunities for students expand their education and build skill sets outside of engineering. Students should carefully plan out their courses so as to minimize any extra time required to complete the primary engineering major and any supplemental minors or majors.  

With strategic course planning, students may be able to add a minor without adding any extra time to completing their degree. To find out the requirements for minor or double major, consult that department's website. Often, students can build their schedule with coursework that can be double-counted, meaning it fulfills the requirements for the major as well as for the minor or dual degree. Coursework required for many of the technical minors (math, computer science, life sciences, etc.) fulfill elective requirements for engineering majors. Coursework required for many of the humanities/social science minors (history, psychology, languages, economics, etc.) fulfill humanities requirements for engineering majors. 

Schools to consider for minors, double majors, or certificates programs:

School of Arts and Sciences 

• Minors and Majors

• Computer Science 

  • CS Major: SoE students who want to pursue a second major in CS must have at least the following 5 CS courses (or ECE equivalents) completed by the end of the summer of junior year: 198:111, 198:112, 198:205, 198:206, 198:211. If you have many requirements for your engineering degree to take in your senior year, then it will likely take you longer to graduate. Seniors who want to extend their graduation by two semesters (max) to complete the 2nd major must meet these same requirements by the end of the summer of senior year. 

  • CS Minor: SoE students who want to pursue a minor should have at least the following 3 courses completed by the summer of junior year: 198:111, 198:112, 198:205. Seniors asking to extend graduation by one semester (max) to complete a minor must meet these same requirements by the end of the summer of senior year.  

• Graduation date extensions must be requested by email to upperclass@soe.rutgers.edu, preferably by August 31st of your junior year, and no later than March 1st of your senior year. Any relevant summer registration must be in place at the time of the extension request. 

Rutgers Business School 

• Entrepreneurship, Business Administration 

Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy 

• Public Health, Urban Planning and Design, Planning and Public Policy 

School of Communication and Information 

• Digital Communication, Information, and Media (DCIM), Gender and Media,  

• Communication, Information Technology and Informatics, Journalism and Media Studies 

• Critical Intelligence Studies 

School of Environmental and Biological Sciences 

• Environmental Sciences, Meteorology 

• Minors and Majors

Minor Declaration Form

Double Major Vs. Dual Degree 

Pursuing a double major means that you must fulfill the major requirements for two separate programs at the same time. Reference the Undergraduate Catalog or the Degree Navigator for detailed information. Double majors do not appear on your diploma. Final official transcripts note the completion of the second major and students can market this information on their resume.   

Students who want to declare a second major must:

• Be actively pursuing the second major from a department at Rutgers-New Brunswick, 

• Fill out and submit the Declaration of Double Major form in the sophomore or junior year, 

• Get approval from the department offering the second major, and 

• Fill out the Major Certification form in the final semester of the program.  

The completed and signed certification form must be emailed to upperclass@soe.rutgers.edu, otherwise the major will not appear on the transcript.

Dual Degree  

Dual Degree means that you have to directly apply to the school or college where the second, non-engineering degree is administered and be accepted. After you are accepted, you must fulfill all requirements and get your BA or BS degree certified. This process is more involved and includes additional work on top of the30 credits in order to obtain a second major. Students pursuing a dual degree will receive two separate degrees/diplomas, one from each school.  

Completing a Double Major or Dual Degree requires extra attention, time and guidance in order to not add years to your degree. Many resources are available to help students find the information they need regarding required coursework and graduation requirements. 

• Department chairs and department websites 

• Degree Navigator

• RU Course Catalog 

Review the information for the programs you are interested in and seek assistance from your SOE advising dean. 

BS/Master's Programs 

Rutgers School of Engineering students are eligible to apply for admission to a variety of accelerated master's programs: BS/MBA, BS/MBS, and BS/MS.

These prestigious programs allow students to complete a master's degree in one extra year while simultaneously integrating an undergraduate engineering experience with that of a graduate program.