The Observer, September 19, 2008
Volume XLI, Issue 4
Extra work required for extra degree
This week, the USG general assembly passed Resolution R.18-02, a recommendation to eliminate the 30 additional credit hours that students are required to earn to be awarded a dual degree. We believe that this resolution was passed without a true understanding of the reasoning behind the requirement. Rather than being eliminated, the requirement should be clarified and publicized to the undergraduate student body.
According to the Undergraduate Studies website and confirmed by dean of Undergraduate Studies Jeffrey Wolcowitz, dual degrees may be attained through three methods: earning two different Bachelor of Science degrees, a Bachelor of Science degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree, or a B.A. or B.S. and a Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music. The dual degree is different than a double major, which is awarded only to students in the College of Arts and Sciences and comprises two majors for the B.A.
A student pursuing a dual degree must meet the requirements for both degrees, which is easily understood. Confusion arises, however, with the requirement of 30 additional credit hours. No matter how it is worded – "a minimum of 30 semester hours of study beyond the requirement for one of the degrees" or "30 additional hours beyond the first degree" – it's extremely unclear what this means.
Dean Wolcowitz explained it this way: a student's total number of credit hours must be 30 credit hours more than the number of credit hours required by the smaller degree. For example, if a student were pursuing a dual degree in engineering (128 credit hours) and accounting (122 credit hours), he must earn a total of 152 credit hours to graduate with both degrees. In this case, where the two degrees hardly overlap, the student would have to complete at least 152 hours to finish the requirements for both, and he wouldn't end up doing any extra coursework.
Wolcowitz explained that the requirement isn't meant to discourage students from pursuing a dual degree. Rather, it serves as a credit-hour baseline for those students earning a dual degree in subjects that overlap, like someone earning a B.S. in biology and a B.S. in chemistry. If a student is going to be awarded an extra degree, they should have to do some extra work. Wolcowitz noted that few students pursuing a dual degree question the validity of the requirement.
We don't think that the majority of the USG general assembly really understood the requirement when they voted unanimously on the resolution. Several members admitted that they didn't have a good grasp on the recommendation coming into the vote and said that there was very little prior discussion.
We agree that the current dual degree requirement needs to be rewritten so that it can be more easily understood. More research will need to be done, however, to evaluate whether it is appropriate for students at Case. The Office of Undergraduate Studies is currently looking into requirements at other universities, and rumor has it that the University Undergraduate Faculty is also going to do an evaluation. We trust that they will arrive at a more informed decision than USG did.
