Academic Specialization, Double Majoring, and the Positive Returns to Breadth in Academic Knowledge

• In Event: 435 - Section on Sociology of Education Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 11. Higher Education and the Labor Market

Abstract

We examine the relationship between academic specialization and student exposure to a range of academic domains of knowledge. We use a concentration measure—the Herfindahl-Hirschman index—to investigate if students who choose single majors or double major are more or less concentrated in liberal arts domains of knowledge. Our results, based on an analysis of 240 undergraduate transcripts, indicate that—relative to single majoring—choosing similar majors (hyper-specialization) significantly concentrates student learning and choosing very different majors (hypo-specialization) leads to more breadth. Using the National Survey of College Graduates, we show that hyper-specialization reduces post-baccalaureate income for mid-career college graduates.

Authors

• Richard N. Pitt, Vanderbilt University

• Whitney Nicole Laster Pirtle, University of California-Merced