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Double your major, double your return?

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  • Del Rossi, Alison F.
  • Hersch, Joni

Abstract

We use the 2003 National Survey of College Graduates to provide the first estimates of the effect on earnings of having a double major. Overall, double majoring increases earnings by 2.3% relative to having a single major among college graduates without graduate degrees. Most of the gains from having a double major come from choosing fields across two different major categories. Graduates who combine an arts, humanities or social science major with a major in business, engineering, science or math have returns 7-50% higher than graduates with a single major in arts, humanities or social science. But such double major combinations have returns no higher than single majors in business, engineering, science or math. Majors combining business and science or math have returns more than 50% greater than the returns to having a single major in these fields.

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File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VB9-4PT0Y7S-1/1/6de26074c6f8129a26f0362729d59646
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Bibliographic Info

Article provided by Elsevier in its journal Economics of Education Review.

Volume (Year): 27 (2008)
Issue (Month): 4 (August)
Pages: 375-386

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Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:27:y:2008:i:4:p:375-386

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Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/econedurev

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References

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  1. Charles Brown & Mary Corcoran, 1996. "Sex-Based Differences in School Content and the Male/Female Wage Gap," NBER Working Papers 5580, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  2. Thomas N. Daymonti & Paul J. Andrisani, 1984. "Job Preferences, College Major, and the Gender Gap in Earnings," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 19(3), pages 408-428.
  3. Loury, Linda Datcher & Garman, David, 1993. "Affirmative Action in Higher Education," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(2), pages 99-103, May.
  4. Linda Datcher Loury, 1997. "The gender gap among college-educated workers," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 50(4), pages 580-593, July.
  5. Eric Eide, 1994. "College Major Choice And Changes In The Gender Wage Gap," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 12(2), pages 55-64, 04.
  6. Joni Hersch & Leslie S. Stratton, 2000. "Household specialization and the male marriage wage premium," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 54(1), pages 78-94, October.
  7. R. Kim Craft & Joe G. Baker, 2003. "Do Economists Make Better Lawyers? Undergraduate Degree Field and Lawyer Earnings," Journal of Economic Education, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 34(3), pages 263-281, January.
  8. Graham, John W. & Smith, Steven A., 2005. "Gender differences in employment and earnings in science and engineering in the US," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(3), pages 341-354, June.
  9. Lois Joy, 2003. "Salaries of recent male and female college graduates: Educational and labor market effects," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 56(4), pages 606-621, July.
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Cited by:
  1. Basit Zafar, 2012. "Double Majors: One For Me, One For The Parents?," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 50(2), pages 287-308, 04.
  2. Eric Bettinger, 2010. "To Be or Not to Be: Major Choices in Budding Scientists," NBER Chapters, in: American Universities in a Global Market, pages 69-98 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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