UW’s Top Double Majors

Adding a second major can pay big dividends, broadening students’ perspectives and boosting their future career potential. Danielle Lawry

If one major is good, are two majors twice as good?

Adding a second major can pay big dividends, broadening students’ perspectives and boosting their future career potential, according to UW academic advisers.

Roughly 30 percent of UW grads major in two or more areas, a rate that’s been stable for at least a decade. Pursuing multiple majors is particularly popular in fields like computer sciences, business, and economics.

One double-major combination stands out as most common: computer sciences and data science. In the 2023–24 academic year, 201 graduates received degrees in both fields — more than twice as many as any other double major.

“Students view the double major in computer sciences and data science as an opportunity to maximize their college experience and optimize their preparation for career paths in tech,” says Professor Steve Wright, computer sciences department chair.

The 10 most popular fields for double-majoring in 2023–24 are, in order, computer sciences; data science; business: finance, investment, and banking; economics; psychology; business: real estate and urban land economics; mathematics; political science; neurobiology; and biology.

The computer sciences major pairs well with many other majors, Wright says, “because in a tech- and data-driven world, it adds vital, marketable tech and analysis skills to almost every other knowledge discipline.”

Published in the Summer 2025 issue