Double Majors: One for Me, One for the Parents?

Abstract

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. Terms of use: Documents in AbstractAt least a quarter of college students in the United States graduate with more than one undergraduate major. This paper investigates how students decide on the composition of their paired majors-in other words, whether the majors chosen are substitutes or complements. Since students use both their preferences and their expectations about major-specific outcomes when choosing their majors, I collect innovative data on subjective expectations, drawn from a sample of Northwestern University sophomores.Despite showing substantial heterogeneity in beliefs, the students seem aware of differences across majors and have sensible beliefs about the outcomes. Students believe that their parents are more likely to approve majors associated with high social status and high returns in the labor market. I incorporate the subjective data in a choice model of double majors that also captures the notion of specialization. I find that enjoying the coursework and gaining approval of parents are the most important determinants in the choice of majors. The model estimates reject the hypothesis that students major in one field to pursue their own interests and in another for parents' approval. Instead, I find that gaining parents' approval and enjoying a field of study both academically and professionally are outcomes that students feel are important for both majors. However, I do find that students act strategically in their choice of majors by choosing ones that differ in their chances of completion and difficulty and in finding a job upon graduation.

The Analysis of Field Choice in College and Graduate School: Determinants and Wage Effects

“…Parental Influence: A couple of papers have examined the role played by parents on the choice of college major. Notably, Zafar (2012Zafar ( , 2013 addresses this question using subjective expectations data collected from a sample of sophomores from Northwestern University.…”

Trends in Economics and Other Undergraduate Majors

“…1 Pitt and Tepper (2012) find that the partnering of economics with math, political science, foreign language, other business majors, and engineering comprise five of the top ten undergraduate double majors. Zafar (2012) finds that at least part of students' decision to double major is based on expectations that their major combinations will positively impact their chances of degree completion and finding a job after graduation. Del Hersch (2008, 2016) and Hemelt (2009) find that double majoring is associated with higher earnings and better job matches relative to graduating with a single major, provided that the double majors are across rather than within general disciplinary groups and also when the second major is in a relatively technical or high paying field.…”

Survey Measures of Family Decision Processes for Econometric Analysis of Schooling Decisions

“…Dominitz and Manski sequentially elicited 13. These include Arcidiacono et al (2012), Giustinelli (forthcoming), Stinebrickner (2012, 2014), Wiswall andZafar (2015a, 2015b), and Zafar (2011and Zafar ( , 2013, some of which we describe further below.…”

“…Rouse (2004) elicits subjective median earnings expectations with and without a college degree from a sample of high school seniors in Baltimore. Zafar (2013Zafar ( , 2011) elicits probabilistic expectations regarding the monetary and nonmonetary returns to different college majors from a sample of Northwestern University undergraduates. He uses the data to study gender differences in observed college major choices and expectations formation by students.…”

“…45. This approach is similar to that used by some of the contemporaneous papers on college major choice using subjective expectations data (e.g., Zafar 2013).…”