what is the difference between a joint degree and a major/minor degree?

Answer 1

A joint degree is usually an impacted program that will give you two separate degrees. This comes in two flavors: undergraduate & graduate. Example: A person can enter a joint MBA/JD program to get both degrees in 4 years (it would normally take 2 years for the business degree with an additional 3 years for the law degree if done separately. A major/minor degree is for undergraduate only and only yields one degree (BA or BS).

Answer 2

The difference would be that a joint degree is a program wherein you earn two full degrees. For example a BS in Computer Sciences and a BA in Psychology or a JD and an MBA. These would be examples of joint degrees. In the other hand a major/minor program is when you earn your degree in one field (your major) and then have what could kind of be called a half degree in whatever your minor field of study is. For example you would earn a BA in History with a minor in political science, but the political science would not be degree unless you finished the major coursework in that field.

Answer 3

RE:
what is the difference between a joint degree and a major/minor degree?

Answer 4

In a joint (or DUAL) degree, you are actually receiving TWO DEGREES, usually from two different "schools" or "colleges" inside your university. For example, you may receive a B.S. in mathematics and a B.A. in Rhetoric & Communication studies.

The normal way is that people get one degree with a major emphasis (Say a Bachelor's degree of Arts, or B.A. in Rhetoric) and then may have a minor area of study (say, math). The dual degree is more impressive because it shows that you completed the complete curriculum for both of the degrees (which, in my above example, include all the prereqs and supplemental classes in both math and rhetoric). This differs also from a double major, where the person just completes enough credits to have two major areas of study, (usually 30-35 credit hours' worth in each particular field). So you might see a person with a Bachelor's of Science (B.S.) with a double major in physics and chemistry, but a person with a B.A. in Political Science and a B.F.A. in Dance. As noted here, whether someone has a double degree or a double major depends upon whether different "colleges" give out the degrees and whether they're somewhat related.

Answer 5

In a joint honours degree, the amount of time you spend studying and the award you get is equally divided between the two subjects. In a major/minor degree, the major subject is your main specialty and you should expect to spend more time studying this area.