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Majors, Minors, and More

Academic Possibilities

Curriculum for the Curious

There’s no right or wrong way to navigate the Duke academic experience within our two undergraduate schools—Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and Pratt School of Engineering. You can combine disciplines or delve into a specialized study. You can research, write, act, compete, create, calculate, or champion—because at Duke, we believe that growth comes from exploration.

Academic Pillars

The Duke Way of Thinking

Thinking creatively to solve problems is both a gift and a learned skill. Duke’s academic philosophy helps develop innovation by encouraging you to shape your own experience, to think way outside the box, to practice what you’re learning outside the classroom, all over the world.

students walking across West Campus in the fall
Students make their way through West Campus during an afternoon class change.

Academic Opportunities

Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

Pratt School of Engineering

Focus Program

Global Education

Duke Kunshan

Undergraduate Research

Bass Connections

Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

AN EDUCATION DESIGNED FOR EXPLORATION

Every Duke undergraduate student takes classes in Trinity College—it serves as Duke’s liberal arts core. Trinity College classes span the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences to encourage you to think deeply within disciplines and broadly across them, with a healthy balance of tradition and innovation.

Trinity College of Arts & Sciences Arrow Right Created with Sketch.
students collaborating with professor in a classroom students collaborating with professor in a classroom
Patrick Douthit, aka 9th Wonder, teaches Introduction to Hip-Hop Production.
female students holding a ballet bar in a dance studio female students holding a ballet bar in a dance studio
Dance class in The Ark on East Campus.
students observing cacti in the Duke greenhouse students observing cacti in the Duke greenhouse
Duke undergraduate students in Bio 202 tour the Duke greenhouses.

Pratt School of Engineering

ENGINEERS WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

As an engineer at Duke, you will learn to solve problems by combining all the best knowledge of every academic discipline. Most importantly, you will be inspired and equipped to make a difference in the world by generating creative solutions to complex problems.

Pratt School of Engineering Arrow Right Created with Sketch.
two students racing in a self-built motor car
Two Duke students race in a self-build motor car.

Academic Paths

Majors, Minors & Certificates

Duke University offers 63 majors, 61 minors, and 23 certificates, with the opportunity to choose up to three academic pathways. With the ability to create combinations of the three, you have at least 430,000 unique academic combinations available.

Majors

-Ancient Religion & Society: Interdepartmental Major in Classical Studies and Religious Studies
-African & African American Studies
-Art History
-Art History: Architecture
-Art History: Museum Theory & Practice
-Art History & Visual Arts
-Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
-Biology
-Biomedical Engineering*
-Biophysics
-Brazilian and Global Portuguese Studies
-Chemistry
-Civil Engineering*
-Classical Civilization
-Classical Languages
-Computational Media:
Interdepartmental Major in Computer Science and Visual and Media Studies
-Computer Science
-Cultural Anthropology
-Dance
-Earth and Climate Sciences
-Economics
-Electrical and Computer Engineering*
-English
-Environmental Engineering*
-Environmental Sciences
-Environmental Sciences and Policy
-Evolutionary Anthropology
-French & Francophone Studies
-Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies
-German
-Global Cultural Studies
-Global Health**
-History
-Interdepartmental Major in Linguistics and Computer Science
-Interdepartmental Major in Math and Computer Science on Data Science
-Interdepartmental Major in Statistics and Computer Science on Data Science
-Interdisciplinary Engineering & Applied Science (IDEAS)*
-International Comparative Studies
-Italian & European Studies
-Linguistics
-Marine Science & Conservation
-Mathematics
-Mechanical Engineering*
-Medieval and Renaissance Studies
-Music
-Neuroscience
-Philosophy
-Physics
-Political Science
-Program II (self-designed degree, BA or BS)
-Psychology
-Public Policy Studies
-Religious Studies
-Romance Studies
-Russian
-Slavic and Eurasian Studies
-Sociology
-Spanish, Latin American, and Latino/a Studies
-Statistical Science
-Theater Studies
-Visual Arts
-Visual and Media Studies
-Visual & Media Studies: Cinematic Arts

**Only available as a second major.

Minors

-African & African American Studies
-Art History
-Asian American & Diaspora Studies
-Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
-Biology
-Brazilian and Global Portuguese Studies
-Chemistry
-Cinematic Arts
-Classical Archaeology
-Classical Civilization
-Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
-Computational Media
-Computer Science
-Creative Writing
-Cultural Anthropology
-Dance
-Earth and Climate Sciences
-Economics
-Education
-Electrical and Computer Engineering
-Energy Engineering*
-English
-Environmental Sciences and Policy
-Evolutionary Anthropology
-Finance
-French & Francophone Studies
-Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies
-German
-Global Cultural Studies
-Global Health
-Greek
-History
-Inequality Studies
-Italian Studies
-Journalism & Media
-Latin
-Linguistics
-Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence
-Marine Science & Conservation
-Mathematics
-Medical Sociology
-Medieval and Renaissance Studies
-Music
-Musical Theater
-Neuroscience
-Philosophy
-Photography
-Physics
-Polish Culture and Language
-Political Science
-Psychology
-Religious Studies
-Russian and East European Literatures in Translation
-Russian Culture and Language
-Sociology
-Spanish Studies
-Statistical Science
-Theater Studies
-Visual Arts
-Visual and Media Studies
-Writing and Rhetoric

Certificates

A certificate is an interdisciplinary program of study similar in its requirements to a minor.

-Aerospace Engineering*
-Architectural Engineering*
-Child Policy Research
-Decision Sciences
-Digital Intelligence
-Documentary Studies
-East Asian Studies
-Energy and the Environment
-Ethics & Society
-Global Development Engineering*
-Health Policy
-Human Rights
-Information Science + Studies
-Innovation & Entrepreneurship
-Islamic Studies
-Jewish Studies
-Latin American Studies
-Latino / Latina Studies in the Global South
-Markets & Management
-Materials Science & Engineering
-Philosophy, Politics and Economics
-Science & the Public
-Sustainability Engagement

*Only offered to students pursuing an engineering degree from the Pratt School of Engineering.

Academic Possibilities

83%
of Duke students pursue more than one major

Create Your Own Degree Program

Program II

an individualized degree program where students design their major
Learn More

Undergraduate Research

A COMMUNITY THAT NEVER STOPS QUESTIONING

As one of the country’s premier research institutions, Duke encourages original inquiry and independent thought. In fact, our undergraduate students have made major research discoveries and pioneered new directions of thought across disciplines—from art history to economics to biology. As an undergraduate, research can complement your coursework, help you explore career options, and allow you to establish meaningful relationships with faculty and peers.

Research Opportunities

53%
undergraduates graduate with research experience

Research Funding

$800
million spent on Duke research each year

International Opportunities

DUKE IN THE WORLD

With 200+ programs to choose from across every subject area, more than half of Duke students study away before they graduate. Others go global for service, research, and interdisciplinary investigation through programs like DukeEngage, Duke Immerse, Bass Connections, and Duke Engineers for International Development. Our Global Education Office advisors are here to help you plan and prepare for an international experiential education.

Service

393
DukeEngage participants in 2019

Global Learning

43
Duke-In programs taught by Duke faculty

Research

249
Bass Connections partnerships across 33 countries
duke students walking and talking through the New College campus in Oxford, England
Duke students on the campus of New College in Oxford, England.

IMMERSIVE OPPORTUNITIES

DukeEngage

Duke-In Programs

Duke Immerse

Duke Marine Lab

Duke Engineers for International Development

Duke Campus Farm