Duke is a prestigious university in Durham, North Carolina with 6,500 undergraduates and almost 17,000 students overall. Despite being a larger educational institution, Duke offers a hands-on and intimate learning experience with an 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Students in both undergraduate colleges, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and Pratt School of Engineering, are supported in trying new things, taking calculated risks, and pushing boundaries. “We look for students,” the Dean of Undergraduate Admissions says, “who operate at the intersection of imagination and impact.”
This plays out in the numbers. 85% of students at Duke pursue subjects beyond their major, more than half participate in faculty-mentored research, and students complete more than 1 million hours of community service in Durham collectively. Duke is also super exciting. The athletic program brings intense energy to campus, and the social life among students is famous for being a good time. So, Duke offers an outstanding education and a social experience that matches.
The university receives around 50,000 applications annually, and the acceptance rate has decreased year over year for…well…years. The rate of admission for the Class of 2028 in the regular decision cycle was only 4.1%. This was a record low, and the early decision acceptance rate, 12.9%, was also a record low. The overall acceptance rate averaged out to 5.1%. The early decision acceptance rate is worth pausing one, because it highlights one of the benefits of applying early. This is a bit of an oversimplification because the early decision cycle has recruited athletes and other prioritized students in it, so if you want to learn more about how to increase your chances of getting into Duke — reach out!
In this post, we’ll share our top 5 majors for undergraduate students at Duke and why we picked them. We hope you’ll use these as a jumping off point for exploring your potential future at this outstanding university.
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What do we mean by best major?
First off, let’s clarify what we mean by ‘best’ or ‘top’ major. Trinity offers 48 majors, and Pratt offers a smaller but exceptional selection. The five most popular majors for undergrads are Computer Science, Economics, Biology, Public Policy, and Psychology. But we don’t believe that majors simply being popular makes them the best. Lots of students major in biology on their way to medical school, and psychology is a popular major for students who want to bridge the social and natural sciences, so there are many factors that go into students picking a major beyond it being particularly exceptional.
We classify a major as worth of the top 5 based on the resources available to students in the major, the diversity of courses and how often new course options are added, and the depth of the faculty. For Duke, we also prioritize how study abroad fits into the major, as 54% of Duke undergraduates do a study abroad program. They run over 40 study away programs on 6 continents. Last, but surely not least, we look at post-graduation resources and outcomes.
With all that in mind, these are our top 5 majors at Duke!
Physics B.S.
Biology may be the most popular science major at Duke, but we’re actually more excited about the Biophysics major. The Biophysics program brings together biology, chemistry, and physics (unsurprisingly), requiring students to excel in things like high-level calculus, molecular biology, physical chemistry, and more. Students have access to courses like “Quantum Mechanics I” and “Genetics and Evolution,” and so much more. They are also strongly recommended to pursue a research-independent study, and at least an introductory course in computer science. (https://physics.duke.edu/undergraduate/biophysics-major) The major prepares students to go into medical school, lab or field-based research, entrepreneurship, or to work for major companies — with impressive starting salaries. Students who excel in the program want to understand the biology of the world around them in a quantitative way, are curious about the world of research, especially medical research, or who want to create devices and innovations that change the world.
Public Policy
This one is on the top 5 list for the most popular majors for undergrads at Duke, and we’re glad so many students are picking it. The Public Policy major at Duke is seriously impressive. The major is highly structured, but there is also a lot of latitude for focusing in on the area (or areas) of public policy that are most interesting to you. Students who really want to make the most of their time can also enroll in the 4+1 Accelerated Master of Public Policy, which means you graduate with a B.A. and a master’s in five years. In order to qualify for the 4+1 program, you’ll need to maintain a 3.5 GPA minimum through junior year, at minimum, and plan your coursework such that you can fit the additional course requirements in around Duke’s liberal arts distribution requirements.
Statistical Science
The Statistical Science major is for numbers people. Students in the program go on to careers in data science, analytics, technology, finance, law, and a lot more — and they’re able to make a splash from the start. Today, we live in a world all about facts and figures and figuring out facts using figures, so statistical science students are particularly well-prepared to help companies, non-profits, researchers, and more navigate the ups and downs, changes and U-turns that seem to be hitting every day. If you want to do this major, though, you’ll need to be an impressive math student. High-level math is a requirement of the major, as are courses in regression analysis and statistical computing. You can choose to pursue the major as a B.A. or a B.S., though, and the B.A. option is slightly less math-centric. Students can also choose to concentrate in Mathematical Statistics or Data Science, though a concentration isn’t required.
Civil & Environmental Engineering
The Civil & Environmental Engineering major at Duke has been ranked in the top 15 CEE programs nationally, and Pratt is regularly ranked in the top 20 engineering schools for undergrads. Our favorite thing about the major is that it is highly customizable, with a program focused on Civil Engineering, and another in Environmental Engineering. Like the Public Policy program, too, there is an impressive five-year program which means you could leave college with an undergraduate and graduate degree, setting you up for a strong start in the professional world or kickstarting something like a PhD. Students can also layer certificates on top of their major, enhancing their degree to make them more attractive to future employers. These certificates include architectural engineering, global development engineering, and energy and the environment. No matter their focus, students in the program benefit from hands-on learning, leadership development, and immersion in research, service learning, and entrepreneurship. The study abroad opportunities, too, are very impressive.
Biomedical Engineering
We’re not just about engineering here, but the Biomedical Engineering program at Duke is just too good to pass up on if you’re an aspiring changemaker in the healthcare or health tech spaces. This program is designed for students who want to make an impact. From your first semester, you’ll be immersed in hands-on design work, research, data science, computing, and entrepreneurship. The hiring statistics out of the major are very impressive, as is the flexibility of the program to work with student interests and passions. For example, you could choose to double major in Computer Science or Mechanical Engineering. Students go on into graduate school, consulting, or industry, and a full 20% go on to medical or dental school.
No matter what you major in, you will take courses through the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, as Trinity operates not just as the largest undergraduate college at Duke by a long shot but also as the core of the liberal arts program all students are required to take on. All in, there are nearly 438,000 “unique academic combinations” students can pursue.
If you’re a high-achieving student excited to pursue your best collegiate future, we can help.