Skip Navigation

Double Major, Double Life: Best of Both Worlds

Gaylord Extra: November Edition

Double Major, Double Life: Best of Both Worlds

By Allie Schwartz, Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences Class of 2025

Everyone in Gaylord College is familiar with the required minor to accompany each degree and expand the field of learning, but what do our students know about pursuing a dual major? Gaylord students with majors in Gaylord and another college are fully immersed in their learning experience by taking their interests to the next level. Double majors within the college find ways to enhance their experiences outside of the college.

Peyton Garrett, a senior pursuing a dual degree in creative media production in Gaylord College and management information systems in the Michael F. Price College of Business, decided to study MIS to better understand the business side of things.

“Business, in general, is a great degree for any journalism person to have because, well, a lot of us are passionate about producing high-quality media and, at the end of the day, there is a business side to it,” he said.

In the course of his Price College studies, Garrett has gained a greater appreciation for Gaylord College and its home base, Gaylord Hall “Price is really congested,” he observed. “And as a senior, there are plenty of people I can walk around there and I recognize and I'm able to have conversations with, but it’s not like Gaylord where there’s people that I can easily walk up to, sit down [and] have a conversation with, or just find a chair and just relax for a few hours between classes.” 

Kayla Hawley, a sophomore pursuing a dual degree in journalism and political science in the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences, has always had an appreciation for storytelling in journalism. Taking both political science and journalism classes, Hawley feels “like [her] teachers are always mentioning each other.”

She gave an example “Last week we were working on data in one of my political classes, and they were like, journalists always get this wrong. And then literally Monday of this week, we did data in my journalism class, and she was like, ‘Make sure to not get this wrong.’”

Hanaa Saidi, a public relations senior, waited until the 2023 spring semester to declare a double major – in history (in the College of Arts and Sciences)  Noting that the coursework is very similar, Saidi added, “So in history, everything is very research-heavy and we have to do a lot of finding certain sources to be able to do all of the papers and things that we need to do. And in public relations, it’s kind of the same thing, just at a different pace. But it's giving you the same ability to research and learn.” Doing research in both of her majors gives Saidi a wider range of skills to be applied to her future endeavors. 

These are just a few of many Gaylord students who found passions outside of the college that apply to their current and future goals. Each student adds new dimensions to their Gaylord major by pursuing passions and bringing their knowledge back to the classrooms.

Peyton Garrett, Kayla Hawley, and Hanaa Saidi.
Peyton Garrett, Kayla Hawley, and Hanaa Saidi.
Peyton Garrett.
Peyton Garrett
Kayla Hawley.
Kayla Hawley
Hanaa Saidi.
Hanaa Saidi

Related News

November 30, 2023

OU/TX from the Inside

It is an understatement to describe this year’s OU/Texas game as a memorable one. Between the nail-biting score in the last minutes of the game, and the exhilaration of the crowd, it is fair to say that if you were able to attend this year’s Red River Rivalry, you witnessed OU history.


November 30, 2023

Gaylord Women in Sports to Sports Girls Club

Over the past couple of years, Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication has had the honor of hosting a space for women looking to step foot into the sports media industry. This group was a chapter of the Association for Women in Sports Media before it became unique to Gaylord College and the organization’s name was changed to Gaylord Women in Sports.


November 30, 2023

Life from Spain

Empathy must be earned, so seek the unknown. We live in a bubble. All of us. Our safety net. Our personalized networks of people who lift us up and reinforce our actions, beliefs and opinions, regardless of their true impact on others. We shun and ostracize those who are different from us.


November 30, 2023

Double Major, Double Life: Best of Both Worlds

Everyone in Gaylord College is familiar with the required minor to accompany each degree and expand the field of learning, but what do our students know about pursuing a dual major? Gaylord students with majors in Gaylord and another college are fully immersed in their learning experience by taking their interests to the next level. Double majors within the college find ways to enhance their experiences outside of the college.


November 30, 2023

Invisible String to Gaylord: Erin Kokdil

Erin Semine Kökdil never planned on becoming a filmmaker. She was unsure where to go next when she graduated from Smith College with a bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies and Spanish.