Though they planned to study economics when they enrolled at NC State, CJ Lineman also knew they wanted to continue to build upon the six years of Spanish education that began in middle school.

The Alexander Hamilton Scholars Program provided a unique opportunity to do so and came with additional resources.

Open to students who have taken at least 12 credit hours at NC State, Hamilton Scholars complete the course requirements for two degrees. The program offers access to professional and social activities, and scholars study a foreign language and study abroad as well.

Hamilton Scholars complete an accounting, business administration or economics major in the Poole College of Management and one of several majors in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS). Though the Hamilton Scholars program began at NC State at least two decades ago, the timing for Lineman was serendipitous as the program recently added four additional major options within CHASS to include international studies, world languages, anthropology, political science and history.

“I thought about minoring in Spanish, and then I found the Hamilton Scholars,” Lineman says. “The program gave me the opportunity to study abroad and continue to study Spanish – it was perfect timing, too, with the new majors they’ve added to the program.”

Students at NC State are offered many opportunities outside of their classroom learning, says Rob Sandruck, one of the program’s co-directors and director of Global Programs for Poole College. The addition of new degree options within CHASS provides students the best chance to find their fit within the Hamilton Scholars Program.

“We’re excited that it’s expanding and providing more students with more opportunities,” he says. 

The program continues to offer students a unique global perspective in their studies, Sandruck says.

“Poole provides the technical education in subjects from accounting to business to economics,” he says. “Coupled with the humanities and social sciences, the result is that students will have studied the world or parts of the world and then have the technical education that they can apply throughout the world.”

Rather than simply pursuing two degrees on their own, the Hamilton Scholars provides a bridge for students, says Seth Murray, the program’s co-director in CHASS and director of CHASS’s program in international studies.

“The program provides highly accomplished honors students an opportunity to join their degree in Poole and the humanities and social sciences, and to have a structure that’s not a standalone experience but instead provides the co-curricular support in areas such as professional development,” he says.

Students in the program are generally looking to go above and beyond what’s expected of them in terms of achieving their college degree, Murray adds.

“Hamilton Scholars produces incredibly well-rounded students,” he says.

They’ll have taken advanced business courses within Poole and coupled that with complimentary cultural competency and language skills. Students hone technical writing skills and advance independent research. By the end of their time at NC State, they have co-op or internship experiences and have studied abroad, as well as having advanced language training, Murray says.

“And, they’ve developed a group of peers who are highly motivated, accomplished, like-minded in their openness to the world and interested in interdisciplinary bridge-making,” he says.

Graduates can go on to work in a variety of fields, Sandruck says. Some apply their global perspective to a traditional business career, while others may look at something focused in service or the nonprofit realm such as health care delivery in developing economies or farming techniques in developing countries, for example.

Lineman is still in the early years of the program, but they’re already seizing opportunities and thinking about the future. This fall, they will spend the semester studying abroad in Mexico, where they will take two economics and two Spanish courses, thanks to a scholarship they received through the Hamilton Scholars program.

Already, Lineman says they’ve enjoyed networking opportunities and meeting people they wouldn’t have met otherwise. Lineman is hopeful it leads to an internship during their junior or senior year. Advisors help Lineman plan ahead in course selection, and they are also seeing connections as they study Spanish and pursue a business degree, noting the global perspective comes in handy in areas from financial relations to international relations.

Though the idea of two degrees could sound overwhelming to some students, Lineman says it’s manageable and encourages others to consider the Hamilton Scholars Program if they’re thinking about a dual degree.

“If you’re planning to double major, then apply,” Lineman says. “It’s access to more resources; my scholarship, for example – I couldn’t have afforded to study in Mexico otherwise.”

This year’s cohort of Hamilton Scholars is as follows:

Name	Poole Major	CHASS Major
Keegan Aloian	Economics	Political Science, International Politics Concentration
Seth Boyette	Economics	History
Isabella Gutierrez-Echeverri	Business Admin, Finance	International Studies
Izabelle Mendez	Economics	Political Science, International Politics Concentration
Sarayu Nattamai	Business Admin	International Studies
Amber Summers	Business Admin, Analytics	International Studies
Jordan Toler	Business Administration, Marketing	International Studies, Global Relations

This post was originally published in Poole College of Management News.