Should I stay in college longer than a planned 4 year path to gurantee getting both of my desired majors?

If your school offers the opportunity for you to double major, I suggest you go that route because you will save time. Otherwise, it is still wise that you take an additional semester to graduate with the degree/major that you really want.

Not everyone is able to complete their degree in 4 years. Some take longer than others. For those doing a dual major, it's expected that you will be there 5 years unless you carry 18 credits each semester and take summer courses. That being said, the answer will depend upon a few things. Most importantly, how are you paying for college? The longer it takes you to graduate the more it is going to cost you. If you have enough in savings, grants and/or scholarships it might not be that bad. If however you are relying on student loans, it will be an issue. You need to think long and hard about how much debt you want to take on.

Another thing to consider is how these two majors relate to your career goals. If you truly believe both majors will help you achieve what you want out of life, go for it. On the other hand, if you just want to do two majors because you have an interest in one of them that's not really related to what you want to do in life, maybe you should consider taking classes in that field later after graduation. You wouldn't major in it per se, but taking classes at a community college or online would give you exposure to the curriculum. You could even get a professional certificate.

Hi Joshua, I know it's been over a year since you asked this question but I wanted to add to Chanel and Paul's answers. We go to college for different reasons, and I want you to think about why you're in college - is it to learn more about what you're interested in or is it to get a practical education that can get you a job? I think a dual major is a wonderful idea and staying in college longer doesn't hurt if you have the time and money. I went to a wonderful school at NYU [Gallatin] where I took interdisciplinary classes and created my own major, and many students do the same thing. If you know what interests you of business and science - there will be a connection, I promise! So you could minor in one and major in another, etc. Business and Science are applied disciplines and there are many similarities in how you get from one point to the next point. For example - analyzing data to get insights, running experiments with variables, looking at what works and what doesn't work. Many people who graduate with science degrees end up working in business but I don't know many people who graduate with business degrees who work in the science field unless its for a big pharmaceutical company.