Northeastern student Amanda Dupell is pursuing a combined major in Khoury College of Computer Sciences and the College of Arts, Media and Design (CAMD). As both a coder and designer, she has been able to combine her varied passions – and identify experiential learning opportunities that also engage both skillsets. She spent the last six months as a Frontend Engineer Co-op at HqO, a Boston-based company that builds software and services for commercial real estate firms. On campus, she has also served as the Web Editor at The Avenue, Northeastern’s premier fashion magazine.

We recently caught up with Amanda to learn more about her decision to pursue a combined major, her co-op experience, and how her experience at Northeastern has allowed her to dive into a diverse range of interests and activities.

Tell us why you chose to pursue a combined major in Khoury + CAMD!

Deciding to pursue a combined degree in Computer Science and Design was an easy decision for me, as it has allowed me to take a mixture of classes that combines my creative and analytical interests. When applying for co-ops, I was always asked about my major and having a knowledge of both design softwares and coding enabled me to problem solve with design in mind.

How have you been able to combine design and computer science in your co-op experience?

As an engineer who also has an eye for UI/UX, I knew applying to co-ops that I wanted to be involved in both the software development and design process. Thankfully, I found a startup in Boston that enabled me to do both.

I’ve been lucky enough to sit in on design meetings, then be a part of the coding that put that design in place.

My previous experiences in both design and computer science made this an easy transition for me, and I was able to offer the counter perspective in meetings when no other designers or coders were present.

Talk to us a bit about your involvement in The Avenue.

As a member of The Avenue, I have been able to keep my interest in fashion in college while not directly studying it. As web editor, I have responsibility and shared ownership over the website aesthetic. I work with my fellow editors to regularly put out content on the web and then once a semester, a magazine. This, again, was a great way for me to combine my interests in fashion and design with my computer science knowledge.

A combined major, while it may seem daunting upon initial review, is a great opportunity to pursue more than one discipline without overextending yourself. For me, I couldn’t exactly see where computer science and design lived in the same space at first.

To those of you who choose a combined degree in CS and Design, my advice is this: Push through. It will be so hard at times, but you’ll be glad you stayed.