By Scarlett M. Barger
scarlett@newsroom.byu.edu
Reasons ranging from marketability to flexibility make some majors more popular than others at BYU.
According to the office of Applied Technology Services, the majors with the highest enrollment for Fall Semester 2000, beginning with the highest are, pre-management core, English, psychology, pre-elementary education, and elementary education.
The Web site, iada.byu.edu, gives figures for undergraduate daytime students.
Amy Kohler, pre-management core program coordinator, said the high enrollment of the business program is due to the degree's marketability.
More and more, people are realizing the value of a business degree, she said. A business degree is a good background for nearly anyone, especially entrepreneurs, she said.
The English major is popular because it is generic, said Mary Anne Rich, supervisor of the humanities advisement center.
Students going into fields like engineering usually know specifically what they want to do as a career.
English applies to students who enjoy learning, but don't have a specific career in mind, she said.
It is more often the student's emphasis or minor that will determine what career the student can have, not the English degree itself, she said.
Artha Jackson, graduate secretary for the psychology department said, a bachelor's degree in psychology serves as a 'stepping stone' for master's degrees in other areas such as business.
Jackson said she believes BYU students are drawn to psychology because LDS students have a deeper sense of spirituality than other students have.
They also probably have a greater urge to help society, because of their desire to serve others, she said.
Winn Egan, chair of teacher education, said 1,100 to 1,200 students graduate each year with degrees in education.
For women, educational degrees are often 'insurance policies,' he said, meaning women can use these degrees to work in an emergency.
These degrees are desirable because, women can learn how to teach and discipline their own children, while simultaneously pursuing a degree, he said.
Teacher's schedules also mirror children's schedules, he said. This advantage gives teaching mothers time with their children that other working mothers might not have, Egan said.
Many students also use teaching degrees as a basis for other areas, such as law school, counseling, or social work, he said.