The Value of Numbers
Communication, economics, finance top majors; physics, math, accounting, languages on the rise
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On the heels of a year the world spent fixated on numbers and the people who work with them, Boston College enrollment trends show students gravitating toward classes and majors where math is in demand.Physics has seen the number of majors climb to an all-time high of 88, nearly double what it was at the start of the decade. With 219 majors, mathematics has added 40 students in the past two years. Chemistry added 20 majors this year, for 136 in total. In the Carroll School of Management, accounting added 72 majors from last fall, growing to 393 students and supplanting marketing as the school’s No. 2 major for the first time since 1994.
“When you see accounting overtake marketing for the first time in many years and you see economics climbing, as well as the sciences and pre-med, it tells you there’s a rising interest in everything related to numbers,” said Student Services Executive Director Louise Lonabocker, who tracks enrollment trends at BC.
Physics chairman Ferris Professor Michael Naughton said the department not only has more majors, but very few unfilled seats.
“Our classes are jammed,” he noted, with a smile.
While the economy and a drastically re-shaped job market are seen as likely influences on course and major choices, other factors could be at play, say faculty. This year’s freshman class, which cumulatively boosted the average SAT score by 11 points, could be seeking challenging courses. The role of popular culture – from books to TV shows – has also been suspected of steering students into majors.
The top three majors remain communications (944), economics (804, combining the College of Arts and Sciences major and CSOM concentration) and finance (772). The University’s pre-med program continues to attract students in droves, with 1,729 participants – up 85 percent since 2000.
Majors with smaller enrollments are seeing dramatic growth. The Slavic and Eastern Languages and Literatures Department now has an all-time high of 48 majors, up from just seven in 2000, reflecting student interest in Arabic and newly-added courses in Farsi, Tajik, Turkish and Persian. Romance Languages report 141 majors, just shy of an all-time high of 144 majors 20 years ago.
With 40 new majors since 2007, Mathematics has boosted credit hours by 600 compared to a year ago. Mathematics chairman Professor Sol Friedberg said the economy could be a factor, but notes the increased interest in the major follows a number of projects designed to welcome students to the department. Initiatives include a new PhD program, a distinguished lecture series to introduce students to leaders in the field and a “block party” held to present faculty and highlight future course offerings.
Friedberg noted that mathematician was listed as the top occupation in the US by the Wall Street Journal earlier this year, followed closely by actuary and statistician.
“Maybe the word is out that being a math major can lead to a very satisfying career,” said Friedberg. “But I think the vitality we exhibit as a department is a contributing factor. We’ve done a lot, I hope, to raise interest in the field.”
Professor Howard Straubing, who chairs Computer Science, said BC’s department has mirrored national enrollment trends. The growth in enrollment is encouraging to faculty and students, he said.
“We saw a slight uptick last year,” said Straubing. “This fall, we’ve had a 60 percent increase in the number of students enrolling in Computer Science I. Not all of them will be computer science majors, but they’re drawn to the courses and we hope that means we’ll have more majors a couple of years down the road.”
Lonabocker said the economy is often tied to the shifting trends in course loads and majors. But sometimes, all it takes is a little Hollywood star power to send students scrambling for their courses.
“There are always fluctuations in majors and enrollments,” Lonabocker said. “Sometimes it’s because of the economy. Or sometimes it’s because of a popular television show.”
Ed Hayward can be reached at ed.hayward@bc.edu