Majorly popular: declared majors by the numbers

Choosing major is an important decision. Students spend years taking general classes before they decide what they want to do, or change majors halfway through their education and go in a completely different direction.

In the 2011-12 year, the most popular major at Utah Valley University was business management, declared by 2,441 students.

“I’m not surprised,” said Diana Johnsen, an academic advisor in the Woodbury School of Business. The well-organized Business Management Advisement Center is proof that the major is popular. Many students that chose the major have a general idea of what they want. The broad range of skills that a business management degree gives can be incorporated into many careers.

“It gives a strong business core. It provides more options and is more flexible for their degrees,” Johnsen said.

The location of Utah Valley University lures many business students to enroll each year. “A lot of times, students come planning to transfer to BYU, but then they like it and stay,” Johnsen said.

Though Rebecca Lagu is in the pre-nursing program, she understands why business management has such a high focus.

“You need to be your own boss, have your own desires,” Lagu said. “In this economy, it’s better so you can hire people to work for you.”

Whether these business students intend to help the economy by creating jobs, or have difficulty taking orders from someone else, this major abounds at UVU.

Not all majors are as full as business management. Some majors have fewer than 15 students. Twelve physics and chemistry majors pushed through last year, along with four licensed substance-abuse counseling students.

The least popular major was in the School of Education, with pre-secondary education at a grand total of one student.

This year’s students have yet to be tallied and sorted, but one can imagine, based on the previous year, what the coming students will choose to learn.