<p>The following is a list of selective universities sorted according to the number of different undergraduate majors offered. The more majors, the greater the diversity in student interests. I think diversity in the curriculum enriches the culture at a university.</p>
<p>A "major" is defined as the 4-digit CIP code for a subject of study developed by the US Department of Education. There are about 362 possible different CIP codes at the 4-digit level. For example, electrical engineering is 14.10 and mechanical engineering is 14.19. CIP codes go out to the 6-digit level which are like options within a particular major.</p>
<p>From IPEDS Peer Analysis System 2007</p>
<p>University of Minnesota-Twin Cities 93
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus 92
Michigan State University 89
Ohio State University-Main Campus 88
University of Wisconsin-Madison 88
Brigham Young University 86
University of Washington-Seattle Campus 82
University of Georgia 80
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 74
Miami University-Oxford 72
University of Florida 71
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor 71
Baylor University 70
Iowa State University 69
Rutgers University-New Brunswick 69
Syracuse University 69
University of California-Davis 69
University of Connecticut 68
University of Miami 68
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus 68
Texas A & M University 67
University of Delaware 67
University of California-Berkeley 66
New York University 65
The University of Tennessee 65
Purdue University-Main Campus 64
Auburn University Main Campus 63
The University of Texas at Austin 63
University of Maryland-College Park 62
Boston University 61
George Washington University 61
University of Missouri-Columbia 60
Northwestern University 59
Cornell University 58
University of California-Los Angeles 58
University of Iowa 58
University of Pennsylvania 58
University of Southern California 58
Indiana University-Bloomington 57
Washington University in St Louis 57
Tulane University of Louisiana 55
University of California-San Diego 55
Lehigh University 53
University of California-Irvine 53
University of Denver 53
Columbia University in the City of New York 50
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 50
Brown University 49
Clemson University 49
University of California-Riverside 49
University of California-Santa Barbara 49
University of Colorado at Boulder 49
Vanderbilt University 48
Marquette University 47
Saint Louis University-Main Campus 47
Southern Methodist University 47
Johns Hopkins University 46
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 46
University of Notre Dame 46
Case Western Reserve University 45
Carnegie Mellon University 44
Stanford University 44
Tufts University 44
Fordham University 43
SUNY at Binghamton 42
University of California-Santa Cruz 42
University of Virginia-Main Campus 42
Yale University 42
Dartmouth College 40
Georgetown University 40
Rice University 39
Emory University 38
University of Chicago 38
Boston College 37
American University 36
Harvard University 36
Pepperdine University 36
University of Rochester 36
Duke University 34
Princeton University 32
Brandeis University 31
Clark University 29
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 29
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 29
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus 28
Wake Forest University 28
College of William and Mary 27
Worcester Polytechnic Institute 26
Yeshiva University 20
Stevens Institute of Technology 19
California Institute of Technology 16</p>
<p>In general, I think there’s a very strong correlation between the number of majors and the enrollment at the institution. My bias is the opposite - I think that there’s a negative impact in rampant institutional size. Also, most institutions will regularly monitor and assess degree offerings with an eye to phasing out those which are underperforming, in order to allow their remaining offerings to be as strong as possible - another case in which smaller may be better.</p>
<p>Very few universities can manage many top ranked depatments, but those that do (Cal, Cornell, Michigan, Penn, Texas, Stanford, Wisconsin etc…) offer students depth and breadth that smaller universities cannot match.</p>
<p>There are some ways smaller may be better, but it is impossible to maintain that having more choices, more areas that you can take courses in, or major in, can be construed as anything but a positive, in and of itself.</p>
<p>At a school with fewer offerings available it is increasingly possible that a student may get turned on to a particular area of study, or a sub-area within a broader field, and find that it is impossible to pursue it there. This actually happened to my D1.</p>
<p>Brigham Young 86
Baylor 70
Syracuse 69
New York University 65
Boston University 61
George Washington University 61
Northwestern University 59
Cornell University 58
University of Pennsylvania 58
University of Southern California 58
Washington University in St. Louis 57
Tulane 55
Lehigh 53
University of Denver 53
Columbia 50
Brown 49
Vanderbilt 48
Southern Methodist 47
Marquette 47
St. Louis University 47
Johns Hopkins University 46
Notre Dame 46
Case Western 45
Carnegie Mellon 44
Stanford 44
Tufts 44
Fordham 43
Yale 42
Dartmouth 40
Georgetown 40
Rice 39
Emory 38
University of Chicago 38
Boston College 37
American University 36
Harvard 36
Pepperdine 36
University of Rochester 36
Duke 34
Princeton 32
Brandeis 31
Clark 29
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 29
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 29
Georgia Tech 28
Wake Forest 28
Worcester Polytechnic Institute 26
Yeshiva 20
Stevens Institute of technology 19
California Institute of Technology 16</p>
<p>modestmelody-
Those 95 concentrations at Brown may not fall into different CIP codes at the 4-digit level. Some may be too similar to be considered different majors by this definition. Or, they may be majors that did not have any graduates in 2007-08.</p>
<p>What matters? Whether they have CIP codes (don’t even know what that means) or whether the university considers it different enough so as to keep records of it individually and to have something different written on the degree (if honors are chosen)? In fact, that argument specifically means that this is not a measure of breadth if the measure thinks some differentiations are too small to consider them different.</p>
<p>As for having graduates, as a member of the sub-committee on concentrations on the College Curriculum Council here, I can tell you that all but MCM German and Italian have had active concentrators exceeding 4 in the last 4 years.</p>
<p>Most of the ones with no concentrators (Literature and Society, for example) no longer exist and are kept on the charts because someone did them recently enough to list it. That being said, some things are definitely missing from more complete data I’ve been provided with internally and some degrees in there are not as split as they should be.</p>
<p>Here is what Brown University reported to the US Department of Education for 2007-08
Three of the majors only had one graduate.</p>
<p>Economics 150
International Relations and Affairs 136
Biology, General 87
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other 77
History 75
Fine and Studio Art 69
Neuroscience 67
Area Studies 66
Engineering, General 53
English Language and Literature, General 53
Human Resources Management and Services 52
Political Science and Government 50
Psychology, General 49
Linguistics Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services 39
Applied Mathematics 38
Creative Writing 35
Computer and Information Sciences, General 33
Public Policy Analysis 27
Anthropology 25
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology 25
Architecture 21
Public Health 20
Mathematics 19
Philosophy 19
Religion/Religious Studies 19
Biomedical/Medical Engineering 18
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 18
Sociology 17
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 17
Urban Studies/Affairs 16
Natural Resources Conservation and Research 14
Chemistry 14
Physics 14
Music 13
Education, General 12
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, and Gender Studies 12
Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics 11
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft 8
Biomathematics and Bioinformatics 8
Business/Managerial Economics 7
Mathematics and Computer Science 7
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences 6
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 6
Engineering Physics 5
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics and Population Biology 5
Archeology 3
Social Sciences, Other 2
Medieval and Renaissance Studies 2
Bioethics/Medical Ethics 1
Classical and Ancient Studies 1
South Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 1</p>
<p>So you’re taking USDoE numbers as more authoritative than our own Office of Institutional Research? Notice an “other” category with 18 people? Notice Applied-Math being collapsed to one concentration, etc.</p>
<p>My point is, if you want to look at this as a measure of breadth of interest, you should use numbers which are accurate, not ones which are convenient to collect and compare. I can answer easily for Brown because of my personal involvement with these issues-- I hope other schools will have students respond about how accurate these numbers are as well.</p>
<p>I think I’ve presented a valid source to suggest your list needs an edit.</p>
<p>Also, look at Biology, other.</p>
<p>These aren’t actual concentrations, these are categories available that we checked off a list. Hardly the most valid way to count up concentrations.</p>
<p>Area studies? That’s not a concentration, that’s a whole class of concentrations.</p>
<p>It’d also be interesting to see these number corrected for number of students at the institution or number of faculty. Obviously these things effect the number of programs that are easily accommodated, and correcting for this would show which schools have been more supportive of interdisciplinary study by showing that their programs haven’t developed out of sheer mass of students and faculty, but rather, some of it was the institutions strong support when these interests do emerge.</p>
<p>Yes, I’m biased, but it’s actually quite clear from your list (assuming other schools don’t have gross under-reported numbers) that Brown’s reputation for interdisciplinary work is pretty damn well justified and I’d hate to see this compromised because of arguing over sources when one clearly is correct.</p>
<p>Your Office of Institutional Research reported the above numbers to the US Department of Ed. Brown University does not disagree with the above data.</p>
<p>You are coming up with more majors at Brown because you are making finer distinctions than the 4-digit CIP code level allows. If we went to the 6-digit level of analysis, majors at University of Minnesota would number in the hundreds. It is all relative. I am using a standard coding system so there is a common basis for comparing universities.</p>
<p>I think we have to remember that these universities are “selective,” meaning that they’re already ranked relatively high… or at least most of them. Look at the top 12 on the original list, with the exception of BYU, they’re all ranked in the top 75 national universities.</p>
<p>And I’m wondering if we want the USDoE to determine what makes something a distinct and separate field as opposed to universities. Guess what? There are tracks at Brown that go beyond separate degree granting programs-- all of these areas have been determine to not be tracks (like the 4 in political science) but rather to be separate degree granting programs. I think that the choices made by individual institutions reflect the distinction far more accurately.</p>
<p>Among the Ivies, Cornell and Penn offer the most choices among majors. It is interesting that tiny Dartmouth has more majors (40) than Harvard (36), although Harvard is primarily a graduate/professional school in terms of enrollment numbers. I am surprised that Princetoen offers the fewest majors (32).</p>
<p>The narrow focus of the tech schools is revealed by these numbers. Six out of the bottom 9 schools are tech schools, all offering fewer than 30 majors.</p>
<p>It’s not really that surprising. Cornell and Penn are far more preprofessional for undergraduates and that opens up a whole set of concentrations/majors that the other Ivies don’t offer or do but not to undergraduates. Dartmouth and Brown, by luxury of being smaller, are better able to foster communication across disciplines and departments because there is less importance placed on the department structure (in some ways, for individual professors at least) and therefore, one is less likely to know your colleagues in the larger umbrella field and more likely to seek out colleagues working on similar systems or ideas elsewhere in the university since the critical mass does not exist within the same building most of the time.</p>
<p>modestmelody, I am not sure I agree with you. At large universities, there is a lot of cross-department faculty that work with peers from various departments. For example, at the University of Michigan, there are close ties between the Electrical Engineering and Psychology departments. There are also close ties between the Econ department, the school of Public Policy and the Law School. Most of the International Studies departments have connections with either History, Political Science, Language or Economics departments. All of the life sciences (Biology, Biochem, Chemistry etc…) have cross-faculty ties etc…</p>