And
the top 5 majors are...
By Rachel Rodriguez
Pulse Staff Reporter
Palo Alto College offers 53 majors
ranging from Business Management to Kinesology.
Many students declare a major when they enter Palo Alto. Others have yet to
decide which major to pursue. Some choose Palo Alto for the core curriculum
or “basics” before heading off to a 4-year university.
“My employment background has always been in Business Management, but I
did not have the degree to back it up,” said Reyna Ortiz, a freshman Business
major.
According to the 2003-2004 Palo Alto College Fact Book, the top five Academic
and Occupational & Technical majors are Education, Business Administration,
Nursing, Criminal Justice and Computer Information Systems.
The most popular academic major on this list is Education, with a total of 707
students declaring this major in the Fall 2002.
For Elementary Education, the student majors in Interdisciplinary Studies and
selects a specialization, such as Math/Science for grades fourth through eighth.
For a complete list of advisers, look in Palo Alto’s Spring 2004 course
schedule.
The second most popular academic major on the list is Business Administration,
with a total of 637 students declaring this major in Fall 2002.
Students who know the college they wish to transfer to and are involved in a
2+2 program should declare Business Administration as their major and talk with
Jim Riley in AS 128. Other business majors should enroll in the Business Management
program and be advised by Elsa Zambrano in AS 126.
“I wanted to come in and learn how to become a good manager,” said
Dorothy Hernandez, a former Palo Alto student who is now a junior at A&M’s
System Center, majoring in Business Management, “and develop good leadership
skills to get into a good corporation.”
The third most popular major is Nursing, with a total of 313 students.
Nursing majors take courses in Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, and more.
For advisement in Pre-Nursing, contact Dr. Theresa Arburn, Dr. Eleanor Skelley
and Lisa Strain. Their department office is located in GE 200.
The fourth most popular academic major on the list is Criminal Justice. A total
of 227 students declared this major in 2002.
Criminal Justice has many classes you can take that will help you get into a
4-year university, including Criminal Investigation, Police Systems & Practices
and more. Students should seek advisement with Steve Mardock, in GE 237.
The fifth most popular major is Computer Information Systems, with 207 students
declaring this major in 2002. Those students majoring in Computer Information
Systems should contact the department secretary at 921-5431. Available times
and adviser names are posted on the door of OZU 116.
These majors are only the tip of the iceberg. Palo Alto offers many others,
including Anthropology, Music, Pre-Medicine, Engineering and many more. Information
on the college’s core curriculum and majors can be found in the 2003-2004
Palo Alto College Bulletin.