WSUV campus adds two to its major offerings

Washington State University Vancouver is poised to add two more bachelor’s degree programs for liberal arts students, in time for the fall 2010 semester: history and sociology.

Approval came this month from the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Board.

The WSU Board of Regents is expected to give final blessing this summer, school officials said.

The two new majors would raise the WSUV total to 18 bachelor’s degrees, 10 master’s degrees and one doctoral degree, across 37 fields of study.

About 3,000 students attend the Salmon Creek campus, including several hundred freshman and sophomore students on a four-year degree track.

Long a popular major for the university, sociology has increased in demand, WSU student data show.

The subject ranks among the top four areas of interest for incoming WSU freshman students, and the number of sociology bachelor’s degrees granted at the main Pullman campus has climbed by one-third in the past five years (79 were granted in the college’s 2008-09 fiscal year).

Rooted in knowledge of human behavior, communication and statistics, sociology skills are useful in many careers, such as public relations, teaching and jobs in government, social agencies and business.

A history degree can appeal to students who are interested in careers in teaching, museums and libraries, and government and law.

For more: http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu.