Saint Leo offers many programs, but some programs are noticeably missing.
Credit:@Wikipedi
Of the seventeen fields of study, Saint Leo University Main Campus offers approximately over forty majors and over fifty minors. A few popular majors being: Accounting, Business Management, Biology and Criminal Justice. Each of these also have further specializations for students interested in a certain area of these studies.
Though a relatively small institution, Saint Leo still provides benefits such as small class sizes, a large athletics program, a wide variety of clubs & organizations, and an undergraduate enrollment of 2,265. However, one thing that some students of Saint Leo University would agree on is the lack of variety when it comes to majors provided.
Some of the popular suggested majors included: Chemistry, Film and Physics.
“More people would be interested in a Chemistry major because they prefer it more, but they just settle for the chemistry minor because it’s the closest thing”, says David Guadarrama, Junior and Biology: Health Medical Sciences Major (with Chemistry minor). Even non-science majors have recognized the problem/potential issue from the lack of Physics and Chemistry majors. Kat Holzapfel, senior and History major pointed out that “Chemistry is everything and Physics keeps us on the planet”, insinuating that for these reasons, it is strange that Saint Leo University does not provide these Sciences as majors. Some popular schools that offer a Chemistry and Physics major are Florida International University, University of Miami and University of Florida.
Multimedia Management majors: Raychard Ferguson and Michael Williams, both suggested that there be a Film major. Michael claimed that Saint Leo should have more majors in directed study. In other words, he preferred if there was a narrower/more specific field of multimedia to study. But Raychard believes that though he would prefer the Film major, in the end, it all comes down to internships and work experience, for his major. Some schools in the Florida area that provide this major include: Miami Dade College, Hillsborough Community College, Florida State University, University of Central Florida and University of Miami.
The problem of specialization arose also for Psychology major Alissa Averill. “I think we have way too many minors and not enough major varieties”, says the Sophomore who advocates for an experimental or even sports option under Psychology. Though considering to transfer, she decided to settle for the general Psychology provided, because of her love for life here at Saint Leo University.
Freshman and Economics and Management Major, Sebastian Videaud, wanted to do Finance but settled for Economics and Management, as he wanted to remain close to home. University of Miami, University of Florida and Florida Atlantic University. Markel Floyd, Junior, suggested that Saint Leo University have an Engineering major. Other schools in the Florida state that offer this major include: University of Central Florida and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Rachel Flaherty, Freshman Honors Student and English major preferred Saint Leo University had a Journalism major, as she aspires to be a journalist someday and Saint Leo only has a journalism minor. Some schools in the Florida area that provide a journalism major include: University of Florida, University of Miami and University of South Florida. She settles for the English major as she appreciates the small campus size as she feels like she is more than just a number.
A trend among Criminal Justice Majors was surprisingly the need for an Art-related major. These included Dance, Nutrition, and even Fashion Design. At the same time, two out of three students suggested these majors on their friend’s behalf. In other words, they rather Saint Leo University provided these majors, because their friends have found schools that are providing them and decided to transfer, unlike others who settled for some other major. Tihanna Hijdinjak, Sophomore and Biology: Health Medical Sciences Major, suggested there be a Nursing major, based on her aspirations. Some colleges in the Florida state that offer a Nursing major include: Florida State University, Florida State College and University of Miami.
Other suggested majors included: Anthropology, Classics (Latin, Greek languages and history), Biology (as a Master’s program) and one student even suggested that Saint Leo University be the first school to offer a major specifically in Stocks Trading.
It can be seen that a good percentage of the student body here at Saint Leo University are simply “settling” with the major they chose. Reasons varying, they all however at some point considered attending other schools, but fortunately have decided to continue studies here at Saint Leo University. However, even with Saint Leo being a great institution, there is always room for improvement.
