The 10 most popular majors with undergraduates at NIU are not reflective of the national figures compiled by The Princeton Review.

Nationwide, the most popular majors are business administration, psychology, elementary education, biology, nursing, education, English, communications, computer science and political science. Psychology, which is the second most popular major nationally, has been among the top 10 majors at NIU for years but remains below the No. 2 spot.

Javier Berlanga, a senior psychology major, chose his major because he’s interested in human behavior.

“There’s a mystery in everybody, that’s the biggest draw to psychology,” he said. “It’s interesting that we think we know so much about ourselves. I’ve definitely become more tolerant of people by learning about cognitive processes and social science.”

According to Vice Provost Earl Seaver, institutions vary in size and curriculum, which makes comparing national figures on top majors like comparing apples and oranges. Some majors, such as those in the College of Business, require students to meet certain requirements to stay enrolled. Also, pre-area-of-study or undecided majors within certain schools are for students who are not yet able to enter the major they wish to earn a degree in.

“We want to provide opportunities for students to find a match for what they want to do,” Seaver said. “That’s what being a comprehensive university is all about.”

With 52 majors, 61 minors and 67 different emphases, NIU provides students with plenty of options for the future.

“There are lots of different reasons to choose a major,” said Michael Broshears, coordinator of the Academic Advising Center, which will be opening soon. “There is not ‘one right’ major-a chosen major doesn’t necessarily dictate a particular career.”

The teacher education major had the highest enrollment for undergraduates, with 973 enrolled, and the highest total enrollment for grads and undergrads in Fall of 2003. That same semester, the accountancy department was third most popular major for undergrads, with 843 students.

By the fall of 2004, the accountancy department jumped to No. 1 with 940 enrolled students. Gregory Carnes, department chair, and Crowe Chizek, professor of accountancy, attributes the major’s popularity to a rising demand for accountancy majors in the business world.

“It’s a combination of a few things,” Carnes said. “Northern has had a tremendous reputation for accountancy for a couple of decades, and Congress is requiring a lot more responsibility from corporations with regard to their financial information.”