A different kind of major

From owning sports teams to making music, some study unexpected subjects

Although there are many majors offered at JMU, there are a few in particular that seem to stick out. Some may wonder how the Jerry Maguires, Steven Spielbergs and P. Diddys of the world get their know-how. At JMU, students have the opportunity to gain knowledge in these fields through the sport management, music industry and cinema studies majors. While some students are learning about accounting and biological pathways, others are learning how to own a baseball team or make a movie.

Although JMU does not offer a bachelor's degree in these areas of study, students can elect to study these fields as concentrations within other majors. The sport management concentration will prepare students to work in a variety of settings, according to the kinesiology department Web site, www.jmu.edu/kinesiology. A business minor is required in order to declare sport management as a concentration within the department of kinesiology. The concentration involves no more than 30 hours from the College of Business with a minimum entry grade-point average of 2.0.

Graduates with this concentration can leave JMU prepared for entry-level positions in management that may include sports agencies, sports promoting, team management and potential ownership of professional teams, according to the Web site.

"Sport management is a great concentration because, as the sports industry continues to grow, there are more and more opportunities available," alumnus Paul Vizcaino ('03) said. Vizcaino now works for Enterprise Cars in the promotional department where he specializes in advertising through sports entertainment.

Owning the New York Knicks is not for everyone. Some may want to consider the music industry concentration instead. A concentration in music industry is offered through the school of music and presents a broad course study that fits the needs of this diverse profession, according to the music industry Web site, www.jmu.edu/music/degree_programs/#industry. Graduates with this concentration range from creative managers to entrepreneurs.

Students who major in music industry must take both music and business courses. Some of the career opportunities may include concert production and promotion, working for major recording labels, music publishing and entertainment magazines, according to the Web site. Music industry program students have access to JMU's digital recording studio as well, which they utilize in classes and projects. The studio has synthesizers, sound processing equipment, computers and the software to facilitate many digital recording needs. "Since I want to work as a singer/songwriter, this concentration has given me the knowledge I need to get my foot in the door," said senior Josh Taylor, a double major in music and business with a concentration in music industry.

"I work hard, but I also know that one day I will end up doing what I love," Taylor said.

Another music class of interest, Concert Promotion and Production, also known as MUI 422, is offered for music industry senior majors. For more information about this class, see page 11.

Similar to the school of music, which gives students the training to work one day in the music industry, the school of media arts and design offers a concentration in cinema studies. Cinema studies is designed for students who want to learn the secrets of Hollywood, according to senior Mary-Paige Salisbury, a cinema studies major.

In order to become a cinema studies major, students must apply for the school of media arts and design major and get accepted. Once accepted, they have the option of majoring in four concentrations, of which cinema studies is one. This concentration was intended to go along with the interdisciplinary minors in film studies and creative writing, according to the cinema studies Web site, http://smad.jmu.edu/deptweb/cinstu. Given the chance to learn what takes place behind the scenes from scripts to lighting, students are taught how to convey the power and excitement of the big screen.

"My major offers some of the coolest, most interesting, and fun classes at JMU," Salisbury said.

The breakdown

By senior writer Kelly Jasper

With more than 50 available majors at JMU in five colleges, the number of students in each major seems to vary greatly.

General psychology is the largest major with nearly 900 students enrolled, according to a 2002-'03 JMU statistical summary. Coming in second, 823 students selected marketing as their primary major. Biology majors rang in as the third largest, with more than 660 students, and integrated science and technology majors placed fourth with about 630 students. Rounding out the top five most popular majors, 572 students selected interdisciplinary liberal studies as their major.

With only 18 students, the smallest major is hearing disorders, followed by the 22 students in operations management. Two majors are tied for the third smallest with 25 students each — adult education/human resource management and school psychology. The fourth smallest major is special education, with 28 students. And, with a total of 30 students, health education is the fifth smallest major.

The College of Education, which offers six different active majors, comes in as the smallest of all five of JMU's colleges. With only 807 students, there are more psychology majors than all of the students in the College of Education combined. In the college, interdisciplinary liberal studies is the largest major, while adult education/human resource management is the smallest.

With five available majors and about 1,000 students, the College of Science & Mathematics is the second smallest college. Geology, the smallest major in the college, has 58 students, while biology is the largest in the major with 663 students.

The College of Business, with 12 majors, places third with about 3,300 students. Operations management, which is the second smallest major overall, is the smallest major in the college. The largest in the college is marketing, which came in second largest overall.

And, with about 3,860 students, CISAT is the fourth largest college and offers 15 different majors. The largest, the College of Arts & Letters, has more than 4,070 students and the most majors than any other college — 17. The largest and smallest majors overall also are the largest and smallest majors in CISAT.

While enrollment in each major varies, there are more than 2,000 undeclared students, leaving plenty of room in the future for even the smallest of majors to grow as high in numbers as some of JMU's largest.