Why Vanderbilt doesn’t have pre-professional majors

Vanderbilt Hustler Freshman Kelly Champagne always figured she would major in business in college. That wasn’t an option for her at Vanderbilt, though.
“Because there was no business major at Vandy, I had to do my research to find the closest thing,” she said. “I ended up in HOD, and I have loved it, but it is definitely a different path than majoring in business would have been.”
For years, Vanderbilt undergraduates have been asking why there is no business major at the university. Many students who want to pursue a business career have settled for a major in Human and Organizational Development or Economics, or a minor in Managerial Studies.
Business is not the only sought-after major Vanderbilt doesn’t offer. Other common student requests are journalism and pre-law or pre-med majors. Coursework in these specific career areas doesn’t appear to be coming anytime soon, though.
“Vanderbilt is a traditional liberal arts education,” said Professor and Associate Provost for Digital Learning John Sloop. “We are going to provide the students with a top-notch, world-class liberal arts education where they understand how to communicate and they understand what’s important to communicate.”
Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Science Yollette Jones feels that pre-professional and career-oriented majors simply aren’t necessary at Vanderbilt.
“The College of Arts & Science has approximately 50 existing majors and 50 existing minors in which they have invested tremendous resources,” she said. “These areas of study are examined and improved upon routinely by faculty who are knowledgeable about those disciplines and willing to share with students the benefits of their cutting edge research.”
How does Vanderbilt compare to other to other top colleges in terms of pre-professional majors, though? Of the 17 schools that rank the same or higher than Vanderbilt in the U.S. World and News Report rankings, nine offer a business major, five offer ...


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