From future doctors to FBI agents, students at Texas A&M University-San Antonio are choosing five standout majors, with a natural science leading the way.
The most popular major this academic year is biology, with 801 undergraduates classified as biology majors in fall 2025, followed by psychology (547), criminology/criminal justice (514), management (465) and kinesiology (421).
Students in COMM 3301, Reporting researched that data in the annual Fact Book published by Institutional Research and Analytics at A&M-San Antonio. They contacted department chairs, program coordinators and professors for their comments. These faculty members responded:
Megan Wise de Valdez: chair, Department of Natural Sciences, and professor of biology
Q: Why do you think this major is so popular?
A: I think it is so popular for multiple reasons: 1. High schools promote STEM majors as lucrative. 2. Biology is the classic degree that high school students are told will get them into the health professions. 3. High school students love the idea of being a scientist, especially if their science teacher was a good one. 4. Our biology program at A&M-SA has multiple tracks that are very attractive to incoming students, especially:
- Zoology track – many of our students want to go to veterinary school or they want to work in a zoo, so when they see the word “zoology,” it immediately attracts them to our university. There is no other university near us that has a zoology major and while ours is not a major, it is a track within our biology degree plans that has a curriculum which prepares them to understand the complexity of the animal kingdom, from vertebrates to invertebrates.
- Pre-health profession track – this track is attractive because it provides a menu that has been curated to provide a path towards getting the pre-requisites for multiple health profession degrees. If you ask the faculty, it isn’t our favorite track because one can get into medical school or veterinary school with any major, so long as they take the necessary prerequisites. Rather, we very much encourage students to choose a track with more flexibility so they can truly follow their interests rather than a menu. That being said, students want it and it increases our enrollment, so we keep it.
- Our other tracks are equally awesome, but they cater to a smaller group of students, and those are the ecology track and the cell and molecular track.
- The basic BS degree is more popular than any of the tracks simply because it offers the most flexibility and thus students can more easily graduate on time.
Q: What do graduates usually do with the degree?
A: Wow, that’s a big question! With so many students who graduate, it runs the gamut!
Students in our program have gone on to become dentists, doctors, veterinarians and PAs. Others have gone on to graduate school and are now professors at other universities. Many go on to get a master’s of public health. Others are employed by H-E-B in quality assurance. Some work at UT Health, SWRI, Texas Biomed as laboratory technicians. Texas Parks and Wildlife has hired our students. One of our graduates is the natural infrastructure coordinator at the United States Department of War and was just awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award.
Durant Frantzen: chair, Department of Criminology and Political Science; professor of criminology and criminal justice
Q: Why do you think this major is so popular?
A: A criminology/criminal justice degree is very interdisciplinary. Many people don’t realize that from outside the field. The field draws heavily on psychology, sociology, political science and management, so students get a very well-rounded academic experience. Then there is the branding associated with crime and justice that is intriguing to many students. Once students go through our program, they discover the realities of crime and what makes the criminal justice system work (or not).
Q: What do graduates usually do with the degree?
A: Graduates go into all of the obvious fields such as policing, corrections and courts, but they also take jobs in related areas such as nonprofit work, public administration and in the private sector. Our internship program provides a gateway for students to explore these different career paths.
John Smith, professor of kinesiology
Q: Why do you think this major is so popular?
A: One of the reasons why kinesiology is so popular is because there are so many professions that use movement to improve physical, emotional and mental health, and it is also used in rehabilitation, fitness and performance. Our undergraduate degree is also used for those interested in graduate schools that involve physical and occupational therapy, allied health and even those pursuing medical school. It is also a growing field due to the spectrum it serves, such as our aging population so that we can help our elderly have a good quality of life in their later years, to helping our youth to be active to avoid early onset of disease.
Q: What do graduates usually do with the degree?
A: There are many things graduates can do with a kinesiology degree, such as pursuing degrees in athletic training, physical and occupational therapy, exercise physiologist, cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, teaching physical education in schools, chiropractor, biomechanist, sports management/marketing, exercise/fitness instructor, strength and conditioning coach, and so much more.
These responses were edited for length, Associated Press Style and clarity.
