Out of 110 undergraduate majors listed on campus, pre-business is ranked the No. 1 most popular, according to the fall 2009 enrollment research statistics.

Paul Portney, dean of the Eller College of Management said that he thinks business has become an increasingly popular major at the UA for two reasons.

“”The terrible recession we’re enduring has made students more aware that they need to equip themselves with the skills necessary to get a job when they graduate,”” he said. “”Second, the Eller College is one of the top-ranked undergraduate business schools in the country.””

There are 3,373 students enrolled as pre-business majors, according to a list of the top-20 most popular majors obtained by the Daily Wildcat.

Portney said Eller’s programs in entrepreneurship and also management information systems are ranked among the top three in the country — among both public and private universities.

He said that to be pre-business, initially all a student has to do is declare interest, but poor academic performance can disqualify someone quickly.

To apply to Eller as a sophomore and start as a junior, Portney said a student must have at least a 2.75 overall GPA and at least a 2.75 GPA in his or her pre-business courses.  

Students must also go through a professional interview, he said.

“”It’s a demanding program, and that’s one reason why it’s highly ranked,”” Portney said.

“”In addition to getting an excellent scholarly education, Eller students learn outstanding communication skills and develop the ability to work well in groups,”” Portney said. “”Both of the latter are valuable skills in government or the non-profit world, just as they are in business.””