The Economics, Geography, and Political Science departments are seeing record numbers of students declare majors in their subjects, as more students flock to Carnegie than in recent memory.

Political Science has around 40 more majors than in 1994, and Geography, with 54 majors, has experienced a huge surge from just 19 majors in 2000.

However, boasting 122 declared students, the Economics department has by far the longest major list in Carnegie. In the senior class alone, seventy students are Economics majors. This represents a growth of 82 percent from ten years ago according to the 2003 edition of “Macalester College Fact Book.”

What has sparked the sudden interest in the so-called “dismal science?” According to Economics Professor and Department Chair Vasant Sukhatme, the answer lies in the academic strength of the department. “I just like to think a good, solid department attracts students,” he said.

Sukhatme also credits the overall stability of the faculty. According to Economics Professor Gary Krueger, in the past five years the department has granted tenure to a number of faculty members and has hired two tenure-track professors.

The Political Science and Geography departments have noticed a similar correlation between faculty stability and student enrollment. Geography Professor and Department Chair David Lanegran directly attributes the recent surge of interest in Geography to the addition of two new tenure-track faculty members in the past three years. “The (new) faculty are more energetic,” Lanegran said. “Students see that.”

Political Science Professor and Department Chair David Blaney also credited strong faculty with the rise in popularity of his department.

Aside from faculty stability, Sukhatme also credits the increase in Economic majors to a rise in the number of international students at Macalester. Since 1994, the school has boosted international student enrollment by nearly 100 students. Well over half of all Economics majors are international students.

According to a number of international students, Sukhatme, and Economics Professor Karl Egge, international students often choose Economics because a degree in the subject can translate into a well-paying job directly after graduation.

Further, many student visas mandate that any international student wishing to stay in the United States after graduation must enroll in further education or find a job within one year.

“If you’re an international kid and your goal is to stay in this country…you’ve got to get a marketable skill,” Egge said.

Economics as job preparation is especially appealing given the current job-market, according to Sukhatme and Egge. Both claim that in times of an unstable economy, students are more career-oriented, and thus choose Economics over majors that are popularly understood to hold less post-graduation job potential. According to Sukhatme, the current popularity of Economics is a trend that extends beyond the Macalester campus and has been noted in liberal arts schools across the country.

Whatever the reason for increased enrollment, there are a number of challenges that face a department when its numbers increase rapidly. One obvious result of having more majors is having larger classes to meet demand.

Professor Egge said that five years ago, 18 students enrolled in his “Finance” class. This semester, there are 31 enrolled.

Egge said that he prefers smaller classes. “There’s better exchange and learning taking place when there are 15-20 kids,” he said.

Krueger is teaching two “Intro to Econometrics” classes—each with around twenty students. As a professor who emphasizes paper writing, the large numbers make his life outside class more trying. “I’ll be grading this whole time over fall break…and Thanksgiving break,” Krueger said.

The increase in majors also creates strains on the Economics department’s resources outside of the classroom. Eighty-two percent more majors results in 82 percent more advisees, 82 percent more faculty-sponsored internships, and 82-percent more letters of recommendation to be written. “We’re kinda getting overworked,” Egge said.

Because enrollment numbers ebb and flow every few years, Economics cannot simply hire new faculty to meet demand.

The Biology department, for example, went through a huge, but brief, peak in majors a few years ago. In 1994, the department had 72 declared majors. By 2000, that number had jumped up to 118—making it by far the most popular major. The trend did not last, however, and today the enrollment is back down to 79. “We were very overloaded,” said Biology Professor and Department Chair Lin Aanonsen.

While the social sciences are on the rise, many of the humanities and fine arts departments have seen shrinking major lists. According to the Macalester College Fact Book, History majors went down 42 percent between 1994 and 2003, and English majors slid by 21 percent.