ABSTRACT
The importance of major-field divisions is not limited to San Francisco State College. Students entering various major fields are apt to differ somewhat in background or demographic characteristics. Original choice of major field is also associated with the sex of students. Future research should enable us to answer such questions as whether white male Catholic students of high socioeconomic background show attitudes and value differences across major fields. Students in the general fields connected with humanities almost without exception fall into the high ranking with respect to relative importance of aesthetic values. Students in education and in premedical programs rank people-oriented career requirements higher than do students in other fields. Majors in various social science fields tend to rank high or medium, whereas students in the fields of the natural sciences and humanities are medium or low. Students from different kinds of sodal and economic backgrounds differentially select certain fields of study, as do males and females.
