At the same time that the quality of the incoming freshman class was increasing, the proportion of students declaring a major in programs generally considered to be pre-med also increased. As seen in Exhibit 28, the programs in the life and natural sciences attracted approximately 10 percent of freshman majors in 2000 and nearly 16 percent in 2010. Interestingly, the number of majors in all other disciplines was almost the same in fall 2009 as in fall 2000, meaning that the pre-med majors absorbed all the growth in first-time freshmen at FSU. EXHIBIT 28 TRENDS IN SELECTION OF STUDENT MAJORS AMONG FRESHMAN STUDENTS AT FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
FSU is a major research university, and it strives to become even more nationally prominent in its research endeavors. A high proportion of the top-ranked research universities rely heavily on the research productivity of medical faculty members to maintain and build their reputations. Medical research attracts both federal (primarily National Institutes of Health) and corporate sponsors.
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