Although student groups like Wisconsin Public Interest Group fight to keep textbooks affordable and ensure students can sell their books back, thrifty students may be curious to know which classes are more expensive than others in terms of textbook costs.
Extremely thrifty students may even want to choose a major based predominantly upon cost.
But which major is the most expensive in terms of textbooks and supplies? To answer this question, The Daily Cardinal undertook a study of select majors and their average textbook cost per class.
At the University Book Store, the Cardinal recorded book prices for courses in comparative literature, business, journalism, art and biochemistry.
The books required for different subjects varied in number and price, but surprisingly, the average cost for class was not as disparate as one might think.
Biochemistry ranked highest of the majors with an average cost per class of $126.50. But because there were only two biochemistry books on sale at the bookstore, it is conceivable that the major is cheaper once a student advances to higher-level classes.
Steve Scheibel, a textbook buyer at the University Book Store, noted certain subjects, biochemistry included, tend to have expensive books in introductory courses but less costly books later on.
He contrasted that with some liberal arts classes where students buy books throughout their college careers.
\If you're in poli. sci. or sociology, you're buying books until the day you graduate,"" he said.
Comparative literature came in with an average of $109 per class. Comparative literature classes tended to have more assigned books than other subjects, usually eight to 10. These books are usually paperback novels, but their sheer number increases the total amount spent.
The average cost for business and journalism classes came in within a dollar of each other at $88 and $87 dollars, respectively.
Scheibel noted business textbooks have a high re-sale value in relation to other majors. Because business classes, along with math and engineering, are taught every semester, often using the same books, students can get more money back if they sell their books back to the store.
Art classes rarely require books and the books at the bookstore cost only $46 on average, but the cost of other supplies needed for art majors can raise that cost significantly. Buying supplies such as pencils, paper, charcoal, erasers and more can run students between $100 and $300 per class, according to art students.
Readers, or course guides, available at Bob's Copy Shop and ASM Student Print can provide an attractive, cheaper alternative to textbooks for some classes.
Greg Downey, journalism assistant professor, chose to use a photocopied reader when he taught an introduction to mass communication class last semester. Professor Jack Mitchell, who is teaching the class this semester, is also using a reader.
Downey cited major reasons that influenced his decision to use a reader and not a textbook for the course. The reader was much cheaper than available textbooks for the course. Using a reader also allows the professor to customize course content, Downey said.
In final analysis however, textbook costs may come down more to perception than qualitative cost.
""Which majors cost the most?"" said Scheibel, ""I think everyone thinks theirs does.\
