Students at the University have one more major to add to their never-ending list of possibilities.

A women's studies major is being offered for the first time this semester.

Lynne Goodstein, director of the women's studies program, said the new major is well received.

"I'm amazed," Goodstein said. "It's like opening a store and waiting for customers to come in."

So far about eight students have registered for the new major, she said.

"Students tend to major in what interests them," said Theodore E. Kiffer, former interim dean of the College of the Liberal Arts.

Kiffer said he doubted the new major will be as popular as other majors, such as accounting. The major, which was approved along with the new black studies major by the University Board of Trustees in July, requires 124 credits for graduation.

The field of women's studies is only 20 years old and institutions are just beginning to recognize it as an academic enterprise, Goodstein said.

While a women's studies major is being offered, there is no women's studies department, a fact that Goodstein said needs to change.

The program has a strong core of faculty and course offerings, she said.

Becoming a department takes time and resources -- "meager that they are," said Kiffer.

The main difference between a department and a program is that a program can not grant tenure to faculty, Goodstein said. Also, personnel is jointly appointed between the program and a college, she added.

Leah Ann Hill (junior-women's studies) transferred here from the University of Pittsburgh in part because of the major.

Women's studies "makes you think about how you are in the world," Hill said, explaining that it makes one "look at things critically and analytically."