the retention of students in a specific institution. Whereas students departing from a given institution could be leaving education altogether (i.e., dropouts), they could also be headed to other potential fates such as transferring to a different institution (transfers), or just temporarily leaving to return to school at a later time (stopouts). Given that there has been an increased tendency toward non-traditional enrollment patterns, including multiple institution attendance, the need to further understand the successful persistence of students seeking postsecondary degrees via various paths has become vital (Adelman, 1999). Although there is empirical data that compares degree completion rates with a variety of factors including demographics, background, scholastic ability, aspirations, institution type, school experiences, and GPA, there have been only a limited number of studies that have investigated factors related to persistence and degree completion that may be specific or unique based on a student's major. Results from these studies have begun to shed light on the subject, and one study found an interaction between students major and gender when students pursued a course of study that was considered nontraditional based on their gender (Leppel, 2001). ]