The Rise of Choice in the U.S. University and College: 1910-2005

Over the twentieth century, the curriculum in U.S. universities and colleges was restructured around the individual rather than a set body of knowledge. This is evidenced in the shift from a prescribed curriculum often classical in orientation to the elective system. This article explores these changes and tests whether broader economic factors or institutional cultural factors affect these changes. I argue that the shift from prescribed to elective curricula is due to the institutionalization of the individual in society, the process in which the individual person is increasingly culturally defined and legitimated as the primary actor of reality. I use longitudinal regression models to identify the broader social sources of curricular change for a sample of 30 universities between 1910 and 2005. The findings support my argument that a key condition that led to the decline of prescription and the rise of choice is the institutionalization of the individual. I also find that student enrollment has a significant effect on the structure of the curriculum. I find some support that the socioeconomic status of students matters in affecting the university discourse on the centrality of the student. Little support is given to explanations that emphasize interorganizational competition and economic differentiation.