Pay more to major in journalism or business?

A New York Times story from Sunday reports that some schools are beginning to charge students more for certain majors, including business and engineering. Excerpts, including a Texas A&M note, follow:

And Arizona State University this fall will institute a $250-per-semester charge above the basic $2,411 tuition for in-state upperclassmen in the journalism school.

Such moves are being driven by the salaries commanded by professors, the expense of specialized equipment and the difficulties of persuading state legislatures to approve general tuition increases, university officials say.

... Even as officials embrace different pricing for different majors, many acknowledge they are unsure about a practice that appears to value one discipline over another or that could result in lower-income students clustering in less-expensive fields.

... In business schools, professors' salaries have risen, with some schools paying starting professors $130,000 or more, said G. Dan Parker III, associate executive vice president of Texas A&M University, which he said was considering whether to charge higher tuition to undergraduate students studying business.

"The salaries we pay for entering assistant [business] professors on average is probably larger than the average salary for full professors at the university," Parker said. "That's how far the pendulum has swung at the business schools, and I sure wish they'd fix it."