From music and theater to chemistry and math, high-school students soon will be able to choose from hundreds of majors beginning in their freshman year.

Beginning Feb. 1, the students can access high-school major choices online at www.facts.org, state Department of Education officials announced Friday. They can preview the choice list now.

"Today is an important day in the history of Florida high schools," Cheri Pierson Yecke, chancellor for kindergarten through 12th grade education, said during a press conference at Chiles High School. The department has identified 422 high-school majors that students throughout the state can choose from, she said.

Leon County Schools Superintendent Jackie Pons joined Yecke and other speakers in announcing the majors, which include music, drama, visual arts, chemistry, math, communications, technology and more.

Pons said graduation rates should improve and dropout rates should decrease with the major-selection process.

"Students will have the ability to focus on their career preparation," Pons said. "For parents, there’s flexibility - so that majors can be changed. That’s a very important part of this."

Chiles High School Principal Alan Cox said the list of majors will offer students many opportunities.

"This is just a piece of our secondary format," Cox said. "It thrills me to know that our students will be able to compete in a global world."

Florida’s plan for high-school majors is unique, Yecke said.

"We are starting a trend for the nation," she said.

The high-school majors plan is called the "16-plus-four-plus-four," Yecke explained: It includes 16 core courses plus four electives plus four major courses. The high-school majors will go into effect with ninth-graders in the 2007-08 school year.

"The law says high-school students must choose a major - but no child will be prohibited from graduating for not having a major," Yecke said.