Guidelines for Minors

Requirements for Minors

Definition of Minor

A minor is a course of study that allows undergraduates a second field of specialization. Minors are intended to encourage and officially acknowledge students’ attainment of knowledge in more than one academic field, with the goal of broadening their education.

Rationale for the Requirements for Minors

By approving requirements for the development of minors and recording procedures for implementing them, the college is taking a planful, deliberate, and rational approach to developing quality programs for our students. Doing so also allows all constituents of the community to know the standards upon which minor proposals will be judged and decisions made.

Requirements for Minors

  1. Minors are to consist of a minimum of 18 credits and a maximum of 21 credits.
  2. A minimum of 3 credits should be at the 300-level or above.
  3. Each minor should include at least one 3-4 credit course which is a commonrequirement for all students.
  4. At least two-thirds of the credits for meeting the minor requirements must be graded on an A through F basis.
  5. No more than one-half of the credits used to meet the requirements for the minor may be transfer credits from other colleges or universities.
  6. A minor shall be completely optional for a student and cannot be required by an academic program.
  7. Courses used to meet the requirements for the minor may also be used to meet the requirements for a major, a minor in another field, or the general education requirements. However, the dual use of courses in this manner should be kept as minimal as possible.
  8. Minor requirements must be completed with an earned 2.0 (C) grade point average.
  9. Approved by Curriculum Committee March 16, 2007, approved by College Council April 18, 20079. Students should declare minors by the time they have earned 75 credits. This will be done by submitting a Declaration of Minor form to the Registrar’s Office.
  10. When a student completes a minor, including having made a formal declaration of the same, the Registrar will enter the appropriate designation on the student’s permanent record and transcript.
  11. Minors will not appear on the diploma. Minors will be conferred at the same time that the degree is conferred. Minors may not be conferred retroactively upon students who have already graduated.

Procedural Guidelines

  1. Proposals for minors may be initiated by faculty from departments or programs, or by a group of faculty who wish to propose a multi-disciplinary or interdisciplinary minor. Proposed minors will be submitted to the Curriculum Committee for approval and be vetted by the New Programs Subcommittee.
  2. Minor proposals must have the approval of the appropriate department chair(s).
  3. Proposals should be submitted on the proper form and follow the Requirements for Minors approved by the college. Both are available on the Office of Undergraduate Studies Web page.
  4. A fulltime faculty member must be designated to coordinate the minor and provide advisement to students.
  5. All minors will be described in the Undergraduate Bulletin.
  6. Those offering the minor will make information available to students including a description, learning objectives, course requirements, credits, and any other special requirements. This information should be available on the Web and in print.
  7. The Registrar shall maintain records of the names of all students declaring minors and provide that list to the minor advisor each semester. The Registrar shall report to the Curriculum Committee each fall on the number and types of minors completed in the prior year.
  8. Before the year 2012, existing minors will be revised to adhere to the approved requirements for minors. If an existing minor has not been approved by the Curriculum Committee within that time, it may no longer be offered.

Approved by Curriculum Committee March 16, 2007, approved by College Council April 18, 2007