Academic Minors
The minor in an academic subject is awarded for coursework completed in or coordinated by a single academic department. Academic minors exist only in conjunction with academic majors; they do not stand alone. The minor represents specialization in a second discipline, exclusive of, and more limited in extent than, the major. An academic minor may be established only in a Board-authorized baccalaureate degree program (as identified in the “Master List of Curricula Offered”) and is noted on the student permanent record/transcript. The minor is a credential restricted to undergraduates.
Academic minors recognize successful completion of approved coursework which reflects, at a minimum, 15 credits of non-introductory classes with a grade of C or better. The classes will constitute an academically defensible, focused aspect of the degree program from which they are drawn.
The procedures for the development and approval of an academic minor are as follows. The proposal is initiated by the department and, upon approval by the department chairperson, is forwarded to the appropriate dean. If the proposal is approved after the usual faculty and decanal review process within the college or school, it is transmitted by the dean to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for approval.
Records of work in progress and of completion of minors are maintained in the relevant departmental and college/school offices. The Office of Admissions and Records compiles periodic summaries of total number of minors awarded. The master of list of available minors is maintained by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
- Points to Be Addressed in Proposals for Undergraduate Minors (PDF)