Policy on Minors

POLICY ON MINORS (Faculty Assembly, Spring 1981)

  1. A Department or Program may establish a course of study which would constitute a minor in that Department or Program. The program for a minor must be approved by the Curriculum Committee and will be published in the College Bulletin.
  2. A minor program shall require at least 18 hours. Students shall be warned that completion of major and minor programs may force the student to take more than the 122 hours minimum required for graduation. No more than 40 hours carrying the same “department” designation on the transcript may be applied toward the 122 hour minimum for a B.A. degree. No more than 60 hours with the same designation may apply toward the 122 hour minimum for a B.S. degree.
  3. Departments and Programs may accept or reject a student’s application for a minor. The completion of the minor must be certified by the Department or program offering it. Successful completion of the minor will be recorded on the student’s transcript.
  4. A student shall not be required to take a minor program. An indication of the student’s intention to take the minor program must be made on a (revised) Declaration of Major form or on another such document.
  5. The student must meet the requirements of both the major and the minor programs. Courses constituting a minor may be used to fulfill other requirements. The student must maintain a 2.00 average in the minor program for its successful completion.
  6. A student may elect a major and minor offered by the same department only if the major and minor are in separate programs as defined by the list in the current bulletin.

GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTING THE POLICY (Curriculum Committee, February 19, 1981)

  1. Each minor proposal will receive the same careful consideration a new major proposal would receive. The Committee will want assurance that there is logic and coherence in the required work, that the courses in the program will be available as needed, etc.
  2. Each should include some introductory or core courses, to be followed by more specialized courses, or groups of courses from which students may choose.
  3. Whereas the minimum number which may constitute a minor is 18, the maximum number which may be required is 24. Strong justification will be needed for requiring more than 21. Inasmuch as 21 hours constitute a “minor” for teacher certification, departments which design their minors for prospective teachers will probably want to require 21 hours.