Curriculum Guide
Academic Minor
An academic minor is a curricular component which enables a student to
make an inquiry into a discipline or field of study, or to investigate
a particular theme. It is organized around a specific set of objectives
or questions. The objectives of a minor are achieved through an ordered
series of courses, whose connections are defined to indicate an internal
structure. Minors are intended to provide competency in the subject.
Course offerings in a minor may be centered in a specific department or
drawn from several departments as in the case of a topical or thematic
focus.
A minor consists of fifteen to twenty-one credit hours, with at least
six credit hours, preferably nine or more, at the upper level (300 or above).
Nine to twelve credit hours are organized in a logical sequence of require
credits. This core provides general direction for the student's study
while maintaining a degree of flexibility. Flexibility is achieved
by offering the student a choice from among a group of courses to complete
the credits. Departments have the responsibility to administer all
minors within their unit and to approve appropriate substitutions for students.
Those units involved in interdepartmental minors perform the same function
as departments. Courses taken in a minor may ordinarily also be used
to fulfill other academic requirements, e.g., majors, general education,
without reducing the minimum number of hours required for a degree.
However, no student may declare a major and a minor in the same discipline.
The integrity of a minor is measured by the degree to which the structure
and content meet its objectives and, thereby, serve the student.
It is also determined by its relationship to the curricular goals and objectives
of the department. The regular evaluation of a minor to ensure its
integrity and the practice of noting it on a student's transcript indicate
its importance to the university curriculum. The true significance
of a disciplinary minor is demonstrated by the extent to which it leads
the student to some understanding of that discipline or field of study
and to a certain degree of competence with its methods of inquiry.
The quality of an interdisciplinary or thematic minor is determined by
its ability to suggest answers to the questions upon which it is focused.
In either case, a minor should provide basic insight into a subject that
helps further the student's educational goals.
|
