Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Academic Programs

GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPING or REVISING UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC MINORS

About Minors | Procedures for Developing or Revising | Materials Submitted to Develop or Revise

A student cannot obtain a minor in their major.

Any student seeking a minor must consult with a minor adviser on a plan of work and must file a copy of this plan with the major adviser as soon as the minor is declared -- at latest, by the end of the regular registration period one semester prior to the semester of graduation. Plans of work filed late may result in recognition of the minor NOT appearing on student’s final transcript.

Satisfactory completion of the minor will be noted on the final transcript following graduation.

The number of hours required for a minor is at the discretion of the department or committee offering the minor.

Proposals involving academic minors should be initiated by the department, reviewed and endorsed by the college curriculum committee and subsequently by the college dean, and submitted by the college dean to the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Academic Programs for review and endorsement by the University Courses and Curricula Committee. 

Proposals involving inter-departmental academic minors will be subject to approval by all appropriate departmental and college/school committees, by the University Courses and Curricula Committee, and all appropriate academic administrators.

Proposals should include all pertient materials detailed below.

The specific number of copies required for submission of proposals to the college can be determined from the office of the dean of the originating college. After approval at the college level, college deans should then submit 25 copies including the original to the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Academic Programs, Campus Box 7105, Attn: Catherine Freeman.

Materials submitted for proposals to establish, revise or discontinue an academic minor

To establish a new minor, please submit:

1. Statement of Justification

2. Statement of Objectives

3. Catalog Description (for publication in the university’s undergraduate catalog): Provide a narrative summary of the program, see catalog for examples.

4. List of Courses constituting the minor

5. Administration of the Minor:

7. Optional: Statement on expected enrollment and resources required (e.g. early deadlines for application to the Academic Minor may provide departments with information for determining necessary resources).

Please Note: New courses developed for Academic Minors must be approved prior to (or concurrent with) the submission of the proposal for the minor. New courses will be subject to approval by the appropriate departmental and college/school committees, by the University Courses and Curricula Committee, and by all appropriate academic administrators.
See Guidelines for Developing or Revising Undergraduate Courses.

To revise an existing minor, please submit:  

1. Proposed revision(s) and statement of justification for each.

2. Revised Catalog Description, if revisions result in a change in the description of the minor.

3. If revisions involve a change in course requirements, submit a list of current requirements and a list of proposed requirements.

4. Administration of the Minor - when submitting any revision, please update the following information:

5. Summary of consultations with departments likely to be affected and responses from those departments, if applicable.

To discontinue a minor, please submit:  

1. Statement of Justification: indicate the reasons for the discontinuation.

2. Summary of consultations with departments likely to be affected and responses from those departments, if applicable.

3. Effective date of discontinuation.