What is a College Minor?

As you approach the decision to declare a minor you might feel puzzled about what the term means for your academic career. In order to make abreast decisions, it is important to understand what exactly is a college minor. 

A college minor is a set of courses that a student takes to enrich and enhance the value of their major. Students who wish to pursue a minor have to take about five courses that pertain to the subject field.

For example, if you wish to earn a minor in Religious Studies, you will likely be required to take five courses within that sector such as New Religious Movements, Modern Religious Sects, Introduction to the Bible, Understanding the Quran, and Major World Religions.

How do I get a College Minor?

Minors ask for special requirements which are much lesser than the majors. The requirements include mandatory classes and a certain number of credit hours in the subject. In order to be able to complete the program, interested students should speak to their college academic advisor, to ensure they can fit in their schedules without interfering with their major requirements, and so that everything is completed on time. Students should seek information from someone in their intended minor department for additional information.

How to pick a College Minor?

It is based on the following factors. 

 

Select on the Basis of Your Career Goals

 

A great way to choose your minor should be based on the courses you want to pursue in your future. It might include a minor in finance, accounting, or economics. 

 

Select on the basis of your Personal Interests

 

You must choose the minor purely based on your own interests. So if you are an engineer, you would want to choose a minor similar to the subject.

Various Types of College Minors

Many colleges or universities offer both majors and minors, but some do not have the latter. Some minors don’t even have associated majors, hence it really depends on the precision of the minor program and the specific institution. Different schools have different minors, so you need to look into what your college offers before selecting a minor if you decide to go this route.

Here are a few popular college minors that you may find at your school 

• Business

• Religious Studies

• Economics

• Political science

• Sociology

• Mathematics

• Finance

• Chemistry

Should I minor in something?

This question depends entirely on the student and what they are really interested in studying. Some majors have a strict and demanding workload. Many students end up taking double-minor in two different subjects. Some might attend a college where the minor they’re interested in is not offered. 

Though minors do require some commitment but can be very beneficial in the long run.

Pros and Cons of declaring a College Minor

Pros of declaring a College Minor

Though students know the importance to declare a major, many do not realize the benefits of declaring college minors while in school. It is considerable to select a minor or to take classes from a different department that will complement the degree. Many colleges give students the chance to minor in one or more areas. When you go to college, you can study almost any subject you find interesting. 

After picking a major, you should look for the benefits of selecting college minors, which in turn will broaden your skills and help you become more diverse.

 Hence the benefits of declaring a College Minor include -

Revamp your Future Outlook

Selecting the right minor can advance your future outlook. Some college minors can help you ace the competition and enhance your resume. 

For example- If you want to major in journalism and write for a well-known magazine or newspaper one day, you need to select a minor that shows you have experience in another area. With a computer science major, you can show employers that you have a strong understanding of technology and technical subjects.

 

Broaden your Skills

 

 The classes you take in your minor field can help you broaden your skills and teach you different ways to accomplish the same things.

 

 

Become More Diverse

 

Another benefit of picking a minor while in college is that it makes you more diverse. You can learn and broaden your skills and develop the traits that employers actually look for in new employees. You might declare a minor in the same subject that you studied in high school. This gives you an edge over the subject and further improves your skills.

 

Double Major

 

Many schools require that you take general education courses in addition to electives and courses from your major. Instead of picking multiple minors, you can often take just a few more classes to double major in two fields of study without spending any more time in school.

Cons of getting a College Minor 

 

It requires your time

 

It will require you to put in a lot of time, as you will have to manage back to back classes. More classes mean more studying and more assignments. Hence, a minor can be a difficult thing to fit in for some students. In the same vein, more classes mean less free time. Hence, you might have a hard time fitting in if you are taking on more courses.

 

Expensive

 

More classes add on to more fees. Each course costs something, so if you are adding on extra classes, your college costs could rise significantly, especially if you didn’t plan on taking a minor.

Conclusion

Hence you might consider taking a minor when you are interested in a specific subject or a domain. Though you might not make it your major area of focus, a minor can prove to be beneficial in the long run. But, also consider the potential downsides before you make your final decision.

Hope you’ve found this article useful. Good luck!