The Office of Advising Support, Information, and Services (OASIS) will be hosting its second annual Academic Minors Fair today.
The event will be held in the Talley Student Center Ballroom from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The Fair will allow students to explore the minors offered by the University. Advisors from various departments will be on hand to provide brochures and information, and help students decide if a minor will complement their education.
Carol Schroeder, director of the University Career Center, says that minors can give students a competitive advantage when applying for a job or for graduate school.
“Minors add a whole other dimension to your educational program,” Schroeder said.
She listed two main advantages to having a minor.
“First, your minor could supplement what your major is,” Schroeder said. “Your minor could also show the breadth of your academic range and interests.”
Betsy Alexieff, an adviser at OASIS, said, in general, no formal application is needed to obtain a minor. Students must simply take the required courses and fill out paperwork to demonstrate that they have taken the courses. Forms are submitted the semester prior to graduation.
Some minors, however, have more stringent requirements. To obtain a business administration or art and design minor, for example, students must first apply to the program.
Alexieff advises that students consider a few important points before deciding to pursue a minor. “Minors typically require 15 to 18 credit hours,” said Alexieff. “If a student is in engineering, most of the time they don’t have free electives, so taking on a minor may extend graduation.”
The 15 to 18 credit requirement may not include necessary prerequisites, however. Obtaining a math minor, for example, requires successful completion of calculus I, II, and III in addition to 15 credit hours.
Dr. Jeff Scroggs, the director of Undergraduate Math Programs, is the adviser for students pursuing a math minor.
“A minor in math shows that students have stronger quantitative skills,” said Scroggs.
He adds that the coursework complements many analytical majors, and is popular among physics, computer science, and statistics majors.
He advises that students choose a minor that reflects their interests. “I think that’s the best way to select a minor,” Scroggs said.
Kalie Porterfield, a junior in mechanical engineering, plans to obtain a math minor.
“My major fulfills all the prerequisites and 3 credit hours of a math minor, so for me it’s only four extra classes,” Porterfield said. “A lot of those classes, like [differential equations] II and linear algebra, will be useful in my major.”
Some students hope that a minor will help set them apart when applying for a job or to graduate school.
Ali Thomas-Hollands, a junior in animal science, says that she decided to get a genetics minor because she felt it would make her more competitive.
“It’s supposed to look good on your vet school transcripts,” Thomas-Hollands said. “I’m hoping it will set me apart from all the other animal science majors.”
The genetics minor has been so popular among CALS students in the past that the Board of Trustees recently approved the addition of a genetics major to the college.
