ON COLLEGE CAMPUS

CHOOSING A MINOR

By Barbara DiAlberto, College Advisor & Consultant

What exactly is a minor?
A minor is a concentrated area of study, usually closely related to a major. It is different from a major in that a major requires courses that provide expertise in a specific field; a minor gives breadth to a major and some cohesiveness to electives taken. For instance, a student who majors in international business may minor in finance.

These studies are closely related, and finance enhances the international business major. However, a student who wants to go into law may major in political science and minor in mass communications or communications art. At first glance, these do not seem closely related. Nevertheless, the classes included in this minor regarding how to communicate effectively would definitely enhance the student’s skills in order to achieve his or her goal. A minor gives a student expertise in a second area.

Why should I minor?
Minoring adds value to your degree and a competitive edge in the job market. Thousands of students are graduating from college each year. The competition for jobs is astronomical! Therefore, adding another dimension to your college degree is a definite plus! It shows that the student went “above and beyond” what he or she had to do to get a degree. Exploratory Student Resources at Indiana University strongly encourage students to double major or minor. There, as in a great number of schools, most fields of study offering a major also offer a minor in that subject. A student majoring in engineering or biology might minor in business administration. If a student is majoring in elementary education, a possible minor might be psychology. A student minoring in computer science or information technology in today’s world can only make him or her a more marketable candidate. A minor expands the student’s knowledge base.

Choosing a minor cannot hurt a student; it can only help. It can open up career paths. Some companies actually look for certain minors. For instance, if you are searching for employment in a certain area of the country and other languages are spoken there, minoring in that language is not a bad idea. If a student was looking for a job in Miami or Los Angeles, minoring in foreign language might be attractive to an employer.

Recruiting on campuses has increased at Microsoft Corporation by 60 percent in the last three years. Many companies keep in touch with professors on campuses to help them identify the best possible candidates. Merrill Lynch’s recruiting has increased from 20 percent to 25 percent in three years. Three out of four summer interns at that company will be hired. According to a survey of corporate recruiters in Business Week, there was a two percent increase in hiring of interns for permanent positions from the year before. The numbers went from 26 percent to 28 percent. If a decision on who to hire was between you and someone else and your résumés were similar, but you minored and other prospective employee didn’t, your minor could sway the decision in your favor. Having a minor can also help a student gain an internship while in college, as well as gain admission into graduate school. Half of new employees at IBM have interned at that company. Approximately one-third of students who graduated from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in 2005 were hired from internship positions. Many companies are increasing their internships. Minoring may give you an edge over other internship and graduate school candidates.

How does a student choose a minor?
LSome colleges have majors that require a minor. At Florida State University, as in many other schools, these are usually the smaller, liberal arts majors, such as social science and humanities. Generally, if a student has a passion for a particular area of study, it will be easier to complete that minor. Some students just minor in a field in which they have an interest. If a student has some idea of what area he or she would like to work in, they should talk to a college advisor about what minors would appeal in the job market. It’s also beneficial to talk to a professor or department chairperson. Visit the Career Advisement Office at your college. Utilize the resources at your school—you’re paying for them!

When do I declare a minor, and how many extra credits will it take to complete?
Check with a college advisor, but a minor is usually declared junior year. Therefore, you cannot minor at a community college. At Bryn Mawr, a student may declare a major and minor as early as the end of sophomore year. At the University of Chicago, a student must declare a major by spring quarter of a student’s third year, at the latest, while declaring a minor by the end of the spring quarter of that third year. Due to the fact that colleges do not require a student to minor, it is up to the student to ensure that all the credits for that minor are completed. Depending on the major and minor, it could take anywhere from 12 to 30 extra credits to complete. If a University of Pennsylvania student wishes to minor, the minor is generally half of a major or 18 to 24 credits (six to eight courses).

At Bentley College, a minor consists of at least 12 credits (four courses) from the same discipline. For one student at the University of Florida majoring in finance and minoring in both leadership and entrepreneurship, her minor will take an extra 18 credits to complete (six courses). However, this student started UF with credits from dual enrolling through high school. Many students take high school and college courses at the same time in their junior or senior year of high school. This gives them college credits. Another way to do this is through Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses given at the high school level. So, even though this student has six extra classes to complete, she will still graduate within four years. If she didn’t minor, she could have graduated early. This is not true of all minors.

Whether a major and a minor can be completed within four years will depend on the combination of the two. If a student chooses a minor in a different school than the major (i.e., one in School of Arts & Sciences, and one in School of Business), it will take longer to complete. Again, check with your college advisor. Some courses can be “double-counted” for both a major and a minor. Many students elect to minor instead of double major, since it takes less time and credits to minor.

Be pro-active.
One problem students have spoken to me about is the fact that many college advisors do not talk about minors. They all discuss majors, but many times, unless the student brings minoring into the discussion, it is a forgotten subject. Due to the fact that many students today are not completing their degree within four years, the push is on to get students through the system with their majors intact during that time frame. Again, it is the student’s responsibility to complete the minor within the given amount of time. Therefore, it is up to the student to be pro-active. Proper academic planning on the student’s part is imperative

Barbara DiAlberto has been a college advisor at a South Florida High School for many years, as well as a private consultant. She has worked to help thousands of students achieve their goals, including her own two children. Her book, College Tips from a College Advisor, may be purchased at Booksurge.com, Amazon.com, Alibris.com and Abebooks.com. Mrs. DiAlberto may be contacted directly at dialbarb@aim.com