Minors and certificate programs are available to help students develop and demonstrate their interests, abilities, specializations, intellectual curiosity, and skills. A minor is an academic program that supplements a baccalaureate degree. Minors require a minimum of 18 credits and typically no more than 21 credits with at least 6 but ordinarily not more than half of the credits at the 400 level. At least 6 credits of a minor must be completed in courses offered by the University or in approved cooperative degree programs.

A minor program may consist of course work in a single area or from several disciplines. In most cases, students do not have to be enrolled in the college that offers a particular minor in order to pursue that minor. Requirements for a minor can be completed at any campus location that offers courses specified for the minor. However, a student may not change from a campus that offers his/her major to a campus that does not offer the major in order to complete a minor.

Courses for a minor may also satisfy General Education and major requirements. For example, ENGL 050 (GA) could satisfy a 3-credit requirement in the English minor and also satisfy 3 credits of a student's General Education arts requirement. Students are permitted to complete multiple minors, and courses that meet requirements in one minor can also satisfy a requirement in another minor. For example, a student completing the Economics (ECON) and Business (BSBCC) minors could satisfy a requirement in both minors by completing ECON 102.

Students entering the University after summer 2016: At least 6 credits of a minor must be unique from any other degree or minor earned by the student. Therefore, students completing a minor will complete their degree program with at least 6 credits more than the minimum credits required for their major (e.g., a student in a degree program that requires 120 credits who is completing a minor cannot graduate with less than 126 credits).

Minimum Grade Requirements

A grade of C or better is required for all courses in a minor.

Student Action

Planning a Minor

A student's minor cannot be the same as his/her major (e.g., a History major may not declare a history minor). If multiple versions of a minor are available, a student can complete only one version (e.g., English, ELISH and ENGL).

  1. Use resources to explore minors in MinorQuest. The Bulletin's Minor Programs section provides descriptions of all minors. The Registrar provides a listing of minors with program codes.
  2. If you identify a minor of interest, determine if you can complete it: Required courses may be controlled, have prerequisites, or be unavailable at your campus. Before beginning coursework to meet minor requirements, use the Minor Planning Checklist and Minor Worksheet to determine if the minor is attainable.
  3. Use Degree Audit "What-if Reports" to identify requirements.
  4. Meet with your academic adviser to refine your plans, discuss incorporating the minor into your major, and develop a semester-by-semester plan to meet requirements.
  5. Direct inquiries regarding minor requirements and course substitutions to the faculty contacts for minors in the Bulletin.

A certificate program can be a stepping stone to a minor or an alternative for students who do not have the flexibility to complete all requirements for a minor or who find they do not want to complete a minor after testing their interest in a few courses.

Declaring/Applying for a Minor

A minor can be declared after you attain third-semester classification or after you have been accepted into a major. The procedures for entering a minor depend on whether the minor has entry requirements:

  1. Minors that do not have entrance requirements can be declared using Lionpath, Update Academics.
  2. Minors that have special entrance criteria (e.g., prerequisite courses, a portfolio, an audition) require an application (see Special Considerations listed by minor in MinorQuest). Students applying for a minor with entrance criteria should meet with the faculty contact provided in information about the minor in the Bulletin.

After declaring your minor, notify the person/department responsible for the minor and ask that you be included on the departmental/minor email listserv.

Declaring a minor does not guarantee that the required courses will be available or that you will be able to complete the minor.


If a minor has a fee, it will be applied to your semester bill at the time you declare the minor.


  • Minors with entrance requirements or an entry fee: you must declare the minor before the end of the regular drop period (listed on the Academic Calendar) of your final semester.
  • Minors that do not have entrance requirements or an entry fee: you must declare the minor before the late drop deadline (listed on the Academic Calendar) of your last semester.
  • After graduation: you can retroactively declare a minor up to five years after  graduation if the following criteria are met: (1) the minor must have been offered at the time you graduated, (2) you satisfied all the requirements for the minor before you graduated, and (3) you have paid any fee assessed for the minor. Note: any minor that has an entrance requirement cannot be awarded retroactively. To request a minor retroactively, contact the person responsible for the minor indicated in the Bulletin.

Impact on a Student's Record

Transcript and Certificate

The Registrar's office records completed minors on a student's transcript at the time his/her degree is conferred. The student receives an official certificate certifying completion of each minor. Students receive minor certificates with their diplomas (if the deadline for approval of the completion of the minor was met).

Minor certificates are signed by the President of the Board of Trustees, the President of the University, and the Executive Vice President and Provost. Neither a transcript nor certificate indicates the campus that offered the minor.

Canceling a Minor

A student enrolled in a minor who decides not to complete it should Update Academics in LionPATH to cancel enrollment in the minor.

Withdrawing from and Reapplying for a Minor

Students admitted to a minor who withdraw (interrupt continuous enrollment) must reapply for the minor when re-enrolling in the University if the minor is still desired. Requirements for the minor are those in effect at the time the student most recently entered the minor program.

Reference(s): Senate Policy 59-00, 82-20

Last Update: November 2016