Undergraduate Minors
Undergraduate Minors
General Statement
Academic units at UNCSA may, at their discretion, offer formal academic minors. UNCSA does not require that an academic unit offer a minor or that its students take a minor. Minors will be described in the bulletin and identified on the student’s transcript in the same manner that majors are identified. Minors must be approved by the UNCSA Educational Policies Committee and the Provost.
Rationale
A minor formally recognizes strategic work in an area of study and thus encourages students to pursue a secondary field. The opportunity to earn a formal minor or minors may encourage students to organize what has been elective work into more coherent focus areas; the posting of those minors to students’ transcripts will better communicate focus areas of the student’s academic career. Such program options should prove appealing to both students and Arts schools. A formal academic minor could enhance the attractiveness of graduates on the job market, help in student recruitment and retention, and provide another measure of productivity for academic units in addition to the number of majors.
Requirements
- Minors consist of a minimum of 15 credits and represent a focused specialization.
- At least 9 credit hours of the minor must be taken at UNCSA.
- Minors include a progression of courses that, upon completion, represent significant study, immersion, and intellectual knowledge of a subject area.
- Course work completed under the guidelines of a minor may be used to fulfill other degree requirements, as appropriate.
- At least 6 credit hours of the minor must be taken beyond the General Education 30-credit core.
- Undergraduate students may declare intention for a minor at the beginning of their second year of study, or later.
- Students must demonstrate a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in order to be accepted into a minor.
- Students placed on probation will be suspended from progress toward a minor until official removal from probation status.
- Declaration of a minor does not allow a student to bypass specified prerequisites.
- Approval must be given by a student’s Associate/Assistant Dean of the Art school, and the Dean/Assistant Dean of the Division of Liberal Arts (for minors focused in DLA) in order to declare intention for a minor program.
- Students must earn a C or better in all 15 credits within their declared minor in order to receive credit for the minor course of study and indication of the earned minor on their official transcript.
- Students currently on probation may not declare their intent for a minor course of study.
FAQ
- When can a student “declare” their intention to apply for the Minor?
A student can go through the process of declaring a Minor at the beginning of their 2nd year of undergraduate study, or later. - Are there any minimum GPA requirements for acceptance into the Minor?
Yes. A minimum 3.0 or higher GPA (cumulative) is required for acceptance into the Minor - Can a student continue to work to complete a Minor after all requirements for the
major have been met and the student is eligible for graduation?
No, Minor coursework cannot be extended beyond the conferring of a student’s major degree - What is the threshold for an earned grade in order for a course to count toward the
minor?
A minimum course grade of C is necessary in order for a course to count toward the 15-credit Minor requirement - What is the role of the Arts Advisor?
A student must be in good standing in their primary arts discipline/school, and approval must be obtained by the Dean/Associate Dean/Assistant Dean of the Arts school and the Dean/Assistant Dean of the Division of Liberal Arts, in order to declare intention for the Minor program. The Arts Advisor will be consulted by the Dean/Associate Dean/Assistant Dean of the Arts school in making a determination about student eligibility. - Can a student declare the Minor without having completed any courses in the arts management/entrepreneurship
area?
Yes. There are no prerequisites in order to declare intention for the Minor program. - How will UNCSA document a student’s acceptance, participation, and completion in the
Minor program?
Two documents will be generated for each student accepted into the Arts Entrepreneurship Minor program:- A written plan of study that documents the courses the student proposes to take in order to fulfill the requirements of the Minor, including the specific courses and proposed academic terms, so that a clear roadmap to completion can be documented;
- A formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will be generated for each student, which will serve as a non-binding agreement demonstrating the school’s commitment to the student upon successful completion of the program’s requirements.