Academic minor
Encyclopedia
An academic minor is a college
or university
student
's declared secondary field of study or specialization during his or her undergraduate studies. As with an academic major
, the college
or university
in question lays out a framework of required classes or class types a student must complete to earn the minor -- although the latitude the student is given changes from college to college. Academic minors and majors differ in that the former is subordinate to the latter.
Some students will prepare for their intended career with their major, while pursuing personal interests with a minor. For example, some students may major in Civil Engineering and minor in a foreign language.
Other students may pursue a minor to provide specific specialization and thus make themselves more attractive to employers. It is not infrequent for a physics major to minor in computer science or an economics major to minor in mathematics.
For some, a minor may be the foundation for a career. For example, students intending to become secondary education
teachers often major in their teaching subject area (for example, History or Chemistry or Mathematics) and minor in Education
.
In Quebec
, upon completing one year of coursework in a field, one is granted a "minor" diploma, which can be combined with a "major" diploma or with two other minors to obtain a bachelor degree "par cumul" (by accumulation).
President A. Lawrence Lowell of Harvard
created the system in 1910.
Australia
also offers double majors and minors and in Germany, the "Kombibachelor" represents a similar system with two subjects weighted by a 90:60 ratio. However, In most other countries, like the United Kingdom
, students usually focus on a single area of study .
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
or university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
's declared secondary field of study or specialization during his or her undergraduate studies. As with an academic major
Academic major
In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....
, the college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
or university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in question lays out a framework of required classes or class types a student must complete to earn the minor -- although the latitude the student is given changes from college to college. Academic minors and majors differ in that the former is subordinate to the latter.
Some students will prepare for their intended career with their major, while pursuing personal interests with a minor. For example, some students may major in Civil Engineering and minor in a foreign language.
Other students may pursue a minor to provide specific specialization and thus make themselves more attractive to employers. It is not infrequent for a physics major to minor in computer science or an economics major to minor in mathematics.
For some, a minor may be the foundation for a career. For example, students intending to become secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
teachers often major in their teaching subject area (for example, History or Chemistry or Mathematics) and minor in Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
.
In Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, upon completing one year of coursework in a field, one is granted a "minor" diploma, which can be combined with a "major" diploma or with two other minors to obtain a bachelor degree "par cumul" (by accumulation).
President A. Lawrence Lowell of Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
created the system in 1910.
Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
also offers double majors and minors and in Germany, the "Kombibachelor" represents a similar system with two subjects weighted by a 90:60 ratio. However, In most other countries, like the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, students usually focus on a single area of study .