New Minors

An undergraduate minor is a formal aggregate of courses in a designated subject area distinct from and outside the student's degree major. The minor needs to have a well-defined purpose and justification as well as a coherent focus or survey of the field.

The minimum aggregate GPA for all coursework required for the minor must be atleast 2.0. 

The minimum criterion for any minor must be 12 units of coursework (no more than 24 units) completely distinct and separate from the course work in one’s major (i.e., Major Requirements). The policy outlines that at least 6 of these units should be upper division.

Proposal Process

Submit New Certificate/Credential/Honors/Minor Curriculog Form (instructions linked) and attach the New Minor Proposal Template [docx]. All minors must be in compliance with University Policy S16-4 [pdf].

Approval Process

• Department Curriculum Committee (optional in Curriculog)
• Department Chair
• College Curriculum Committee/Associate Dean
• Undergraduate Studies (UGS) Committee or Graduate Studies and Research (GS&R) Committee 
• Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education or Associate Dean for Graduate Studies
• Provost 

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can the courses required in a minor have prerequisites?

  • Courses that have prerequisites should be counted within the 24 units. Some flexibility is allowed. Please be sure to identify in your proposal:

    1. the need for the minor and any prerequisites (referred to in the catalog as "Minor Preparation"); and,

    2. identify degree programs that will benefit from the minor in the minor's catalog copy (the minor is designed for specific majors that already complete the prerequisites).

    If the minor is designed for specific majors that already complete some or all of the prerequisites, then students would be able to complete the minor without taking additional prerequisite courses and therefore you would not need to count some or all of the prerequisites in the minor.

    Examples of Minors with Prerequisites
    Aerospace Engineering (approved effective Fall 2020)
    Interaction Design (approved effective Fall 2020)

• Minor Preparation Section

  • Courses designated as “In Preparation for the Major” may be included in the minor. However, these courses do not count towards the 12 distinc units. 

• When should a student declare a minor?

  • Please be aware as you advise students that the minimum criterion for any minor must be 12 units of coursework completely distinct and separate from the course work in one’s major (i.e., Major Requirements). In order to ensure the student has satisfied the 12 distinct units from the major and minor requirement, we ask that you encourage your students to declare the minor as soon as possible in their program. 

• Can a minor be criteria for hiring new faculty?

  • Sustaining a Minor cannot, in and of itself, be a criteria for hiring new faculty.

• Teach out policy for a discontinued minor

  • There is no guarantee that a Minor be "taught out" if it is discontinued.