Should you Declare a Minor?

Minors are designed to complement your major.
Photo by University of Dayton

Many majors rely on their interdisciplinary nature to exist as a program, but students in programs without such a nature might opt to include a minor on their path to graduation.

    In general, if a minor is not required by your course of study already, the two most important benefits from declaring a minor is a boost for your resume and for supplemental knowledge and experience for a specific career. In any case, ask yourself these four questions before declaring one.

What is my career goal for after graduation?

    A minor will be especially useful if you know your career goals. Do you want to be an organizational psychologist? In addition to majoring in psychology, a minor in speech communication or communication arts will be useful to you. On the other hand, are you majoring in biology and want to enhance your graphic design skills so that you can create instructional materials? Then a minor will be incredibly useful to you.

Is a minor required by my course of study?

    If your course of study does not require a minor, then declaring a minor is completely up to you the student. In this case, you can choose any supplementary course of study you would like to pursue or that you think would be a good addition to your resume and help you in your future career. Be advised, however, that tracks that do not require a minor might have a large volume of labs or workshops, which is why more coursework is not required in order to graduate with this major.

Do I have time for a minor?

    The majority of students are currently attending school on time sensitive scholarships. If your scholarships only go for four years but you determine that a minor is the right course for you, carefully plan your course schedule so that you do not have to take extra semesters of classes. That being said, many minors require classes that may overlap with general education courses or even courses within your major. In this case, if the minor is not declared first semester of senior year, many minors are able to be completed in a reasonable amount of time.

Is it a minor or a double major you need?

    Double-majoring is ambitious. While plenty of students choose this option, it still requires two full sets of coursework in two possibly unrelated courses of study. The closest the majority of students get to this is doubling or tripling their emphases. While the course lists on paper may not seem daunting initially, double majoring in chemistry and political science might not be the best way to run down your sanity. In this case, majoring in chemistry and minoring in political science or vice versa might be the better option.

    A minor is designed to complement your major, and employers do look at them. Take advantage of this option to expand your horizons and make yourself more marketable without sacrificing your sanity.