For University students, the month of November is normally consumed with two things—midterms and registration. This is a time of preparing potential Spring 2019 schedules with the help of advisement, University 101, and the Explorer feature on MyPacePortal. Students are working towards their major, as well as making sure all of their core requirements, AOK courses, and electives can be met within a certain period of time. While every undergraduate student is required to declare a major, some students pursue two majors or choose to declare a minor. Students minor in various areas of study for both future occupational purposes and to focus on an area of personal interest. While this is a popular route, students often ask, “What is the purpose of a minor?”
Working towards a minor, or multiple minors, can be a great way for students to focus on specific areas of study without the hefty commitment of another major. While minors are not written on graduation diplomas, there are other ways students can communicate their extra educational experience. In job interviews, resumes, and cover letters, students can voice their learning experience, coursework, and connections to professors gained while pursuing their minor.
University freshman Cynthia Jaalouk states, “Taking up a minor gives students an extra advantage to their major.” Pursuing a minor can also provide employers with a better understanding of who the student is. Minors shed light on the personal interests of an individual as they go through their academic career and also provide students with content that specific majors may not cover. For example, Business majors may decide to minor in a more concentrated field, which enables them to better understand the overall field of business. Employers can also see the variety of skillsets within the students’ educational experience. If a major is flexible enough to add, then it seems only natural to earn multiple minors to further develop your educational pallet.
On the contrary, some majors require students to follow a strict track of courses that do not allow for many outside electives. For students in this situation, graduation time could be effected by the requirements a minor would add to their responsibilities.
In addition to the extra work commitment, minors may cost students more than they would anticipate. At Pace University, if a student has declared a major within Dyson School of Arts & Sciences and is looking to pursue a minor outside of their school, there is a fee, ranging in price depending on the course, that is added to the student’s tuition bill. While some students are not willing to pay the finances, others remain content with taking various kinds of electives outside of their major.
Whether a student is a Finance major pursuing a Photography minor, or an English major pursuing a Business minor, students will most likely learn something new in their minor studies no matter how alike or different it is from their major coursework. University freshman Jessica Paredes states, “While I am not taking a minor right now, I do believe that pursuing one in the future is a great way for me to dip my toes into studying what interests me. This also allows me to take courses outside of my major curriculum that has a more focused end-goal instead of signing up for random elective courses.”
List of Pace University minors: https://www.pace.edu/academics/undergraduate-students/majors-minors/undergraduate-minors
