Major & Minor

[fallenchemist]

<p>Hi allan - Hope all is going well for you as things wind down and you get ready to graduate.</p>

<p>Majors and minors are different simply by the number of courses required in that area of study. Here are the definitions from the Tulane handbook:</p>

<p>Major: The primary field of study; students will take the majority of their required courses in this area.</p>

<p>Minor: The student’s field of secondary academic emphasis.</p>

<p>I am sure you get what a major is, so here is more about a minor:</p>

<p>

MINOR COMPONENT</p>

<p>Undergraduate students may complete one or more minors. The minor is optional and is designed to provide structure to the study of a secondary field of interest chosen by the student. Students who elect to complete the requirements for a minor must earn a grade-point average of at least 2.000 in courses counting toward that minor. No courses counting toward the student’s first minor will count toward the student’s second minor. Individual schools or departments may specify the number of credits allowed on major-minor overlap. Students should consult departmental listings for additional information.

</p>

<p>They went on to list the departments that offer minors, but no reason to list those here. So for example, a major in history requires 30 credits and a certain distribution over different sub-fields of history, while a minor is 18 hours and has slightly less requirements regarding the sub-fields you must cover.</p>

<p>It is hard for me to say how many students have minors, but I do know a great many graduate with double majors (not to be confused with dual degrees) so I am sure a very large number graduate with either double majors or a major and a minor. Some even manage double majors and a minor.</p>

<p>A student can absolutely have a major in one school and a different major and/or a minor in another school. Ultimately your degree is from Tulane University and Newcomb-Tulane college, not from the school of Liberal Arts per se.</p>

<p>For dual degrees and joint degrees:</p>

<p>

DUAL DEGREES</p>

<p>Tulane University offers the option of obtaining two undergraduate degrees. Newcomb-Tulane College students should refer to the school-specific sections for more information on pursuing dual degrees within the same school and consult with their advisers early in their academic careers. Newcomb-Tulane College students pursuing dual degrees within two schools must complete the Newcomb-Tulane College core curriculum, each school’s specific core curriculum, and the major requirements for each degree and at least 150 credits.

</p>

<p>

UNDERGRADUATE/GRADUATE AND GRADUATE/GRADUATE JOINT-DEGREE PROGRAMS</p>

<p>Tulane University offers a number of joint-degree programs. The undergraduate schools allow qualified students who have completed three years of undergraduatework to begin graduate studies in one of the professional programs. A student who completes the junior year in residence in any of the schools (not on a Tulane year-long study abroad program) and then begins study in one of these professional programs may receive a bachelor’s degree from the respective school after satisfactorily completing one year of full-time professional study. To enter one of these programs, students are required to be accepted by the professional program and to obtain approval from the Newcomb-Tulane College dean by the end of the sixth semester of study. Joint-degree candidates are required to complete 90 credits during three years of study in an undergraduate school before starting work in the professional program. Since the fourth year of study will consist of credits completed in the professional school, no professional school course may be counted among the 90 credits that must be completed by the end of the third year of undergraduate study. Candidates must meet all core curriculum and major requirements for the bachelor’s degree in the undergraduate school. Students in joint-degree programs must complete 120 credits by the close of their fourth year of study in order to receive a degree from the undergraduate school. Students who fail to do so will be required to attend Tulane Summer School to make up their credit deficiency before beginning their second year in the professional school. Transfer students must complete two years of undergraduate work at Tulane to be eligible for a joint-degree program. All students must file an application for degree at least two semesters prior to the anticipated date of graduation. Every course taken during the first year in the professional program must be passed, and the student’s performance in the first year’s work in the professional program must be of sufficient quality for advancement to the second year. A student who fails to meet this requirement may become a candidate for a degree in the undergraduate school after satisfactorily completing an additional year of study in the undergraduate school. If a student in a joint-degree program is a candidate for honors, the grade-point average used to determine the eligibility includes the applicable work done in the professional program.

</p>