Value of a Minor in an undergrad program

twoinanddone
Tue, 22 Apr 2025 20:38:08 +0000

The first college I went to had a lot of ‘Mud’ majors - water and soil. Almost all of them got extra majors in bio and chemistry as that only added 2 or 3 classes in each.

School I graduated from, CU, didn’t have minors (at the time). If you wanted to take classes in something else, take them. A friend thought she was double majoring in history and recreation. When she applied for graduation, alarms went off. That would have been a double degree, a BA in history and a BS in recreation. She would have needed 150 credits for that, plus she would have needed a foreign language for the BA. She took the BS and was told she could list a ‘concentration’ in history on her resume.

My daughter has a BA in history and a certificate in Museum Studies (it is an actual program, like a minor but in the history department so can’t get a major and minor). I suggested she get a certificate in grant writing from a local college and she told me she actually has that through her MA in history.

So, if the minor is easy to complete, do it. If it is difficult, see if there is a concentration certificate or something similar for the classes you need/want to take. I don’t think a minor will make or break a career, but it might be nice to have. (IMO, a foreign language minor would be ideal for most careers and life in general)