Second Majors and Minors

Options for second majors and minor studies are permitted as specified below:

  1. Students may elect a second major that is offered by the College of Fine Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences or, upon approval of the Dean, they may elect a second major that is offered by other colleges of the University. An English major may not declare a second major in American Studies, and an American Studies major may not choose a second major in English, history, political science, or sociology.
  2. Students who declare an additional (second) major may share up to two courses from the additional major with the Breadth of Knowledge requirements in the Core Curriculum (for those entering prior to Fall 2015, with the distribution requirements of General Education [AH, SS, SC]).
  3. Students who elect academic majors in more than one college are candidates for one degree only, and they are considered to be degree candidates in the college of their initial major unless they indicate to the contrary at the time they make a declaration of second major by filing for intercollegiate transfer. Accordingly, a student who pursues academic majors in the College of Fine Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences and another college is subject to all degree requirements as specified by the college of his or her initial major and is subject only to major course requirements (including any collateral and prerequisite courses for the major) as specified by the department of his or her second major. For a full discussion of University requirements concerning second majors, students should consult the relevant section of this publication, which appears under the heading Academic Policies.
  4. In accordance with the requirements of established minor programs, students who matriculate for degrees in the College of Fine Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences may undertake a minor. Students should consult with their advisors concerning additions to the approved listing of minors. Specific options for minor programs will depend on the major field that a student has elected to pursue and the collateral course requirements that have been specified by their major departments. Students are advised that an aggregation of courses that total 18 or more credits does not constitute a minor area and they are referred to University policies, which appear elsewhere in this publication under the heading Academic Policies: Minor Area Requirements for further discussion. Students who wish to elect a minor program in colleges other than the College of Fine Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences should refer to the appropriate section of this publication concerning prerequisites, restrictions, and prescribed sequences of courses.
  5. Students in the College of Fine Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences must present at least six credits in courses outside the student’s major that are at or above the “3000” level. These courses may not be taken on a pass/fail basis. This requirement is automatically fulfilled when a student has a minor or second major.