Minors in colleges are secondary academic courses a student in a major added to his or her original field of study, this is because they find their passion in it, or may want to explore outside their field of study, provided the total semester hours do not exceed 24 and must be approved by the Board of faculty of study. This action may not be so with other colleges in other countries. In this article we shall see Do minors in college mean anything?
Definition of minor in general term
A minor is anything that is less in grade or not much of an importance.
Before we talk about a minor, we must understand what a major is.
What is a major?
A major is a primarily intended course a student wishes to study in the college, in other words, it’s a student’s field of specialization.
A major is what a college will award a student, and it’s either with a certificate degree of a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science after completion of the academic years.
Entry into this degree program will normally be through the university matriculation examinations. Candidates selected based on these will be required to have:
- Credits in 5 subjects including the English language in their secondary school examinations certificate
- A student that has already completed a basic diploma program with 4 Credits and a course related to his or her field of study is offered direct entry into the college of higher learning. This type of admission varies from colleges and countries.
How are minors different from majors
Minors are different from majors in the following aspects;
- Minors introduce students into an academic discipline without many classes as major
- Majors require students to complete up to 60 credits of the related courses, this aspect varies amongst other colleges and countries
- Minors in college provide students with an opportunity to learn more about something that they are interested in
- Majors require a lot of focus, attention, and time studying it
- Minors don’t come with a degree, instead it is with a transcript but the credits units will add up to your cumulative (CGPA) at the end of your degree.
So do minors in college mean anything?
Absolutely yes for me, this is because the student desires to explore another field of study for which they have passion, It makes them adaptable to other fields from their primary majors, and it can provide them with other opportunities after graduation, should their majors does not pave the way at that moment for them, they will use their minor experiences to earn a living. This depends on the type of minor they minored in.
Why choose a minor and which minor should I choose?
Choosing a minor in college is choice-driven. This is because of the workload that accompanied it, and also the benefits that come with it. Minors allow undergraduates to stretch and explore from their original field of study, in some aspects, students can take a minor that aligns with their major study, for example, a student of public administration major can minor in management science, and these courses aligned with each other and in the same faculty of social sciences, also a student of English language and literature major can minor in economics just to get another career path after graduation.
In some colleges of higher learning. A student may take an additional course (minor) regularly provided the total semester hours do not exceed 24 and it is approved by the Board of faculty of study.
The extra course which is the minor will be graded and the grades will count to make up the grades of the major.
Benefits of minor
- A minor helps an undergraduate to explore other disciplines, In other words, it allows a student from another field to acquire a different knowledge from other fields that students in that field are getting. For( example),(a roustabout),this employee participates in almost every area of the company, helping out with tasks he knows nothing about, and in return acquiring a versatile knowledge and experiences.
- Minors may provide you with an employment that you are fit in for, just to earn a living before your major paves the way for you
- Minors complement your majors
- Which in return, helps you acquire a higher certificate after College graduation.
Drawbacks of choosing a minor.
The only drawback one can have in choosing a minor is that it will not earn one a degree, rather it explores one to another field of study, which is not a waste of time. Another drawback I see in minor is, if a student is running it and the major can not contend with the workload that accompanies it, the student may be frustrated, ending up spending an extra year, this becomes a drawback.
Other minors in general
Another kind of minor is the postgraduate minor, this comes after the completion of a major degree in the college of higher learning, and wants an upgrade of the certificate.
As an undergraduate in the college of higher learning, the Cumulative Grade Points Average (CGPA), you are required to get at the end of your studying are these, the general courses( Gees-courses), elective courses, in some cases the college minors, and the major course, if by the end, all these points accumulated didn’t qualify you directly for a master’s degree or any other Ph.D. program, it will warrant you taking up postgraduate programs to complement your major degree for qualification to a master degree( higher certificate).
When do you know you are not qualified for a direct master’s degree?
Students are advised in their first and second year to take all general and departmental courses seriously, this is to enable them to start accumulating higher points, also to know how to divide their credit units and scores to know where they will be heading to, and if at the end of the study they cumulated 2.40-3.49 instead of 3.50-4.49 this means there will be a post-graduate program which is a (minor) of twelve months in order to proceed to masters, this also include those with 1.50-2.39 which is a third class honours
If one finds his or herself in this situation, it does not mean they are not brilliant or wasn’t well baked in college, in some colleges and departments, there are other obligations a student is mandated to do or obliged to, if that is not done or obeyed by the student the lecturer or any other force will come hard on that student, this will result in reducing, totally failing, or frustrating the efforts of that student, the situation can cause the student to give up and lose focus and pray to only come out with just a pass certificate, also known as “ ( let my people go)”
In conclusion
Students who choose to pursue minors in college often discover a variety of benefits. Studying a minor can help them to diversify their understanding in another field, it can also provide them with a skill and while they are studying their major they will be earning little income with the minor they added to it, and after graduation, it can provide them with an experience to work and earn a living before the major paved the way. Also before a college student can minor in his or her major, it must be approved by the board of faculty of study and must be related to the same faculty.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I work with my minor experience without a degree?
Answer. Your resume will include your extra skills or skill, whichever form, your resume must contain the details of what you can do apart from your major degree. These particular skills you added are your minors, some organizations might find you worthy to take up a task in their company with that extra skill.
Working in an organization requires you to show at least a certificate, be it a higher college certificate or a secondary school certificate but what matters is the skills you added to your resume.
How many sets of minors do we have?.
Answer. There are different types of minor, it ranges from;
- A minor which you acquire during your secondary school days, for (example), during holidays, or after school hours, you are privileged to take a course in computer certificate training, hair and beauty or any other field you so desire.
- The minor you got from the college during your majoring years. While you were in the major, you were privileged to add additional courses or courses of your interest to your major.
- The minor that qualified you to get a master’s degree which your major couldn’t give you due to low average scores.
There are different types of minors, and they can be obtained from any form, it is what complements our normal abilities, it is what we thrive to achieve to be distinguished from others, in other words, it gives us an advantage in terms of employment or personal entrepreneurship.
