The minors in college are secondary academic disciplines; in other words, an extra course a student in major added to their original field of study because they find their passion in it or they want to explore outside their field of study provided the total semester hours does not exceed 24 and must be approved by the Board of faculty of study. This action may not be so for other colleges in other countries.
Definition of minor in general term
According to the English dictionary, “minor is when a thing is less important, either by size or degree.”
Before we talk about a minor, we must know 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 is a student’s concentration of courses that grooms the student into their career part after graduation.
A major is what a college will award you with. It is either a certificate degree of a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science after completion.
Entry into these degree programs will normally be through the university matriculation examinations. Candidates selected based on these examinations will also 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 their field of study is offered direct entry into the college of higher learning.
How are minors in college different from majors?
Minors are different from majors in the following aspects;
- Minors introduce students into an academic discipline without many classes as a major.
- Majors require students to complete up to 60 credits of the related courses; this varies among colleges and countries.
- Minors in college provide students with the opportunity to learn more about something that they are interested in
- Majors require a lot of focus, attention, and time studying.
- Minors don’t come with a degree rather, 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, this is because a student desires to explore another fieldfields of study for which they have passion. It makes them versatile to other fields from their primary majors. It can provide them with other work experiences and opportunities after graduation if their majors did not pave the way for them; they can use their minor experiences to earn a living.
Why choose a minor, and which minor should I choose?
Choosing a minor in college is choice-driven. This is because of the workload accompanied by it and also the benefits that come with it. Minors allow undergraduates to stretch and explore their original field of study; in some cases, students can take on a minor that aligns with their major study; for example, a student of public administration major can minor in management sciences, and these courses aligned with each other also in the same faculty of social sciences. Also, a student of English language and literature major can minor in economics to get another career path to function in 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 the Board approves it of faculty of study.
The extra course, which is a 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 explore another discipline; In other words, it allows a student from another field to acquire a different knowledge than other students in a different field. For example, a (roustabout) in a company, this employee participates almost in every field in the company, helping out with tasks he knows nothing about and, in return, acquiring versatile knowledge and experiences.
- Minors may provide you with an available job that you are fit in, just to earn a living before your major paves the way.
- Minors complement your majors.
- This, in turn, helps you acquire a higher certificate after College graduation.
Drawbacks of choosing a minor.
The only drawback in choosing a minor is that it can not earn you a degree; rather, it explores another field of study, which is not a waste of time. However, another drawback I see in minoring is this if the student running it and their major can not contend with the workload that accompanies it, it becomes a drawback.
Other minors
Another kind of minor is the post-graduate minor; this comes after completing a major degree in the college of higher learning, then seeking an upgrade of your certificate.
As an undergraduate student in the college of higher learning, there are Cumulative Grade Points Average (CGPA), which you are required to get at the end of your study; these will include all the general studies( Gees-courses), elective courses, college minors, and the major course, if by the end, all these points cumulated didn’t qualify you direct to a master degree or any other Ph.D. program, it will warrant you taking up post-graduate 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 years 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 between knowing 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 that means there will be a post-graduate program which is a (minor) of twelve months to proceed to masters, this also include those with 1.50-2.39 which is a third-class honor.
If one finds themselves in this situation, it does not mean they are not brilliant or weren’t well baked in college. There are other obligations in some colleges and departments 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, and 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 various benefits. For example, studying a minor can help you to diversify your understanding in another field, it can also give you a skill, and while you are studying your major, you will be earning little income with the minor you added to your major. After graduation, it can provide you with an experience to work and earn a living before the major pave 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
1). How can I work with my minor experience without a degree?
Your resume will include your extra skills or skill, whichever form, so your resume must contain the details of what you can do apart from your major degree. These particular skills you added is your minor; some organization might find you worthy of taking 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. What matters is the skills you added to your resume.
2). How many sets of minors do we have?.
There are different types of minor, and it ranges from;
- A minor you acquire during your secondary school days, (example), during holidays, you were privileged to learn a computer certificate training, hair, beauty, and so on.
- The minor you got from the college during your majoring years, while you were on the major, you were privileged to add additional courses of interest to your major.
- The minor you did qualify you to get a master’s degree which your major couldn’t give you at once due to a low average score.
There are different types of minors; they can be gotten through any form. It is just what makes up our normal abilities; it is what we strive to achieve to be distinguished.
