Cal Poly offers 70 minors, giving students a chance to explore different areas like biology, equine science or ethnic studies without the forms, GPA and time required to switch to another of the 64 available majors. But academic advisers disagree about the importance of minors in students’ college careers.
“Minors offer students an opportunity to expand their breadth of knowledge,” Cal Poly Academic Program Analyst Mary Whiteford said.
For example, declaring a minor within your department could add more depth to your knowledge of your chosen field.
Social sciences senior Renuka Varigonda was looking for a minor that encompassed several areas of social sciences but couldn’t find one. So she declared two, international relations and economics.
“I wanted to triple minor but my parents said they aren’t made of money,” she said.
While a minor might enrich students’ college experiences, it is important to note that it might not help a student’s chance of being accepted to graduate school or landing a job, according to CPSU Career Services Counselor Jane Johnson.
“Is it going to give you that much of a leg up? Not necessarily,” she said. “It depends on the combination.”
For example, she said, a marketing major might want a statistic minor, and employers love that.
Those looking to apply to graduate school should choose carefully. A minor that lowers their GPA may be more detrimental than helpful.
Cal Poly pre-law advisor Ronald Den Otter agrees. “As far as law school admissions go, having a minor in law and society, for instance, will not improve one’s chances of being accepted.
“Law school admissions committees take other factors, such as LSAT score and GPA, very seriously. I don’t think that a minor helps one to get into law school, unless the circumstances are unusual.”
Minors might help enhance a college education, but for some it is more important to graduate on time.
Food science senior Kyra Korst transferred to Cal Poly from Cuesta College last year. She would have liked to declare a dairy science or nutrition minor but didn’t want the extra classes to interrupt her plan to graduate next June.
“It would have added more time to my schooling,” she said.
It would also have added to her credit card bill. An extra quarter, for instance, would cost her approximately $4,500 for tuition and room and board. And that’s not taking into consideration how staying longer might affect her chances in the job market or how much she would have gained monetarily during that time if she had been working.
The Process
Cal Poly minors are typically added every two years when a new course catalog comes out.
A faculty member proposes a minor to their department’s curriculum committee, which then sends it to other departments’ faculty and advisors in the college curriculum committee.
If it gets the stamp of approval, it is reviewed by the academic senate curriculum committee, made up of 16 people including faculty, senior administrators and one student nominated by ASI President Kelly Griggs. The committee considers the proposal based on several criteria such as the courses the minor requires, the expertise of the faculty teaching the courses, and university regulations regarding minors.
After the full senate deliberates, President Baker has the ultimate authority but typically delegates the decision to Provost Koob.