Minor Guidelines

Minor Guidelines

Minors provide students an opportunity to emphasize study in an area outside of their major curriculum requirements. A minor is defined as an academic program that is typically 18 credits that supplements a major. A minor requires no less than 15 credits and requires no more than 21 credits. Some minors may require completion of a number of prerequisites that are not included in the total requirements of the minor. Students are not required to complete a minor to graduate.

When selecting a minor, students should consult with their advisor and then complete the 'minor add/drop form'. The following are required by a student pursuing a minor.

  1. Students may not minor in the same area of study as their associate or baccalaureate degree.
  2. Students must have successfully completed at least one semester at Paul Smith's College to be eligible to enroll in a minor.
  3. Students applying for a minor must have earned an overall grade point average of 2.00 or higher.
  4. To be effective in the current semester, the 'minor add/drop form' must be completed and submitted to the Registrar's Office no later than the end of the registration add period for that semester. Forms received after this date will be effective for the next semester.
  5. At least three credits in the minor must be an upper division course.
  6. At least nine credits in the minor must be Paul Smith’s institutional credits.
  7. Minors must be conferred at the same time as the student's associate or baccalaureate degree. Students may not pursue a minor independently of an associates or baccalaureate degree program and may not finish a minor after completing their degree program. Minors will not be awarded independently of conferral of the associate or baccalaureate degree program.
  8. Only one course substitution per student per minor is allowed. The course substitution form must be submitted before the end of the add period in the student's last semester. The substituted course must be approved by the department chair and have similar content to the originally required course. 
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