A "minor" is a concentrated area of study in a department which provides a general background, or adds knowledge in a subject related to to a chosen major or personal interests. Most minors require from 15 to 24 hours of course work and are found in nearly every department.

Purposes of Minors

Minors generally fit into one of these categories or purposes, depending on the individual needs and preferences of the student, or the department:

• A specific minor required by the Major
  
• Not required, but recommended by the department to serve well as an appropriate compliment to a major
  
• Required, but range of options are available. Sometimes a list of approved minors is posted by the department, but other requests are considered
  
• Selected by the student to enrich the educational experience in relation to career goals or special interests in an academic discipline
  
• An unoffcial minor created by the student from a spectrum of courses in different disciplines (Note: students cannot use restricted courses unless approval by a department is given and must also meet the prerequiste criteria unless a waiver is granted by the department upon request)
  
  

Do I have to declare a minor?

While not required for graduation for most programs, a minor offers the advantage of using "elective" hours needed for graduation into an organized group of related courses helpful in strengthening educational, personal, or career goals.

Doesn't completing a minor mean extra semesters?

 A careful search by the student may show that courses required or included as selections in the University Core Curriculum, can also be applied to a minor. The effect then, is to reduce the total number of extra hours or courses needed to complete a program. To get a better idea of  the time frame needed for the minor you are interested in, add the hours needed in the major courses and the hours needed for the University Core Curriculum. Subtract that figure from 126 (minimum hours needed for a Bachelor's Degree). The remaining hours can become electives or the courses required for a minor.

Where can I get a list of Minors offered at Ball State University?

As with other academic information, the Undergraduate Catalog is the official source of this information and must be sought out by the student for optimum effeciency. However, for your convenience we have compiled a list of  minors to assist in your research.