What exactly does it mean when you minor in a subject, and, specifically, what would minoring in art entail?
I'm a sophomore in high school with a passion for art, but I am not sure if I really want to pursue it as my major. I've been thinking about minoring in art instead, so that I still have a chance to do art but am not tied to it and have other career options. However, as I came to this idea, I realized I had no idea what minoring in a subject really meant. So I was wondering what it means to minor in something and how that is different than majoring. Is it easier/less work? Is it about the same difficulty but a different time commitment? Does it cost less/more/the same? ...etc
Thanks in advance!
3 answers
Alyx Campbell
Alyx’s Answer
Hi Sage,
Great question! Every college student is required to declare a major in college before they graduate. A major typically has some basic courses that you are required to take and then typically allows for some more choice in the higher level courses. A minor takes a lot less courses to complete and is meant to complement a degree.
I went to the University of Minnesota so I am going to use their art major and minor program as an example...
If you were looking to get a BA (Bachelors of Arts) in Art you would declare Art as your major. In order to graduate you would need...
BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
CORE (1XXX/2XXX) REQUIREMENTS
ArtS 1001 Concepts in Visual Arts
ArtS 1101/ ArtS 2101 Drawing I
(choose one) ArtS 1301/ ArtS 2301 Sculpture OR ArtS1801/ ArtS 2801 Ceramics
(choose one) ArtS 1501/ ArtS 2501 Printmaking OR ArtS 1601/ ArtS 2601 Experimental and Media Arts OR ArtS 1701/ ArtS 2701 Photography OR ArtS 1702/ ArtS 2702 Digital Photography
INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED REQUIREMENTS
*4 upper-level courses from the art department of your choice
*2 courses of Art History
*ArtS 3444 Major Project is usually taken the final semester of the senior year.
On the other hand, a minor complements your major. They are less credits to complete, and they are less focused than the major. For instance, if you wanted to be an art therapist, you might major in Psychology or Social Work and then minor in art.
Here are the University of Minnesota's requirements for a minor in art...
MINOR PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
CORE REQUIREMENTS
1 art (ArtS) course at the 1xxx/2xxx level
INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED REQUIREMENTS
3 ArtS courses at the upper level (usually 11-12 credits).
1 art history (ArtH) class at the upper level.
Now to answer some of your questions...
Is it easy/less work? Yes and no. The minor itself is less work and has more flexibility than if you declared your major in that same subject however a minor is an addition to your major. You can have a major in a subject without a supporting minor but you cannot have a minor in a subject without declaring some sort of major, so this is additional classes that you would be taking.
Is it about the same difficulty but a different time commitment? It certainly depends on the major. However, because there's a little more flexibility in the courses you choose to take, you are more likely to take courses you are interested in and therefore would find them less difficult. The time commitment for adding on a minor can be greater than if you just declared a major because you are required to take additional classes (though the minor itself is less credits to complete). However, each college will require you to take additional classes outside of your major and a lot of people realized they "accidentally" almost earned a minor and will finish it up with 1 or 2 classes,
Does it cost less/more/the same? It depends on how much time it takes you to finish your degree. Most undergraduate students pay by credit for 1-12 credits and then from 12-18 credits they all cost the same. Adding a minor can cost you more money because you might have to take additional classes, however, a lot of people are able to finish their degree in 4 years and do not pay extra for the minor.
I know that's a lot of information all across the board so if you have any follow up questions regarding tuition or the declaring process, please let me know and I can try to expand more!
Hope that helps!
This is a great example. I would also point out that not every art department will even <em>allow</em> a student to minor in the department. This policy will differ on a school by school basis.
Jared Chung, Admin
Thanks for all of the helpful information, Alyx! That really helped to clear things up
Sage
Also thanks Jared, and why wouldn't those art departments allow students to minor in it?
Sage
Sometimes the administrators who run the departments don't want to have students minoring in their department because they see it as a distraction. They'd rather focus their resources on students who are majoring, or they don't believe that it's possible to learn the fundamentals without taking a large number of courses. Again, it's not always the case, but be sure to double check the department guidelines.
Jared Chung, Admin
Oh, okay, thanks!
Sage
Thanks for the in depth info!
Teal
Ethan’s Answer
There is lots of good advice here, but they are severely over complicating the issue and I feel like it doesn't really answer your quesiton.
Your minor doesn't really mean anything, but if it is related to the job you are looking for, then it is useful to list it along with your major on your resume. Ie. Major: Mechanical Engineer, Minor: Aerospace Engineering. if you wanted to work in the aerospace field, having an official recognition from the school that you have a little bit of an aero background can be useful.
BUT
If you just want to learn about art in school, while working on your primary degree, you can just take art classes. You don't really need an official recognition that you took art classes, if the purpose is just to study art for your own benefit.
Thanks for clearing that up, it was really helpful!
Sage
Hi Ethan. Thank you so much for the amazing advice you provided to Sage above! I was wondering if I could ask you a few follow-up questions about majors/minors in college:
1. As a mechanical engineer yourself, did you minor in a subject? Is there any benefit to minoring in a subject UNLIKE your major in order to make yourself stand out?
2. Are there any next steps one might take to determine whether or not a minor would be beneficial to pursue?
Thank you so much in advance!
Best,
David
David Ohta
COACH
Rachel Resnick
Rachel’s Answer
<span style="background-color: transparent;">Collegeboard.org is a great resource for this! I poured through the pages of universities all over the U.S. when I was a senior in high school. Collegeboard was my go-to site! They put all of the information in one place and it is very easy to use. They even have various filters you can apply to see only colleges that have programs you are interested. To determine academic rigor, look at the admissions requirements, G.P.A. of past admitted applicants, SAT/ACT scores, class rank etc. This will give you an idea of what scores and grades you need to be accepted. However, don't be discouraged your application will be reviewed based on the full picture! College-board will help you get an idea of what is most important to the specific school you are applying to.</span>
This professional recommends the following next steps:
- <span style="background-color: transparent;">Chat with your Guidance Counselor</span>
- <span style="background-color: transparent;">Create a Collegeboard.org account</span>
- <span style="background-color: transparent;">Start using CollegeBoard as a resource to look up schools.</span>