[itachi]

Hope this question wasn't asked before. Can someone explain to me the significance of minors? it just seems like it will increse the time that you are in college but it doesn't necessarily benefit you in any way.

comments?

[tofu plushie]

I guess it benefits you by being able to pursue in depth something you are interested in while getting credit for a degree. I am an art major was considering getting a minor in creative writing because I like screen play writing but, I ended up deciding to graduate a year early. Have a minor let's you take like upper division classes in the area you are interested which may possibly be quickly filled by those who are majoring and minoring in that area since they have first priority.

[aKaoNi]

I'm majoring in IT but my minor is in Japanese Studies, a lot of schools in VA lack a major in Japanese so being I already have IT experience I'll build off of that with my Major and the Japanese Studies minor will help when I want to eventually go over to Japan. Another example would be my roommates experience with his minor, he majored in Criminal Justice and wants to go to law school and minored in Philosophy which I hear for law students it helps build on the Criminal Justice degree by helping them understand how people think, ethics, and with arguing points. So a minor can help you build off you're major or just get into something you were interested in but maybe not offered as a major.

[yei488]

A minor's good if you're really passionate about the subject. In my case for example, I'm a chemistry major and math minor. The courses needed to fulfill the math minor requirements overlap with the classes I need to take to get my degree anyway, so I only have to take two extra classes that count as electives. A minor will broaden your perspective. Not to mention, it's a great resume builder.

[Aerolite]

I'm actually a double minor in Art History and Cultural Anthropology. Many of my GE and Studio Art major credits are accepted for my minors so I actually only have to take half the classes. My Anthro minor was originally a major, but I'm interested in understanding different cultures to better understand my own and how other people go through life. I personally think it's essential to my Studio Art degree. Art History is kind of a no-brainer for me as well...I just wanted to enrich my studies in creative eras/movements that I am interested in.

But yeah, it's not like you can't study topics out of your major in the university system...Just I'm pretty sure you have to be a major or minor in order to take the (better) upper division ones.

[Viktri]

Hope this question wasn't asked before. Can someone explain to me the significance of minors? it just seems like it will increse the time that you are in college but it doesn't necessarily benefit you in any way.

comments?

A minor is a way of a person showing he was passionate about a single subject.

If you mean "significance" in terms of employment significance - there is no significance. There isn't much of a job benefit imo.
It does not necessarily increase the time you spend in school.

[Sleepypig]

Some major require you to have a minor, like at my school for my major international business, we are required to have a social studies minor or a foreign language minor. =)

[losborrachos]

i think a minor is just a way for you to branch out of your major and learn things that you're interested in or that complements your major. i'm a double major in film and humanities, and recently i declared a minor in visual arts/design. i felt that, given my aspirations to be a professional film designer, my drawing skills were still lacking, so i took a minor. it makes sense because at my school, most visual arts classes at my school are limited to majors/minors only. yet if i were a major, not only would i be a triple-major and go ballistic, i'd also have to take art history, typography, printmaking, and all kinds of classes that aren't relevant to my academic goals. and yes, in this case i think it does give me an advantage in terms of employability, because while it might not immediately show on my transcript, it definitely shows in my work, and that's important in the film industry. so minors vary in importance, depending on what they let you accomplish, what your academic goals are, and all that stuff. though it's important that you don't do a minor just because you wanna embellish your diploma.

[trashstar]

minors make college fun because they're classes you like :x

[lilliums]

Could someone explain to me what the difference between a specialization and a minor is?

[x_estherrrrrr_x]

im a journalism major & socio minor =/
uhh....
im guessing its pointless?
cause i really like both subjects

[abusegirl]

Could someone explain to me what the difference between a specialization and a minor is?

specialization? I'm gonna assume you mean a concentration.

If so, a concentration is just what it sounds like. Take English for example. There are many things one can apply an English degree to, but one could choose to concentrate in pre-law, journalism, creative writing, etc. It gives you a more concentrated knowledge on a specific area of your major of study.

A minor though can be anything. Say you're into asian culture, you can minor in asian studies. it doesn't HAVE to relate to your major but it shows a more in-depth knowledge of that topic than your major alone would allow. usually used for things people are really interested in but aren't practical enough to major in OR for complementing a major.

For example, I am doing an English major with a concentration in journalism as well as another major in International Studies with a minor in Asian Studies. My journalism concentration gives me focus in one area of english and my asian studies minor gives me more knowledge in that area while also enhancing my international business major.


now of course if your uni offers specializations and for some odd reason it doesn't relate in any way to specializing (which is basically what a concentration is for)....then I am not to blame for this long ass explanation. ^__^