1. Academic Affairs Handbook, Board of Regents, University of Georgia,July 1987.

2. New Degrees or Major Programs. Academic Affairs Policy Statement No. 1, the University of Georgia, October 1989.

The following implementing policy and guidelines have been developed by the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost to assist academic units in developing a minor field of study.

The objective in instituting a minor field of study at the University of Georgia is to encourage and officially acknowledge the attainment by students of a fair measure of expertise and knowledge in more than one academic field.

Adopted by the University Council, November 1989. Amended June 5, 1990; March 21, 1991; and October 14, 1991; approved by the Board of Regents November 1, 1991.)

1. The option to create a minor and the formulation of requirements for a minor are curriculum decisions; therefore, they should originate from the faculty of the academic unit offering the minor.

2. Ordinarily, a minor may be offered only in a field for which there exists a corresponding major or authorized undergraduate certificate program. Exceptions may be made if (1) the proposed minor is in a recognized academic field or discipline, and (2) the University has in place sufficient courses, faculty, and facilities for the offering of the minor.

3. The establishment of a minor must parallel the present procedures for establishing a major field of study, including approval by the curriculum committee of the appropriate school or college and the University Curriculum Committee. Coordination by curriculum committees beyond the unit originating the proposal should encourage stylistic uniformity in the descriptions of requirements.

4. The availability and requirements of a minor will appear in the Bulletin. Requirements for the minor should include the total number of hours required, along with the enumeration of any particular courses that are mandated or excluded, residency requirements (if any) for the minor courses, and grade requirements for minor courses if those requirements differ from the general University standard for credit (a D as the minimum passing grade). Board of Regents' policy states that a minor must contain 15 to 18 semester hours of coursework with at least 9 hours of upper division coursework (numbered 3000 or above) in a field of study other than the student's major.

5. A student may have more than one minor.

6. The intent of establishing minor fields of undergraduate study is to offer students the opportunity to broaden their education through the minor field. The selection of a minor field of study should be made to fulfill this goal.

7. A student may select a minor in consultation with the advisor in the major field. The student may then consult an advisor in the minor field, who can inform the student of remaining requirements for the minor. When the student has met the requirements for the minor, the advisor in the minor field will then certify that fact to the student's dean. The completed minor will be recorded on the student's permanent transcript-- but not on the diploma. For students completing a minor before graduation, the minor will appear on the transcript at the time of graduation. For students completing a minor after graduation, the statement shall appear on the transcript in chronological order following the courses taken subsequent to graduation.

8. A student must be enrolled at the time a minor is approved by the Board of Regents, or subsequent to that date, to receive credit for the minor.

1. Establishment of a minor parallel the present procedures for establishing a major program of study (see reference 1.b.), including approval by the curriculum committee of the appropriate college or school and the University Curriculum Committee. Proposals for minors should be submitted using the minor program form. (Attachment A)

2. Only approved minor academic programs shall appear in the Bulletin.

3. Students who wish to pursue a minor program of study should initiate a "school, department, degree, or major change form" following consultation with a minor-granting department. This form will be forwarded to the student's academic dean for review and approval and then be sent to the Registrar's Office to update the student's degree program data.

4. When the student has met the requirements for the minor, the advisor in the minor field shall certify that fact to the student's dean. Using the certification form, the minor department will forward the form to the student's dean who has responsibility for informing the Registrar of the completion of the minor program of study.

Academic units contemplating the development of a minor program should consult with the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost for needed information or assistance.

School/College:  ____________________________________________________________________

Department/Division:  ________________________________________________________________

Proposed Program: __________________________________________________________________

Proposed Starting Date for Program:  _____________________________________________________

Program Descriptions - including prefixes, numbers, and titles of required courses, total credit hours (must be 15-18 hours), residency requirements (if any), and grade requirements (if any):
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Signatures:

__________________________________________________________________________________
Department Head                                                    Department                                            Date

__________________________________________________________________________________
School/College Curriculum Committee Chair              School/College                        Date

__________________________________________________________________________________
Dean                                                                      School/College                                          Date

__________________________________________________________________________________
University Curriculum Committee Chair                                                                           Date