Minor Programs / Areas of Special Interest (ASI)
Established Minor Programs/Areas of Special Interest (ASI) are offered by undergraduate degree-granting departments and the Military Science Department. Additionally Mines offers interdisciplinary minors and ASIs.
A Minor Program/Area of Special Interest declaration (which can be found in the Registrar's Office) should be submitted for approval at the time of application for graduation. If the minor or ASI is added after the application to graduate, it must be submitted to the Registrar's Office by the first day of the term in which the student is graduating.
Once the declaration form is submitted to the Registrar's Office, the student deciding not to complete the minor/ASI must officially drop the minor/ASI by notifying the Registrar's Office in writing. Should minor/ASI requirements not be complete at the time of graduation, the minor/ASI program will not be awarded. Minors/ASIs are not added after the BS degree is posted. Completion of the minor/ASI will be recorded on the student's official transcript. Students who return after completing a degree may not take courses solely to complete a minor with the expectation of having the minor added to the transcript. Minors/ASIs are not added after the BS degree is posted.
Please see the Department for specific course requirements. For questions concerning changes in the sequence of minor/ASI courses after the declaration form is submitted, contact the Registrar's Office for assistance.
No more than half of the hours used for the minor or ASI may be transferred from other colleges or universities including AP, IB, or other high school or non-Mines credit. Some minor/ASI programs, however, have been established in collaboration with other institutions through formal articulation agreements and these may allow transfer credit exceeding this limit. For additional information on program-specific transfer credit limits, refer to the programs section of this Catalog.
As a minimum, Mines requires that any course used to fulfill a minor/ASI requirement be completed with a passing grade. Some programs offering minors/ASIs may, however, impose higher minimum grades for inclusion of the course in the minor/ASI. In these cases, the program specified minimum course grades take precedence. For additional information on program-specific minimum course grade requirements, refer to the programs section of this Catalog. As a minimum, to be awarded a minor/ASI, Mines requires students obtain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher in all minor/ASI courses completed at Mines. All attempts at required minor/ASI courses are used in computing this minor/ASI GPA. Some programs offering minors/ASIs may, however, require a higher minimum cumulative GPA. In these cases, the program specified GPA takes precedence. For additional information on program specific GPA requirements, refer to the programs section of this Catalog.
Each department or minor-oversight authority (in the case of interdisciplinary minors) defines a list of requirements that constitute a minor. The lists of requirements clearly delineate any specific courses needed for the minor, may include a set of courses from which the rest of the credits must be completed, and will clearly outline any other specific restrictions and/or requirements for obtaining the minor. Once recommended by Undergraduate Council and approved by Faculty Senate, the minor requirements will appear in the appropriate department or interdisciplinary sections of this catalog so that courses may be planned in advance in order for a student to receive a given minor/s.
The objective of a minor is to provide a depth of understanding and expertise to an area outside of, or complementary to, a student's degree. A minor is a thematically-related set of academic activities leading to a transcript designation in addition to but separate from that granted by the student's degree.
Minors
All minors are created and awarded based on the following minimum requirements and limitations:
Minimum Credit Hours - 18.0
Minimum Hours Outside of Degree Requirements - 9.0
At least 9.0 of the hours required for the minor must not be used for any part of the degree other than Free Electives.
Minimum GPA - 2.0
A 2.0 grade point average, including all Mines graded courses used for the minor, must be met in order to receive the minor designation on the transcript. Transfer credit hours do not factor into the minor grade point average.
Level - At least 9.0 credits must be at the 300-level or above.
Content
There must be sufficient distinction between a degree and a minor obtained by the same student. In general, students may earn minors offered by the same department as their degree program, but the minor may not have the same name as the degree. For example, an Electrical Engineering degree-seeking student may earn a minor in Computer Science. However, degree granting programs, with recommendation by Undergraduate Council and approval by Faculty Senate, may 1) specify minors that are excluded for their students due to insufficient distinction, and/or 2) add restrictions or additional requirements to the minimal requirements for their students to obtain a specific minor.
Areas of Special Interest (ASIs)
All ASIs are created and awarded based on the following minimum requirements and limitations:
Minimum Credit Hours - 12.0
Minimum Hours Outside of Degree Requirements - 9.0
At least 9.0 of the hours required for the ASI must not be used for any part of the degree other than Free Electives.
Minimum GPA - 2.0
A 2.0 grade point average, including all Mines graded courses used for the ASI, must be met in order to receive the ASI designation on the transcript. Transfer credit hours do not factor into the ASI grade point average.