University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Senate

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EP.97.18
April 27, 1998
(Approved by UIUC Senate)

PROPOSAL TO THE SENATE
Guidelines for Campus-wide Undergraduate Minors

Sponsor:

Senate Committee on Educational Policy
A&A Deans

Brief Description

The purpose of this proposal is to establish guidelines by which degree-granting units that seek to sponsor a campus-wide undergraduate minor can receive Senate approval of the minor. The proposal also recommends that successful satisfaction of the requirements for a Senate-approved undergraduate minor be acknowledged on the student's official University transcript.

Background

Offerings of undergraduate minors have become more popular in recent years. A list of approved minors on the UIUC campus is attached to this proposal. The Senate has reviewed and approved proposals for minors in an ad hoc manner. Some minors escaped Senate review, and were simply put in place by the sponsoring unit. Apart from the LAS guidelines, no campus guidelines have existed for undergraduate minors and there has been no formal recognition of minors on the academic transcript.

A proposal for establishing procedures and policy toward undergraduate minors was forwarded to the Senate Committee on Educational Policy from the A&A Deans. In response, the Senate Committee on Educational Policy developed this proposal and is seeking Senate approval.

Proposal

1. All new and revised undergraduate minors must receive Senate approval in order to be officially recognized by the campus and listed on the transcript.

2. Any degree-granting unit with the approval of its college may initiate a proposal for a campus-wide undergraduate minor. A formal proposal listing the requirements of the minor must be submitted to the Senate for approval. The proposal should comply with the guidelines below and follow the format of the Standard Minor Approval Form (attached). Sponsoring degree-granting units have the right to restrict enrollment in the minor, if educationally necessary, but are not required to give priority for course registration.

3. The Senate Educational Policy Committee, acting on behalf of the Senate, will review all proposals, accept those that comply with the guidelines, and place them on the Senate consent agenda. Proposals that are out of the ordinary, such as those from more than one degree-granting unit or those from units that are not degree-granting, may, at the Committee's option, be forwarded to the Senate for review by the whole Senate. The Senate Educational Policy Committee shall annually report to the Senate all newly approved minors.

4. A campus-level coding system in the official student database should reflect student enrollment in minors. The UI Direct system should display major and minor designations and the University academic transcript should reflect completion of all Senate-approved undergraduate minors earned by the student. When a student indicates an intention to graduate with a minor, the college of the sponsoring unit will confirm whether the minor course of study has been completed.

5. Students must apply to the sponsoring unit for admission to the minor. It is up to the sponsoring unit to determine the appropriate enrollment and criteria for admission to the minor, and to certify successful completion of the minor. The sponsoring unit must identify an advisor for each minor.

Guidelines

1. A minor should constitute a coherent program of study requiring some depth in the subject, but not as extensive a program as the major. Most minors will be comprehensive of study in the discipline, rather than focussing on a narrow subfield of study.

2. In general, the minor should consist of at least 16 and no more than 21 hours of course work. Except for clearly remedial offerings, prerequisite courses within the sponsoring unit count toward this total; prerequisite courses outside the sponsoring unit ordinarily do not count toward this total.

3. At least 6 hours of the minor should be advanced (300-level or designated 200-level advanced courses).

4. The unit sponsoring the minor may set educationally necessary prerequisites for eligibility for the minor.

5. A unit intending to propose a minor should prepare requirements in accord with these guidelines, obtain approval from its college, and forward the proposal to the Senate Educational Policy Committee for review and approval. A standard form is attached.

6. A list of minors that already exist campus-wide will be submitted to the Senate to enable them to be "grandfathered" in.

Attachments:
List of Approved Minors
Standard Minor Approval Form

Prepared by Subcommittee B
Revised 10/30/97
Revised 11/5/97
Revised 11/11/97
Revised 11/20/97
Revised 4/13/98

STANDARD MINOR APPROVAL FORM

Title of the proposed minor:
Sponsoring unit(s):
Date:

Brief description of the program of study: please explain how the proposed minor meets each of the following criteria:

· The minor program of study should require some depth in the subject, but not as extensive as the major.

· Ordinarily, a minor is comprehensive of study in the discipline, rather than focussing on a narrow subfield of study within the discipline. If this minor is an exception, please explain and justify.

· In general, a unit should propose only one minor.

Requirements: list the hours and course requirements for the proposed minor. The minor should consist of at least 16 and no more than 21 hours of course work within the sponsoring unit. At least six hours of the minor should be advanced (300-level or designated 200-level advanced courses). If the proposed minor fails to meet these criteria, please provide a reason.

Prerequisites for the minor: describe the prerequisites (if any) for the proposed minor. If the unit intends to limit enrollment in the minor, please justify and tell how this will be done.

Expected enrollment in the minor: what is the total number of students expected in the minor once it achieves its full enrollment?

Admission to the minor: what is the position of the person within the sponsoring unit who will monitor the admission process for the minor?

Minor advisor: what is the position of the person within the sponsoring unit who will be assigned responsibility for advising students enrolled in the minor?

Certification of successful completion: what system has been set up within the college of the sponsoring unit for certifying successful completion of the minor?

Statement for the catalog: provide a brief statement for the program catalog.

CLEARANCES:
Head/chair of the sponsoring unit:
Dean of the college of the sponsoring department or unit:
Chair, Senate Educational Policy Committee:

List of Approved Minors

Adult and Continuing Education, Teacher Education Minor in
African Studies, Interdisciplinary Minor in
Afro-American Studies, Interdisciplinary Minor in
Anthropology, Minor in
Art Education, Minor in
Astronomy, Minor in
Bioengineering, Minor in
Biology, Teacher Education Minor in
Chemistry, Minor in
Chemistry, Teacher Education Minor in
Cinema Studies, Minor in
Cinema Studies, Teacher Education Minor in
Classical Archaeology, Minor in
Classical Civilization, Minor in
Comparative Literature, Minor in
Computer Science (Liberal Arts and Sciences), Minor in
Computer Science (Engineering), Minor in
Computer Science, Teacher Education Minor in
Earth Science, Teacher Education Minor in
East Asian Languages and Cultures, Minor in
Economics, Teacher Education Minor in
English, Minor in
English, Teacher Education Minor in
English as a Second Language, Minor in
English as a Second Language, Teacher Education Minor in
Food and Bioprocess Engineering
French, Minor in
French, Teacher Education Minor in
Geology, Minor in
General Science, Teacher Education Minor in
German, Minor in
German, Teacher Education Minor in
Gerontology, Interdisciplinary Minor in
Greek, Minor in
History, Minor in
History, Teacher Education Minor in
Human Resources and Family Studies, Minor in (for students in Communications)
Instructional Applications of Computers, Non-Teaching Minor in
International Minor in Engineering
Italian, Minor in
Italian, Teacher Education Minor in
Jewish Culture and Society, Interdisciplinary Minor in
Journalism, Teacher Education Minor in
Latin, Minor in
Latin, Teacher Education Minor in
Latin American Studies, Interdisciplinary Minor in
Latina/Latino Studies, Interdisciplinary Minor in
Linguistics, Minor in
Manufacturing Engineering, Minor in
Mathematics, Minor in
Mathematics, Teacher Education Minor in
Philosophy, Minor in
Physical Education, Teacher Education Minor in
Physical Science, Teacher Education Minor in
Physics, Teacher Education Minor in
Polymer Science and Engineering
Portuguese, Minor in
Portuguese, Teacher Education Minor in
Psychology, Teacher Education Minor in
Religious Studies, Minor in
Rhetoric, Teacher Education Minor in
Russian, Teacher Education Minor in
Russian and East European Studies
Russian Language and Literature
Secondary School Teaching, Teacher Education Minor in
Social Studies, Teacher Education Minor in
Sociology, Minor in
Spanish, Minor in
Spanish, Teacher Education Minor in
Speech, Teacher Education Minor in
Urban Studies, Teacher Education Minor in
Women's Studies, Interdisciplinary Minor in
Women's Studies, Teacher Education Minor in