Written by Khadija Farooq
As a first-year student fresh out of high school, I couldn’t have been more confused when I was told to start thinking about what my program structure would look like. Would I choose a major-minor pathway, a double major pathway, or did my program offer a specialization? I thought to myself: what are these terms and how do I plan my degree? This article will focus on explaining what a minor is and how to choose one.
While a ‘major’ or ‘honours’ is attributed to the primary focus of your program, a ‘minor’ is an optional set of classes you can take to complement your major. Your chosen minor does not necessarily have to be related to your major; in fact, by choosing a dissimilar minor, the diversity of your courses may not only help you stand out, but also richen your understanding of the world and allow you to see problems and situations in a different light.
You should keep your interests in mind when choosing your minor, but also be strategic in your selection with regards to your career goal. If your ultimate goal is to go into the teaching department, you might want to consider an education minor. For someone interested in working as a healthcare professional in the future, a minor is human development might be beneficial for optimizing patient interactions. Some professional minors like communication, leadership, and professional writing would be an asset for virtually any job, so always consider what transferable skills you may be able to hone!
Note that ‘minors’ are NOT the same as ‘specializations’. While a minor can be of any offered discipline and usually replaces most of your elective course options to fit into your schedule, specializations are usually very specific to your major, and may consist of a small cluster of relevant optional courses only available in your upper years.
Not to forget — timing is everything! Although most applications for minors and specializations do not begin until the end of your first year of studies, planning out what courses you need to take versus what you want to take ahead of time ensures you can fit the requirements into your academic plan. Planning ahead ensures that there are no scheduling conflicts with your major, which is crucial because errors in planning your schedule appropriately can lead to you requiring an additional year of studies. Stay mindful of what is feasible!
The minor that works best for you is something that only you can decide for yourself at the end of the day, considering your interests, career goals, and feasibility. Academic advisors can be very helpful when making your selection and are there to help students with academic planning. Also consider speaking to your institutions career counsellors to see what may work best with your career interests. You can find out more about academic planning in our other Studentosity articles.
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