Millersville University, Faculty Senate

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TO:	Faculty Senate
FROM:	Academic Policies Committee
DATE:	April 15, 1997
RE:	AMENDMENT TO ACADEMIC MINORS POLICY

Motion:

To replace the current wording of Item 12 of the Academic Minors Program Criteria on p. 70 of the Governance Manual:

12. Students are prohibited from choosing any minor in which the courses needed to fulfill the requirements for the minor would duplicate one or more courses in their major department and are counted by the students in their major.

With the following new wording/policy:

12. In the selection and completion of an academic minor, the following rules will apply:

a. Students who choose a minor containing courses from their major may not duplicate more than one course in the completion of both their major and their minor.
b. In defining the term "major" in 12a., required related courses are excluded.
c. No student may minor in his or her major.

Rationale:

#1	Item 12's current wording was designed to close a loophole in a previous GM which would have allowed a student to major and minor in the same program ("a Mathematics major minoring in Mathematics", see APC memo to Faculty Senate concerning Academic Minors Policy, 11 October 1991).
#2	It is the present APC's conclusion that the existing policy is unduly restrictive. The "dual counting" of one required course in the major and the minor should not be interpreted as a violation of the spirit of the minor program.
#3	The proposed policy also procides a framework for the several interdepartmental minors (African-American Studies, International Studies and Women's Studies) which now exist at the university.
#4	The proposed wording in Item 12c. retains the original intent of the existing Item 12.

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