Faculty Senate Minutes

Attachment B Faculty Senate Minutes 15 April 1997

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:

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 minor should not be interpreted as a violation of the spirit of the minor program.
#3			The proposed policy also provides 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.

Academic Minors Program Program Criteria

The following conditions are established for departments offering minors:

1. A department shall establish its own policy regarding which courses shall count toward an academic minor subject to the following limitations:

a. There shall be a minimum of 18 credits from courses in the same department.

b. Courses that count toward a minor are also eligible to be used to satisfy the current University-wide General Education requirements subject to normal distribution requirements.

c. At least two courses should be at the upper-division level (300-400). Exceptions may be requested upon evidence of program depth.

d. No course needed for the minor may be taken Pass/Fail.

2. Although a department may require its majors to complete a minor in another department, it cannot compel another department to offer a minor, nor may the department requiring a minor stipulate the required courses in the minor area.

3. Courses counted as a minor can also be used to satisfy the required related portion of the curriculum record form, where appropriate.

4. A student selecting a minor must fill out an Intent to Minor form with the student's academic advisor and obtain approval from the department offering the minor. A copy of this form will be forwarded to the Office of Academic Advisement and the department offering the major.

5. Satisfactory completion of a minor (or minors) is shown on the student's academic transcript.

6. Each department offering a minor shall designate a coordinator to act as liaison with other departments and/or students needing advisement.

7. Departments developing minors shall submit the proposal for the minor through the regular approval process.

8. A minimum QPA of 2.0 in the minor is required for successful completion.

9. One-half or more of the work required for the minor must be completed at Millersville.

10. When minors are proposed that require related courses outside the minor department, the other departments involved will be consulted regarding appropriateness and availability of the required related course prior to senate approval.

11. The word option shall be used for the variety of terms previously referred to as concentrations, tracks, emphasis areas, or areas of interest within the majors and minors.