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Anacademic minor is a secondary area of study of anundergraduate college or university student, in addition to their "major". The institution lays out a framework of required classes or class types a student must complete to earn the minor – although the latitude the student is given varies. Academic minors and majors differ in that the former is subordinate to the latter – fewer courses are required to complete a minor program of study than a major program of study.[1][2] A minor is usually optional, and an undergraduate student does not have to select one.
Some students will prepare for their intended career with their major, while pursuing personal interests with a minor, for example, majoring incivil engineering while minoring in aforeign language orperforming arts. Other students may pursue a minor to provide specific specialization and thus make themselves more attractive to employers. It is not infrequent for aphysics major to minor incomputer science, or anengineering oreconomics student to minor inmathematics. Students intending to becomesecondary education teachers often major in their teaching subject area (for example,history orchemistry) and minor ineducation.
Academic minors are most prevalent in theUnited States and, to a lesser extent, in other English-speaking countries.
While academic minors are usually associated with undergraduate degrees as a student's secondary focus, academic minors also exist at thepostgraduate level, particularly in US institutions. This can refer to a student's minor or secondary field within a different discipline.[3]