GCAC-741
Master's Minor - Professional Master's
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Purpose
To define the requirements for a minor in a professional master’s degree program.
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Academic Goal
To allow students pursuing a professional master’s degree to be properly recognized for a formal program of study in a field related to but separate from their graduate major program.
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Scope
All students in professional master’s degree programs.
Policy Statement
- A master’s minor must require no fewer than 6 credits at the 400, 500, or 800 level in a field related to, but different from, that of the student’s graduate major program. At least 50% of credits must be at the 500 or 800 level.
- A minor may be taken in one of the approved graduate degree programs offered at Penn State or in one of the stand-alone graduate minors approved by Graduate Council.
- Any professional master’s degree student can pursue a minor.
- The graduate major program may require a student to pursue a minor.
- A professional master’s degree student seeking a minor must have the approval of their graduate major program of study, the minor program, and the Graduate School. The student’s graduate major program is responsible for judging the suitability of the minor field and its relevance to the student’s graduate major.
- The graduate minor program has responsibility for accepting or rejecting students, advising students on courses to be taken in the minor field, and certifying that all requirements for the minor have been met.
- A student may not pursue more than three minors at one time. If a student pursues more than one minor, each minor must have a separate group of courses to support it. None of the courses may be applied to more than one minor’s requirements.
Process
Students must officially be admitted to the master’s minor at least one semester prior to the semester the student intends to graduate.
Forms
insert_drive_file Request to Add Graduate Minor (PDF)|(DOC)
Further Information
Graduate Council-Approved Stand-Alone Graduate Minors
Revision History
- Approved by Graduate Council, March 17, 2021. Effective date: Fall 2021 (08/16/2021).
- New policy.