Doctoral Minor Option A Requirements

Current Requirements:

Minor: Option A

A doctoral student may be required to supplement the major by completing a minimum of 8 to 12 credits
in a single discipline, which designates the minor field. The courses must be planned with the minor
professor and identified on the student’s Program of Study. A cumulative GPA of 3.0 must be earned in
the minor. The minor examination is administered by the faculty of the minor discipline. Option A
minors are identified on the graduate student’s transcript.

Summary of Proposed Change/Addition to Basic Requirements:

1. Revise minimum credit amount to show one minimum option rather than range
2. Revise minor definition
3. Revise verification process
4. Remove examination requirement

Justification of the Proposed Change:

The current requirements for Minor Option A are unclear, and as a result the administration of these
requirements has been inconsistent, inefficient, and confusing for many. For instance, it is not clear
whether the phrase “a single discipline” refers to an existing program, a concentration, or some other
specialization, and thus it is also not clear whether a student could minor in some other sub-discipline
within his or her own program. As a result, students have requested and sometimes have been granted
minors in areas that do not align with the Graduate School’s current programs, and administrators are
unsure about what they can and should approve. Further, it is not clear which faculty have authority over
the process, nor is it clear who the “minor professor” should be. This revision seeks to clarify the
standards for receiving a minor, the lines of authority for advising and approval, and the articulation of
Minor Option A with certificates.

Proposed Graduate School Regulation: (Bulletin Copy)

Minor: Option A

A doctoral student may supplement the doctoral program by completing a minimum of 8 credits in
residence at UWM in a different graduate program, or a different transcript designated concentration
within the student’s program. The minor must be approved by both the student’s program advisor and the
graduate representative in the minor program and identified on the student’s program of study. Option A
minors are identified on the graduate student’s transcript. Students may not earn a graduate certificate and a Minor Option A using the same courses.

Verification Process:

1. The Minor Option A will be posted on a student’s transcript upon degree conferral. Minor Option A will not be posted external to a degree program.
2. The graduation application will be modified to enable programs to report completion of a Minor
   Option A. Programs will be required to identify courses from the student’s transcript or program
   of study that apply toward the Minor Option A.

May 8, 2017

Graduate Faculty Committee Doc. No. 717 Revised and Approved

March 17, 1997

Approved