Choosing minors
If you have bothered to look at your university curriculum
slip then you are well aware of how many credit hours you must accumulate to
graduate from Western Michigan University. If you haven’t, I envy you.
Academic advisors have been known to call it “the magicnumber” which seems more like a prison sentence when you realize you will
attend WMU for at least 122 credit hours before receiving a diploma. It’s
enough to make you cry extortion.
For many students, their majors and minors have already been
declared. Many times, even for those who choose to double major, their
curriculum credit hours end up being less than “the magic number,” leaving gaps
to be filled.
Luckily, WMU offers many different minor programs that are
less than 20 credit hours and can realistically be completed in two or three
semesters. Such minor programs, or associate’s degrees as they are commonly
known, range from Africana studies (18 hours) to integrated supply matrix
Management (15 hours).
Perhaps the most ironic and flexible minor at WMU is an
associate’s degree in philosophy. The degree consists of only 15 credit hours
and there is no minor slip. Students are free to choose any courses they find
suitable to complete the program.
Perhaps the most surprising and desirable short-term minor
programs are from the finance and commercial law department at WMU. Finance,
law, and real estate are all 15 credit hours each while an insurance minor is only
18 hours.
With a changing economy and
increased technology today, other interesting associate’s degrees include business
communication, computer information systems, and e-business design programs
which are all individually only 15 credit hours.
Other 15 credit hour minors
consist of the social work, psychology, women’s studies, economics and religion
departments.
A large number of other
minors are approximately 17 to 18 credit hours which feature journalism,
communication, dance, textile and merchandising , geology, manufacturing
technology, environmental studies, general business, management, marketing,
imaging, criminal justice, and sociology.
For a full list of minors
visit the WMU Academic Catalog online at www.wmich.edu/catalog.
Jon Stonehouse, the Western Herald managing editor, is a senior
double majoring in journalism and political
science and will graduate in April.
Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=7197
Posted by heraldstaff
on Aug 18 2009. Filed under Blogs, Breaking.
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I realize that 122 credit hours may seem like a large number, but there are few things to keep in mind: 1) 122 credit hours is comparable to the number of credits required at most reputable institutions; 2) when you graduate you want to be marketable any where you choose to live, therefore it is imperative that your WMU degree compares favorably with those at other institutions around the country and throughout the world; 3) a University education by design must include a strong liberal arts education. A University education not only prepares you for work in a specific field, but the Liberal Arts provides you with a broad base of knowledge which should enhance your critical thinking skills, imperative for a democracy; and 4) 122 credit hours has been the minimum number of credits required to graduate from WMU for as long I can remember, and unfortunately that’s much longer than I’d like to admit.