Jessi Haga
Reporter
Last February, The Undergraduate Curriculum Council approved three minors to be added as viable options for students. Digital Studies, Pre-Law and Human Geography made their appearances this semester.
Digital Studies is a minor pertaining to the digital world we occupy. It is an interdisciplinary minor, so any and all students can take advantage of the minor to better understand what employers want in this ever-changing digital world.
The Mississippi University for Women’s Provost, Dr. Scott Tollison, explained the process in which these minors came to be a part of the current catalogue of minors.
“First, the proposal for the new minor would have to be approved by each department head that has courses that are relevant to the minor,” Tollison said.
Digital Studies has courses in many different fields such as Communication, History, English, Philosophy and Political Science, among others.
Tollison explained that, after the department heads approve the proposal, he approves it, as well as President Nora Miller.
The Pre-Law minor is also interdisciplinary, pulling courses from Philosophy, Political Science, History and a few others. This Pre-Law minor helps students prepare for obtaining a law degree in many ways by offering different aspects of different legal fields and studies.
Tollison said getting a minor while working toward a bachelor’s degree is beneficial for students.
“To me what a minor does is show potential employers that you did something extra. You didn’t go to college just to do the minimum,” Tollison said.
Dr. Amber Handy, the Director of Connie & Tom Kossen Center for Teaching & Learning, is very excited about the new additions to the student catalogue.
“The university and academic departments are always looking for ways to improve our program offerings to respond to student interests and the changing needs of the job market,” Handy said.
These new minors were carefully crafted with students in mind. The world around us is constantly changing, and these new academic minors showcase that change. The minors are supposed to help students obtain real-world knowledge, with many different classes giving the needed information to succeed in the job market.
If an academic minor is something you’re interested in taking on, you are recommended to do so in a way that would benefit you and your future. Your academic advisor can help if you have questions about a minor.