Does a College Minor Help You Accomplish Your Goal?

Five Reasons You Might Want to Consider Declaring a Minor. 
By: Ami Tsutani 

Have you ever thought about declaring a minor? What is a minor first of all? It can be any study of your interest that gets you closer to your goal or simply allows you to follow your passion. Your minor does not have to relate to your major. If you have a minor that interests you, go for it! These five reasons will give you a push. 

1. You make more connections
It is important to have connections. Having a minor allows you to be able to be involved in a different community than the community of your major. It gives you broader connections, which provide more opportunities to discover what you want to do. 

2. Your minor classes might cover your GE class requirement
Many minors let you choose which classes to take from a list of elective classes, and some of these classes cover various areas of General Education. You might only need to take a few extra classes to complete your minor if you choose classes efficiently. 

3. It is less stressful than a double major and you still learn a lot
Having two degrees is great, but it requires you to spend twice as much time and effort completing a single major, especially if two majors do not relate to each other. On the other hand, minors are designed to efficiently study the most important elements of an area with the minimum time and effort. 

4. You can specialize in the area you like
If you are clear with what you want to do, declaring a minor can help you do it. For example, if you are interested in working internationally as a public relations professional, you can declare a minor in international economics or international studies. You can also declare a minor that reinforces your PR skills, such as event planning and management or marketing. 

5. You will stand out
You can show your potential employers that you are willing to do extra work to accomplish your goals. If you aim for a PR position, most of your competition would have studied PR and completed internships in the industry. What can differentiate you from them? Minors will add value and emphasize your uniqueness. 
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Students decide to declare a minor for various reasons. If you are now interested in what departments offer minors for you, visit the CSULB Degree Table.