Academic Minors in the College of Literature, Science, and the Art at the University of Michigan

Academic Minors

Students in the College are given the option of electing one or more academic minors offered by units within the College. Note that electing to earn an academic minor is optional; it is not a requirement; and note too that there is no limit on the number of academic minors a student may elect. Academic minors, along with their requirements and other pertinent information, are described in detail in Chapter VI of the Bulletin .

An academic minor will require no less than 15 credits of course work, will show structure and coherence, and will contain some upper-level courses. At least 10 out of the 15 credits must be taken in-residence. Students who declare and complete an approved academic minor will receive a notation on their student transcript but not on their diploma.

  • Students may not use more than one course to meet both the requirements of an academic minor and the prerequisites or requirements of a concentration.
  • NO course may be used to satisfy the requirements of more than one academic minor.
  • If the academic minor has prerequisites, students taking courses to meet the prerequisites to a concentration may also count those courses as prerequisites to the academic minor.
  • Advanced Placement credits may not be used to meet the requirements of an academic minor, but may be used to meet prerequisites to an academic minor.
  • Since students electing an academic minor are required to meet the area distribution requirement, courses elected to meet the requirements of an academic minor also may be part of the student's area distribution plan.
  • A student must earn an overall GPA of at least 2.0 in courses taken to meet requirements of an academic minor, including any prerequisites.
  • A course or courses that are part of a student's academic minor may also meet the Language Requirement, the Upper-Level Writing Requirement, the Race & Ethnicity Requirement, or the Quantitative Reasoning Requirement.

Other Units

Students in the units listed below also have the option of pursuing academic minors offered by LS&A. Limitations may apply on which academic minors may be chosen. Interested students should consult an academic advisor in their home unit before making an appointment to see an LS&A program advisor about academic minors offered in LS&A.

  • the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning ( effective Fall 2003 )
  • the School of Art and Design ( effective Winter 2002 )
  • the School of Business Administration ( effective Fall 2004 )
  • the Dental Hygiene Program ( effective Winter 2003 )
  • the School of Education ( effective Fall 2002 )
  • the College of Engineering ( effective Winter Term 2001 )
  • the Division of Kinesiology ( effective Fall 2001 )
  • the School of Music ( effective Winter 2002 )
  • the School of Natural Resources and Environment ( effective Winter Term 2002 )
  • the School of Nursing ( effective Fall 2002 )
  • the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy ( effective Fall 2007 )

The College of Pharmacy is the only Undergraduate unit currently NOT allowing students to elect LS&A academic minors.

The Division of Kinesiology offers two Academic Minors:  (1 ) Health and (2 ) Movement Science.  These minors are NOT open to LSA students. The Movement Science minor is open only to School of Music, Theatre & Dance students.

APPROVED ACADEMIC MINORS

Afroamerican and African Studies

American Culture

Anthropology

  • Biological Anthropology
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Department of Anthropology )
  • Anthropology
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Department of Anthropology )
    • Sociocultural Anthropology
    • Linguistics Anthropology
    • Anthropological Archaeology
  • Medical Anthropology
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Department of Anthropology and not open to students minoring in Science, Technology, and Society )

Asian Languages and Cultures

  • Asian Languages and Cultures
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in Asian Studies )
    • Chinese
    • Filipino
    • Hindi
    • Indonesian
    • Japanese
    • Korean
    • Sanskrit
    • Tamil
    • Thai
    • Tibetan
    • Urdu
    • Vietnamese
  • Asian Studies
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in Asian Studies )
    • Chinese Studies track
    • Japanese Studies track
    • Korean Studies track
    • South Asian Studies track
    • Southeast Asian Studies track
    • Disciplinary or lines of inquiry track

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Biology

  • Biology
    ( not open to students with a concentration in Biology, General Biology, Plant Biology, Cell & Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Neuroscience, or Biochemistry, nor to students electing an academic minor in Environmental Studies, Plant Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, or Global Change )

Biophysics

  • Biophysics
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Program in Biophysics )      

Chemistry

  • Biochemistry 
    ( The Biochemistry Academic Minor is not open to students concentrating in Biochemistry, Chemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, Biology, General Biology, Neuroscience, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Plant Biology, and Microbiology )
  • Chemistry
    ( The Chemistry Academic Minor is not open to students concentrating in Biochemistry, Chemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, Biology, General Biology, Neuroscience, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Plant Biology, and Microbiology )
  • Chemical Measurement Science
    ( The Chemical Measurement Science Academic Minor is not open to students concentrating in Biochemistry or Chemistry )
  • Chemical Physics
    ( The Chemical Physics Academic Minor is not open to students concentrating in Biochemistry or Chemistry )
  • Polymer Chemistry
    ( The Polymer Chemistry Academic Minor is not open to students concentrating in Biochemistry or Chemistry )

Classical Studies

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

  • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
     ( not open to students with a concentration in Biology, General Biology, Plant Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Microbiology, or Biochemistry, nor to students electing an academic minor in Biology, Plant Biology, Environmental Studies, or Global Change )
  • Plant Biology
     ( not open to students with a concentration in Biology, General Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology, Plant Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Microbiology, Neuroscience or Biochemistry, nor to students electing an academic minor in Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Studies, or Global Change )

Economics

  • Economics
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Department of Economics )

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

  • Computer Science
    ( not open to students with a concentration in Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science )

Environment

  • Environment
    ( not open to students concentrating in The Environment, to students in the School of Natural Resources and Environment, nor to those pursuing an academic minor in Global Change )
  • Global Change
    ( not open to those electing an academic minor in Biology, Environment, or RC Environmental Studies )

European Studies (Center for) and European Union Center

Geological Sciences

  • Earth Sciences — General
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Department of Geological Sciences )
  • Environmental Geology
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Department of Geological Sciences )
  • Geochemistry
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Department of Geological Sciences )
  • Oceanography
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Department of Geological Sciences )
  • Paleontology
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Department of Geological Sciences )

Germanic Languages and Literatures

  • German Studies
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures )
  • Scandinavian Studies
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures )

Global Change

  • Global Change
    ( not open to those electing an academic minor in Biology, Environment, or RC Environmental Studies )

History

  • History
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Department of History or to those electing an academic minor in Modern European Studies )
  • Medieval and Early Modern Studies
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in Medieval and Early Modern Studies )

History of Art

  • History of Art
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Department of History of Art )

International and Comparative Studies

International Institute

  • East European Studies ( Russian and East European Studies )
    ( not open to those electing a concentration or another academic minor in the Center for Russian and East European Studies. Those electing a concentration in Slavic may pursue a minor in REES, but may not count any Slavic courses toward satisfying the requirements for the REES minor. Students may concurrently pursue a minor in both REES and Slavic, with the following restrictions: 1) REES minors may not count any courses for which Slavic is the home unit; 2) Slavic minors may not count REES 397 nor any courses for which REES is the home unit, which includes SLAVIC 395 and 396. )
  • International Studies ( International and Comparative Studies )
  • Latin American and Caribbean Studies ( Latin American and Caribbean Studies )
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in Latin American and Caribbean Studies )
  • Middle Eastern and North African Studies ( Modern ) ( Middle Eastern and North African Studies )
    ( not open to those with a concentration in Middle Eastern and North African Studies or a concentration or academic minor in the Department of Near Eastern Studies )
  • Russian Studies ( Russian and East European Studies )
    ( not open to those electing a concentration or another academic minor in the Center for Russian and East European Studies. Those electing a concentration in Slavic may pursue a minor in REES, but may not count any Slavic courses toward satisfying the requirements for the REES minor. Students may concurrently pursue a minor in both REES and Slavic, with the following restrictions: 1) REES minors may not count any courses for which Slavic is the home unit; 2) Slavic minors may not count REES 397 nor any courses for which REES is the home unit, which includes SLAVIC 395 and 396. )
  • Western European Studies ( Modern ) ( Center for European Studies — European Union Center)

Judaic Studies

  • Judaic Studies
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in Judaic Studies, nor to those electing a Hebrew and Jewish Cultural Studies concentration from the Department of Near Eastern Studies )

Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Linguistics

  • Linguistics
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Program in Linguistics )  

Mathematics

  • Mathematics
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Department of Mathematics )  

Medieval and Early Modern Studies

  • Medieval and Early Modern Studies
    ( not open to those electing a concentration in Medieval and Early Modern Studies )

    • Middle Eastern and North African Studies

    Music, Theatre & Dance

    • Music
      ( not open to those electing a Music concentration, including those in the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance )
    • African American Theatre
      ( not open to those electing any concentration in the Department of Theatre and Drama )

    Near Eastern Studies

    • Near Eastern Languages and Cultures
      ( not open to those electing a concentration or another academic minor in the Department of Near Eastern Studies )  
    • Early Christian Studies
      ( not open to those electing a concentration or another academic minor in the Department of Near Eastern Studies or Classical Studies )

    Philosophy

    Physics

    • Physics
      ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Department of Physics )

    Political Science

    • Political Science
      ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Department of Political Science )

    Residential College

    • Crime and Justice
      ( not open to students pursuing a concentration in the Department of Sociology nor to students concentrating in Social Sciences in the RC )
    • Peace and Social Justice
      ( not open to students concentrating in Social Sciences in the Residential College )
    • Science, Technology, and Society
      ( not open to students pursuing a concentration in Social Sciences in the RC )
    • Text-to-Performance
      ( not open to students pursuing a concentration or academic minor in Humanities in the RC nor a concentration or academic minor in Theatre and Drama )
    • Urban and Community Studies
      ( not open to students pursuing a concentration in Social Sciences in the RC )

    Romance Languages and Literatures

    Russian and East European Studies

    • Russian Studies
      ( not open to those electing a concentration or another academic minor in the Center for Russian and East European Studies. Those electing a concentration in Slavic may pursue a minor in REES, but may not count any Slavic courses toward satisfying the requirements for the REES minor. Students may concurrently pursue a minor in both REES and Slavic, with the following restrictions: 1) REES minors may not count any courses for which Slavic is the home unit; 2) Slavic minors may not count REES 397 nor any courses for which REES is the home unit, which includes SLAVIC 395 and 396. )
    • East European Studies
       ( not open to those electing a concentration or another academic minor in the Center for Russian and East European Studies. Those electing a concentration in Slavic may pursue a minor in REES, but may not count any Slavic courses toward satisfying the requirements for the REES minor. Students may concurrently pursue a minor in both REES and Slavic, with the following restrictions: 1) REES minors may not count any courses for which Slavic is the home unit; 2) Slavic minors may not count REES 397 nor any courses for which REES is the home unit, which includes SLAVIC 395 and 396. )

    Screen Arts and Cultures

    • Global Media Studies
      ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Department of Screen Arts and Cultures or in Dramatic Writing )

    Slavic Languages and Literatures

    • Czech Language, Literature, and Culture
      ( not open to those electing a concentration or any other academic minor in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, nor to those electing a concentration in the Center for Russian and East European Studies ( REES ). Students may concurrently pursue a minor in both REES and Slavic with the following restrictions: 1) REES minors may not count any courses for which Slavic is the home unit; 2) Slavic minors may not count REES 397 nor any courses for which REES is the home unit, which includes SLAVIC 395 and 396. )
    • Polish Language, Literature, and Culture
      ( not open to those electing a concentration or any other academic minor in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, nor to those electing a concentration in the Center for Russian and East European Studies ( REES ). Students may concurrently pursue a minor in both REES and Slavic with the following restrictions: 1) REES minors may not count any courses for which Slavic is the home unit; 2) Slavic minors may not count REES 397 nor any courses for which REES is the home unit, which includes SLAVIC 395 and 396. )
    • Russian Language, Literature, and Culture
      ( not open to those electing a concentration or any other academic minor in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, nor to those electing a concentration in the Center for Russian and East European Studies ( REES ). Students may concurrently pursue a minor in both REES and Slavic with the following restrictions: 1) REES minors may not count any courses for which Slavic is the home unit; 2) Slavic minors may not count REES 397 nor any courses for which REES is the home unit, which includes SLAVIC 395 and 396. )

    Statistics

    • Applied Statistics
      ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Department of Statistics )
    • Statistics
      ( not open to those electing a concentration in the Department of Statistics )

    Women's Studies