In many departments students are encouraged to develop a minor academic area. The purposes are several:

1. Focus and specialize understanding in terms of subject matter and method; i.e., an engineering major might want to understand the social and economic context of modern technology, perhaps with special attention to ethical or policy concerns.
2. Broaden a related major field and also build special competence; i.e., a history or political science major might minor in the history of early modern science or in the history of biology or physics.
3. Create a complementary area of interest; i.e., an arts major may want to explore and demonstrate an area of science in order to examine and transcend the stereotype of two cultures, one humanistic and the other scientific.
4. Pursue a special interest project; i.e., develop a special research project exploring how geologists and archeologists combined their skills in the late nineteenth century to understand the earliest populations in the Minnesota region.

1. The minor consists of 14 credits of 3xxx-5xxx courses; at least 3 of these credits must be at or above the 4xxx level.
2. Not more than 25% of the total 3xxx-5xxx credits in the minor program may consist of Directed Study, Directed Instruction, or Independent Study credits.
3. Not more than 25% of the total 3xxx-5xxx credits in the minor program may be taken on an S-N basis.
4. All courses in the minor must be completed with a grade of C- or better.

Every faculty member in the Program (listed below) can tell you more about courses and the weekly colloquia open to the public. You may also get a list of the special events and speakers from the office of the Program which is located at 381 Tate Lab of Physics (612-624-7069). Regular faculty include:

Professor Jennifer Alexander
325D Mechanical Engineering 
612-626-7309
jalexand@me.umn.edu

Professor Mark Borrello
304 Ecology
612-624-7079
borrello@umn.edu

Professor Michel Janssen
354B Physics
612-624-5880
janss011@umn.edu

Professor Susan Jones
508 Ecology
612-624-9636
jone0996@umn.edu

Professor Sally Gregory Kohlstedt
123 Pillsbury
612-624-9368
sgk@umn.edu

Professor Tom Misa
211 Andersen Library
612-625-5050
tmisa@umn.edu

Professor Robert Seidel
101 Amundson
612-624-8003
rws@umn.edu

Professor Alan Shapiro
354C Physics
612-624-5770
ashapiro@physics.umn.edu