Minors and Certificates

Many departments and programs offer an option of earning a minor and/or certificate. Minors and certificates are an additional area of specialization, and each approved minor or certificate comes with its own set of requirements. Check the department’s website to see if a minor or certificate is offered and to learn the specific requirements. All minors and certificates and their requirements can also be located in the MU Catalog: MU Catalog List of degrees, minors, and certificates.

Certificates and Stand-Alone Certificates

Transcripted undergraduate certificate programs provide students with the opportunity to pursue educational objectives beyond those normally associated with an academic major or minor. The defining curriculum may, for example, enable students to pursue a more applied approach to the subject matter than is available through a major or minor.  Undergraduate certificates programs may include course prerequisites and a GPA requirement in addition to a curricular core of at least 12 hours. At least 12 hours of the curricular core is to be completed through MU coursework. Certificate programs may be developed within a single department, a college or school, or a combination of academic unites in a manner similar to minors.

“Stand-alone” certificates, are certificates that may be earned independently from a degree program and does not require the student to be pursuing a degree simultaneously.  The requirements are not part of a degree; however, some courses may overlap and be used for earning both a degree and the certificate.  Admissions is reviewed separately from admission to a degree program. Admission to some stand-alone certificate programs may require previous specified course work or credit-hour accumulation.  Check with Fin Aid to see if the certificate in question is eligible for federal or other financial aid.

Students who are also degree seeking will be awarded any certificates, regardless of if they are stand-alone or part of the degree program, at the same time as the completion of the degree requirements.

How to Declare a Minor or Certificate

Declare a minor or certificate by submitting a form online at the following link: Declaring a Minor and Certificate.  Log in using your MU pawprint and password.  Once submitted, your declaration will be processed by the division and you will be notified by email when it is approved.

When to Declare a Minor or Certificate

It is highly recommended to declare a minor or certificate after completing 6 credits of coursework toward it. Minors must be officially submitted to the minor division before graduation in order to be awarded.

Additional Notes

Minors can only be awarded if a degree is earned at the same time.

Minors cannot be earned in the same area as the major. For questions about whether a minor is in your major area, please consult with your major advisor.

Track your progress toward completing a minor by running an audit at the Degree and Minor Audit page.