Want to minor in sculpture? How about printmaking or strategic communication?
Starting Fall Semester 2016, you can do just that.
The U’s Board of Trustees, a governing committee made up of about 10 university administrators, unanimously voted in favor of the three new minors Tuesday without comment, and the State Board of Regents will likely give final approval in January. All three programs will be open for enrollment at the U in less than a year, adding to the more than 90 minors currently available.
The sculpture/intermedia minor, under the Department of Art and Art History, will require 24 credit hours, or six classes. The coursework includes options for welding and woodshop, as well as figure design and space installations. No other college in Utah offers a comparable specialization.
The printmaking minor, also housed under art and art history, is for students interested in lithography, screenprinting and engraving. The 24-credit program mainly consists of upper division coursework and will create one new class on the subject.
BYU, USU, SUU and Weber State University all offer classes in printmaking, but no separate minor.
Raymond Tymas-Jones, dean of the College of Fine Arts, which will oversee the sculpture and printmaking minors, said in a written statement to the trustees that both programs were proposed due to an increase in student interest across campus. He hopes that in response the two minors will increase the number of students completing a program in the department.
The minor in strategic communication, an 18-credit route (six classes), focuses on public relations, advertising and marketing. According to the proposal from the Department of Communication, 50 percent of students who enroll in the introductory strategic communication course do not pursue the full major already offered by the university. Advisors within the department believe those students not majoring in communication will complete the minor because it takes less time.
Robert Newman, former dean of the College of Humanities, told the trustees in an email written before he stepped down from the position in June: “university graduates from many majors pursue career paths that intersect with, or benefit from, knowledge of strategic communication.”
None of the proposed minors will require additional funding or faculty appointments. No student can minor in the same field as his or her major.
@CourtneyLTanner