Minors for Soil Science Graduate Students
Minors are not required for either the Soil Science Master of Science or Doctoral programs. If the graduate student opts to have a minor, the Advisory Committee must include a member of the Graduate Faculty from the department or interdepartmental program of the minor discipline. Although three or four courses usually are required in the minor area, some departments and programs have specific course requirements and the Plan of Work (POW) may require endorsement from the Director of Graduate Programs or Program Coordinator. Discuss your interests in minors with your graduate advisor.
Minors for MS students are typically 9 to 12 credits and for PhD students they are typically 12 credits. Exceptions exist and the number of credits can be higher.
Here are examples of minors that could be pursued. This list is not exhaustive and you may consider other opportunities as well
- Geographic Information Systems
- Water Resources
- Ecology
- Crop Science
- Chemistry
- Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences
Split Minor
A split minor includes supporting course work from two departments or programs, and both minor areas should be identified on the POW. At the Master’s level, at least one of the minor areas must be represented on the Advisory Committee. A split minor at the Doctoral level requires representation on the Advisory Committee from both minor areas.
Interdisciplinary Minor
An interdisciplinary minor may be designed to meet a student’s particular career goals. Such a minor usually includes at least three courses from various selected departments or programs. The Advisory Committee should include one or more members of the Graduate Faculty selected for their overall expertise in the interdisciplinary area.