A small but growing number of Arizona college students are graduating with academic minors, hoping that concentrating in another field of study will broaden their knowledge, help them land a job or get into graduate school.
This year, 13 percent of undergraduates at Arizona State University earned a minor, up from 10 percent just two years ago. The state's largest public university is offering 92 minors in a range of different subjects compared with 67 a decade ago.
Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona also are seeing increases in the percentage of students who pursue minors.
A minor is a focused area of study, such as business, political science or religious studies, which is separate from a student's major-degree program. Minors usually require 18 to 21 college credits and are included in the 120 credits needed for most bachelor's degrees.
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The trend comes as universities are increasingly offering academic programs that involve more than one field of study, something known as interdisciplinary study.
Minors are another way students can become more versatile to distinguish themselves as they hunt for jobs or compete to get into the best graduate programs, university officials say.
"The value of a minor is it gives you a different perspective," said Chris Boone, associate dean of education at ASU's School of Sustainability.
At NAU, which offers 87 minors, about 30 percent of undergraduate students graduated with a minor in 2009, a slight increase over the previous year. The total number of minors and percentage of students graduating with a minor from UA was unavailable, but 13 percent of UA's undergraduate students were enrolled in a minor in 2009, which was also an increase.
Unlike a major, a minor isn't listed on a diploma; the student's college record carries the notation that a minor was earned.
ASU senior Alyssa Bisanz, 21, is majoring in political science and minoring in sustainability. She chose the dual focus because she is interested in how environmental issues affect public policy.
"I find it to be very cutting-edge," she said.
Bisanz said having a minor could help her get into graduate school, but more importantly, the added knowledge has helped her look at things from another perspective, teaching her how to think critically and apply solutions.
Academic departments add or phase out minors based on student demand and faculty expertise. This fall, NAU added a new minor in museum studies, while ASU added six: sustainability; nutrition and healthy living; Asian Pacific American studies; astrophysics; military leadership; and global health. UA added four minors: military leadership; family and consumer sciences; adolescence, community and education; and astrobiology.
Nationally, many universities offer academic minors. But at least one major university, Yale, doesn't. Yale faculty studied the topic for two years, conducting surveys and weighing the pros and cons before they recommended earlier this year against introducing minors. A faculty committee was concerned minors would lock students into taking a large number of required courses, which might not be as intellectually stimulating as other elective courses.
Arizona university officials say the decision to minor is largely left up to the student. Until a few years ago, NAU advisers often encouraged students to choose a minor.
But officials say their strategy has moved away from that because they don't want to dictate that a student gets a minor unless it fits into his or her educational goals.
There can be a downside to pursuing a minor. If a student has an intensive major, it can be challenging to fit in the required courses for a minor. Students who minor also have a choice of fewer elective courses.
