BASc Minors

General Information on Minors
Notes About Minors
How to Declare a Minor
Course substitutions and double counting with minors

General Information on Minors

Minors are an optional opportunity to add a secondary area of study to your major. They are 3.0 to 5.0 credits that you take over your 8 academic semesters. Minors give a good foundation and introduction to the subject. They also go on your transcript and are an officially recognized credential. If a degree program has a minor available, the course requirements for the minor are listed in the Undergraduate Academic Calendar under the specific degree program.

Minors are optional but some students like having the extra credential of a minor on their resume and feel it gives them an edge in the job market. Other students feel that taking a variety of electives gives them more breadth and makes them a well-rounded individual which is also attractive to employers. Whether or not you declare a minor depends on your interests and career goals. For example, students who want to teach elementary school might not declare a minor because they will be teaching a variety of courses. In contrast, students who want to teach in high school might want to declare a minor to help them meet the requirements for a second teachable.

If you select a minor, it should fit your interests and goals. Despite this, many students ask what the common minors are for students in the BASc.  Common minors for BASc students include: biology, French, human resources, psychology, marketing, neuroscience, nutritional and nutraceutical sciences, and sociology.

Notes About Minors

If you are interested in adding a minor, please note:

1. Double counting courses: You are permitted to double-count (or share) a maximum of 50% of the required courses between your major and minor. Minors are 3.0 to 5.0 credits so the maximum number of credits that can be double-counted is 1.5 to 2.5. If the number of double-counted required courses between the major and minor exceeds 50%, you cannot add the minor. For this reason, CSTU and FSHD majors cannot have a minor in Family and Child Studies (FCS). Courses that count for both your major and minor do not automatically show as completed in both areas of WebAdvisor/your transcript. After you have a final grade, ask your program counsellor (bascprog@uoguelph.ca) to submit a form to the Registrar's Office if you want a course to show as counting for both your major and minor.

2. Timing: Depending on the timing of course offerings, you may also need to complete additional semester(s) to satisfy the requirements of your minor so plan out your minor courses to see they fit in your schedule.

3. Pre-requisites & course planning: As most minors require courses to be completed in sequence, the sooner you declare a minor the better. Most students declare minors in 2nd year to give themselves time to complete the minor but you can declare later but it may delay your graduation. Familiarize yourself with prerequisites and the timing of course offerings. Minors, unlike majors, do not have a schedule of studies, so we recommend that you map out all the required courses for both your major and minor. Note that some minors may also require the completion of additional prerequisites in order to access courses required for the minor. Any questions about minors should be directed to the Faculty Advisor for the department offering the minor.

4. Conflicts with major courses: Should a required course for your major be scheduled in the same time-slot as a required course for your minor, we strongly suggest that you give preference to the course required for your major. Failure to complete your major courses when specified in your schedule of studies may extend the length of time required to complete your degree.

5. AHN majors with or without an area of emphasis in dietetics can declare a minor. Just know that if you are enrolled in the Area of Emphasis in Dietetics and would also like to declare a minor, it may take longer to complete your degree depending on the number of credits required and the overlap between the major and minor.

6. FCS minor: Effective May 1, 2023, the Family and Child Studies minor is suspended. Any students who complete the three foundational core courses (FRHD*1010, FRHD*1020, and NUTR*1010) required to add the minor with a cumulative 70% average in the three foundational courses by the end of summer 2023 will still be allowed to add the minor. Bachelor of Arts and Science students who wish to add the minor as part of their required program of study will still be allowed to add the minor. Students currently enrolled in the minor will be able to continue in the minor.

How to Declare a Minor

To declare a minor, fill and submit this online Schedule of Studies Change Request Form.

Here is a sample of a completed form for a BASc student following the 2023 academic calendar who wants to declare a Psychology minor.

Note that when filling the form your:

degree program is Bachelor of Applied Science
No we do not have coop in BASc
specialization usually means minor or area of emphasis
calendar is the year you started your program NOT the current year. Minors usually follow the same calendar as your major.

Here is how to declare an Area of Emphasis in Dietetics if you are an AHN student.

Course substitutions and double counting with minors

You can count a course twice between a major, minor, or area of emphasis. That means if a course (e.g. PSYC*1000) is required for your major and your minor, it can show as completed in both areas.

Also, sometimes a course you take for your major can count as a different course required for your minor if their content overlaps enough i.e. if they are restricted against each other. Common minor substitutions for BASc students are:
PSYC*1010 - can be replaced by STAT*2080
PSYC*2360 - can be replaced by FRHD*3070
PSYC*2450 - can be replaced by FRHD*2270
STAT*2040 - can be replaced by STAT*2080

The software doesn't automatically show double counting or substitutions. So, after you have a final grade in a course, please email bascprog@uoguelph.ca and ask your program counsellor to submit a form to the Registrar. note: You only get 0.5 credits total since you took the course once.