Minors

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Minors Overview

Here at Chatham, our minors are designed to allow students to explore interests outside of their major, advance their professional goals, and gain essential insight from experienced faculty. 

With over 45 minors offered, the opportunity to self-design minors, and the ability to specialize within each program, you’re guaranteed to find a minor (or minors!) that suit your needs.

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What is a Minor?

Simply put, a minor is a secondary focus in addition to your major. It allows you to take a couple of classes in an area that interests you, while still pursuing your major. If there are areas of study you want to explore outside of your major, then a minor is for you.

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Benefits of Choosing a Minor

Not only do minors allow you to explore your interests, but minors can help set you apart when seeking employment post-graduation. They also open your studies to new classes, professors, and professional connections.

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Minor Requirements

Minors at Chatham are easy to obtain with most requiring five to six courses for a total of 15-18 credit hours. Your academic advisor will work closely with you to make sure that you graduate on track with the minor or minors you desire.

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Featured Minor: Sustainability

Sustainability has grown from a niche field to an increasingly crucial discipline impacting all aspects of society. That’s why Chatham has developed four unique tracks for a sustainbility minor, which allow students to choose an area of expertise: Sustainable Energy & Urban Systems, Natural Resource Management, Sustainable Business Studies, and Sustainability and Society.

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Featured Minor: Psychology

One of Chatham’s most popular programs, the psychology minor gives students the opportunity to explore contemporary theory and research while teaching them to think scientifically about behavior and mental processes. Students in the program have flexibility to specialize within their minor on a wide range of topics, including development, psychobiology, and abnormal behavior.

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Featured Minor: Data Science

The applied data science minor at Chatham equips students across disciplines with essential technical, statistical, and analytical skills for today’s professional world. Students are taught how to manage, organize, and analyze massive amounts of data—a skillset that is increasingly sought after in industry, healthcare, government, non-profits, and beyond.

Minors at Chatham

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Course Highlight: African American Writers

African American Writers, according to the course catalogue, “introduces African-American expressive tradition, including poetry, fiction, autobiography, song and folktales from the 18th century to the present."

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“Minoring in English has given me the opportunity to read and analyze texts that I otherwise would not have studied. It has allowed me to grow personally as they have broadened my worldview and professionally as I have developed my analytical and professional writing skills.”—Haley Kumpf ‘23, International Business

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There are currently over 250 students enrolled in minor programs at Chatham.

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Most minor degrees can be completed in just 5 to 6 courses for a total of 15-18 credit hours.

Narrow Your Focus

“I am passionate about my minors because they define my intention with my major. Cultural Studies is a bit broad, but I chose it for the flexibility to design it as my own. My minors, art history and museum studies, help narrow my focus because they are more experiential.”—Chenoa Baker ‘21, Cultural Studies

Course Highlight: Ornithology

Ornithology (a.ka. the study of birds) is being offered through a partnership with the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, and it offers hands-on experience for students to learn more about our local birds.

Do you have questions?

We make it easy to get in touch:

Call Us

800-837-1290

Text Us

412-419-3772 (standard text/SMS rates will apply)

Email Us

undergraduate@chatham.edu

Request Information

Complete our Request for Information form

Or, answer a few questions and we will be glad to help.

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