MINORS FOR BACCALAUREATE CANDIDATES
MINORS FOR BACCALAUREATE CANDIDATES
(Senate Policies
59-00,
82-20)
A minor is an academic program that supplements a major. Minors require a minimum of 18 credits and typically no more than 21 credits with at least 6 but ordinarily not more than half of the credits at the 400 level. A minor program may consist of course work in a single area or from several disciplines. A student may complete more than one minor if he/she is interested in developing an emphasis in additional disciplines.
It is possible to complete a minor within the total credits required for the major because credits may also satisfy General Education, major, and minor requirements. For example, ENGL 050 (GA) could satisfy a 3-credit requirement in the English minor and also satisfy 3 credits of a student's General Education arts requirement.
In most cases, students do not have to be enrolled in the college that offers a particular minor in order to pursue that minor. Requirements for a minor can be completed at any campus location that offers courses specified for the minor. However, a student may not change from a campus that offers his/her major to a campus that does not offer the major in order to complete a minor.
Minimum Grade Requirements
Impact on a Student's Record
Degree Audit
Transcript and Certificate
Student Action
Planning a Minor
Declaring/Applying for a Minor
Withdrawing from and Reapplying for a Minor
Information on Minors
Identify Minors
Currently Offered University Park Minors
MINIMUM GRADE REQUIREMENTS
A grade of C or better is required for all courses in a minor. The student's academic progress in meeting retention and graduation requirements in the minor is monitored by the person in charge of the minor.
IMPACT ON A STUDENT'S RECORD
Degree Audit
When a student is admitted to a minor, the minor and minor program year will be listed on his/her degree audit. Up to four minors can be listed. (See section 2 of this sample degree audit.)
Transcript and Certificate
When a student graduates, the Registrar records completed minors on his/her transcript. The student receives an official certificate certifying completion of each minor. (The certificates are given with the diploma.) Neither a transcript nor certificate indicates the campus that offered the minor. (For example, the transcript and certificate for a student who earned a Psychology minor are identical whether the student completed the Behrend College Psychology Minor (PSYCH) or the Psychology minor offered by the College of the Liberal Arts, Psychology Minor (PSY).
STUDENT ACTION
Planning a Minor
- Read Information on Minors to learn about minors of interest.
- Some courses in a minor may have prerequisites that are not included in the minor description, and entrance to some minors may require that you first complete certain courses. Check for special considerations like these in the list of minors below.
- Obtain a degree audit through eLion for any minors of interest to assess your academic progress and identify unfulfilled requirements. (To request an audit for a minor, you need to know which college offers the minor. A listing of minors by college is provided by the Registrar's office.)
- Evaluate your interest in minors by reading descriptions of courses that fulfill requirements. Be sure to note course prerequisites.
- Contact the person in charge of the minor (identified in the resources listed below) for additional information and to discuss entry. Be sure to get information on course recommendations, availability, and sequencing. Declaring a minor does not guarantee the availability of required courses or your ability to complete the minor. Discuss course availability with the person in charge of the minor.
- Meet with your academic adviser to discuss incorporating the minor into your major and to develop a semester-by-semester plan to meet requirements (and prerequisites).
Declaring/Applying for a Minor
There are two procedures for entering a minor:
- Minors that do not have entrance requirements can be declared on eLion.
- Minors that have special entrance criteria require an application.
Declaring a Minor: Use the eLion Minor Declaration application if a minor does not have entrance requirements (see special considerations in the list of minors below).
Applying for a Minor: If a minor has entrance requirements (check the special considerations column in the list of minors below), you must contact the department offering the minor to apply.
Deadline: A minor can be declared any time after you have been accepted in a major and attained fifth semester classification (60 credits). To graduate with a minor, you must be accepted in the minor before the late drop deadline of your last semester; however, if the minor has an entry fee, you must be accepted before the end of the drop/add period of that semester.
Fees: There is a fee charged for some minors (see special considerations on the listing of minors below). The fee is automatically charged to your student account when you officially enter the minor (through declaration or application). This fee is nonrefundable.
After Graduation: It is possible to be awarded a minor up to five years after your graduation. The following criteria apply: (1) the minor must have been offered at the time you graduated, (2) you satisfied all the requirements for the minor before you graduated, and (3) you have paid any fee assessed for the minor. Note: any minor requiring an audition or portfolio for admission cannot be awarded retroactively. To request a minor retroactively, contact the person responsible for the minor indicated in the resources below.
WITHDRAWING FROM AND REAPPLYING FOR A MINOR
A student who has applied for a minor but does not complete it is not required to take any action to withdraw from the minor. If a minor is not completed, it is not recorded.
Students admitted to a minor who interrupt their continuous enrollment must reapply for the minor when re-enrolling in the University if the minor is still desired. Requirements for the minor are those in effect at the time the student most recently entered the minor program.
INFORMATION ON MINORS
Identify Minors
Information on all minors at all Penn State campuses is available in the Undergraduate Degree Programs Bulletin. Use the Minor Themes application in eLion to explore. For more information, contact the appropriate academic advising center.
The chart below provides an alphabetical listing of minors offered at University Park. These minors can also be explored by looking at them clustered by interest areas.
Currently Offered University Park Minors
| Minors (with link to website, if available) |
Link to
Bulletin |
Link to
Special Considerations |
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African American Studies (AFAMR) |
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| African Studies (AFRST) |
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| Agribusiness Management (AG BM) |
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| Agricultural and Biological Engineering (A B E) |
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| Agricultural Communications (AGCOM) |
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| Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology (AE RS) |
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| Agricultural Systems Management (A S M) |
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| Agronomy (AGRO) |
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| Animal Sciences (ANSCI) |
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| Anthropology (ANTH) |
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Arabic Language (ARAB)
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| Arboriculture (ARBOR) |
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| Architectural History (ARC H) |
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| Architecture Studies (ARCST) |
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| Art History (ART H) |
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| Asian Studies (ASIA) |
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| Astrobiology (ABIOL) |
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| Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASTRO) |
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| Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (B M B) |
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| Bioengineering (BIOE) |
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| Bioethics and Medical Humanities (BMH) |
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| Biology (BIOL) |
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| Black Diaspora Studies (Cross-Cultural) (BLDSP) |
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| Business and the Liberal Arts (BUSLA) |
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| Business Logistics (B LOG) |
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| Chemistry (CHEM) |
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| Chinese Language (CHNS) |
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| Civic and Community Engagement (CIVCM) |
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| Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies (CAMS) |
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| Climatology (CLIMA) |
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| Communication Arts and Sciences (CAS) |
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| Dance (DANCE) |
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| Deafness and Hearing Studies (DHS) |
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| Disability Studies (DBLTY) |
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| Dispute Management and Resolution (D M R) |
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| Earth Systems (EASYS) |
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| Economics (ECON) |
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| Education Policy Studies (E P S) |
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| Electrochemical Engineering (ELCHE) |
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| Electronic and Photonic Materials (E P M) |
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| Energy, Business, and Finance (EBF) |
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| Energy Engineering (ENENG) |
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| Energy, Environmental, and Mineral Economics (ENNEC) |
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| Engineering Entrepreneurship (E-SHIP) |
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| Engineering Leadership Development (E L D) |
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| Engineering Mechanics (E MCH) |
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| English (ENGL) |
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| Entomology (ENT) |
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| Environmental Engineering (ENV E) |
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| Environmental Inquiry (ENV I) |
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| Environmental and Renewable Resource Economics (E RRE) |
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| Environmental Resource Management (E R M) |
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| Environmental Soil Science (ESOIL) |
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| Environmental Systems Engineering (ENVSE) |
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| Equine Science (EQ SC) |
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| Ethics (ETHCS) |
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| Film Studies (FLMST) |
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| Forest Science (FORSC) |
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| French and Francophone Studies (FR) |
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| Geographic Information Science (G I S) |
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| Geography (GEOG) |
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| Geophysics (GPHYS) |
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| Geosciences (GEOSC) |
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| German (GER) |
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| Gerontology (GERON) |
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| Global Health (GLBHL) |
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| Global Security (GLBSC) |
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| Greek (GREEK) |
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| Health Policy and Administration (H P A) |
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| Hebrew (HEBR) |
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| History (HIST) |
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| Horticulture (HORT) |
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| Human Development and Family Studies (HD FS) |
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| Information Sciences and Technology (IST) |
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| Information Sciences and Technology for Aerospace Engineering (ISASP) |
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| Information Sciences and Technology for Communication Arts and Sciences (ISCAS) |
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| Information Sciences and Technology for Earth and Mineral Sciences (ISEMS) |
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| Information Sciences and Technology in Health Policy and Administration (ISHPA) |
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| Information Sciences and Technology for Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management (ISHRM) |
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| Information Sciences and Technology for Industrial Engineering (ISTIE) |
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| Information Sciences and Technology for Labor Studies and Employment Relations (ISLER) |
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| Information Sciences and Technology for Mathematics (ISMTH) |
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| Information Sciences and Technology for Telecommunications (ISTLC) |
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| Information Systems and Statistical Analysis (ISSA) |
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| Information Systems Management (ISM) |
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| International Agriculture (INTAG) |
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| International Arts (IARTS) |
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| International Business (I B) |
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| International Studies (INSTD) |
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| Italian (IT) |
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| Japanese Language (JAPNS) |
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| Jewish Studies (J ST) |
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| Kinesiology (KINES) |
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| Labor Studies and Employment Relations (LER) |
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| Latin (LATIN) |
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| Latin American Studies (LATAM) |
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| Latina and Latino Studies (LTNST) |
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| Leadership Development (L DEV) |
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| Legal Environment of Business (LEBUS) |
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| Linguistics (LING) |
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| Marine Sciences (MARSC) |
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| Mathematics (MATH) |
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| Media Studies (MEDIA) |
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| Meteorology (METEO) |
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| Microbiology (MICRB) |
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| Middle East Studies (MESTU) |
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| Military Studies (MLTRY) |
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| Mining Engineering (MNG E) |
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| Mushroom Science and Technology (M S T) |
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| Music Performance (MUSIC) |
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| Music Studies (MUSST) |
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| Music Technology (MUTEC) |
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| Nanotechnology (NANO) |
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| Natural Science (NATSC) |
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| Neuroscience (NEURO) |
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| Nutritional Sciences (NUTR) |
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| Off-Road Equipment (OFFRD) |
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| Peace and Conflict Studies (PEACE) |
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| Pennsylvania Studies (PASTU) |
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| Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering (PNG E) |
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| Philosophy (PHIL) |
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| Physics (PHYS) |
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| Plant Pathology (PPATH) |
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| Political Science (PL SC) |
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| Polymer Science (PLMSC) |
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| Poultry
and Avian Science (P A S) |
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| Product Realization (PRODR) |
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| Psychology (PSY) |
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| Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management (RPTM) |
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| Rehabilitation and Human Services (RHS) |
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| Religious Studies (RL ST) |
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| Rhetoric (RHET) |
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| Russian (RUS) |
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| Russian Area Studies (RUSSA) |
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| Russian Translation (RUS T) |
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| Science, Society and the Environment of Africa (SSEA) |
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| Science, Technology and Society (S T S) |
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| Security and Risk Analysis (SRA) |
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| Sexuality and Gender Studies (SGS) |
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| Six Sigma (SIGMA) |
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| Sociology (SOC) |
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| Spanish (SPAN) |
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| Special Education (SPLED) |
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| Statistics (STAT) |
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| Supply Chain and Information Sciences and Technology (SCIST)
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| Sustainability Leadership (SUST)
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| Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) |
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| Technical Writing (TEHWR) |
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| Theatre (THEA) |
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| Watersheds and Water Resources (W W
R) |
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| Wildlife and Fisheries Science (W F S) |
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| Women's Studies (WMNST) |
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| Wood Products Marketing (WPMKT) |
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| World Literature (W LIT) |
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| Youth and Family Education (YFE) |
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The University may make changes in policies, procedures, educational offerings, and requirements at any time. Please consult a Penn State academic adviser for more detailed information.
This page is part of the University Undergraduate Advising Handbook, which is maintained by the Division of Undergraduate Studies, DUS@psu.edu.
Last Update: June 2012
