Wharton students can minor in College

Starting this semester, Wharton School students are allowed to have minors in the College of Arts and Sciences. And officials are currently working to allow College students to hold Wharton minors as well. According to Student Committee on Undergraduate Education member Brian Toll, this idea came from the SCUE White Paper on University Minors and Minor Programs -- which was released last spring. The paper states that "increased academic options promote a well-rounded in-depth education." Toll said SCUE decided that College minors provide Wharton students with the opportunity to get a more well-rounded education. "SCUE feels that Wharton students desire the improved written communication and analytical thinking skills associated with a liberal arts education," he said. He added that access to College minors is "in line with Wharton's commitment to internationalization by encouraging Wharton students to pursue language minors through study abroad." The SCUE proposal was presented to the Wharton Undergraduate Curriculum Committee -- which decided that Wharton students will be allowed to have minors in the College. Toll stressed that this new option is "a very good indication that Wharton takes the One University concept seriously and is moving in the right direction." According to a statement released by Wharton, students wishing to pursue a minor should consult with a Wharton advisor. The Undergraduate Chair of the College department must approve the minor. College Dean Robert Rescorla said whatever rules the College has for its students would apply to the Wharton students. "As far as we would be concerned, they would be treated just like College students," he said. The University's financial system is structured so that whenever a student takes a course in another undergraduate division, the division that gives the course gets the money, Rescorla said. But he added that it is not a financial issue. "The issue is educational," he said. "We have always felt that students of any school who complete the requirement for a College minor should get that acknowledgement." Rescorla said he does not believe this new system will increase the number of Wharton students taking College courses. "It is my understanding that [the Wharton administration] was simply allowing Wharton students who satisfied the requirements for minors to have it show on their transcripts," he said. But according to a SCUE survey of Wharton students, an overwhelming number would be very interested in pursuing College minors, Toll said. Now that this new policy is in effect, the next question is whether College students will be able to obtain a minor through Wharton. Vice Dean and Director of the Wharton Undergraduate Division Bruce Allen said that while this could happen, it is not a clear-cut option. "At this point the problem is that we don't have a major," he said. "What we really have is a Wharton major and we would have to create something that is analogous to a history minor." Toll said SCUE supports the idea of having such a minor for College students. "Generally, SCUE is a strong proponent of the One University concept that there should be a minor created for every corresponding major, and that does include the Wharton School," he said. He added that although it was part of their White Paper, he does not know where the administration stands on the issue at this point. Rescorla said he is very positive about the SCUE proposals, adding that the possibility of creating a special minor for College students is something he has been discussing with Wharton for a long time. "So far that has not come to fruition, but it is certainly something the College would love to see," he said. Allen said he and Rescorla are "still in the feeling out stages of all of this." "We have to look at where this all fits in to the concept of the president and the provost in the concept of their undergraduate initiatives," he said. "Anything we would do would have to fit into a grand scheme."

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