New English minor degrees give Dixie State College students opportunities to impress future employers with versatility, a broader range of knowledge and strong work ethic.
Minor emphases in English education, general English and professional and technical writing will be available spring semester, along with newly approved bachelor’s degree programs in Spanish and social sciences composite teaching.
English Department Chair Randy Jasmine said developing English minor programs became a goal 18 months ago. Research that included working with members of the Weber State University English department paved the way for minors that mirror major degrees in the same emphases.
All students must take English classes for general education requirements, but eventually they focus on their majors—leaving behind the departments they dabbled in while fulfilling general education requirements for good.
David Roos, executive director of enrollment services, said the minor English programs are the first minors offered at DSC. In order to graduate with a minor, students must complete requirements for their bachelor’s degree and minor.
Jasmine said adding the minor degrees gives students from different pathways chances to work with many professors and classmates they wouldn’t normally be around; plus, any indication of writing skills look excellent on a resume.
“An English minor is an enhancement on the transcript for writing and critical thinking,” Jasmine said.
Despite the additional opportunities, many DSC students haven’t considered pursuing a minor degree.
Ashley Snyder, a freshman general education major from St. George, said she hasn’t taken interest in a minor degree in order to focus intently on a major when the time comes, however positive the advantages of earning a minor degree are.
Although Andrew Jensen, a sophomore biology major from Logan, isn’t actively set on declaring a minor, he said doing so can aid students in showing superiors strong qualities, particularly when trying to get into graduate programs.
“It’ll show you’re more organized because you have a greater work load,” Jensen said.
Developing minor degrees also attracts potential students to DSC and gives current students greater incentives to further educational experiences at DSC, rather than transferring.
Roos said enrollment at DSC has increased by 60 percent since 2007, and more students are transferring to DSC from other colleges. Although there are various factors for the increase, research and surveys show offered degrees are a strong factor.
“The college has traditionally been considered a stepping stone for students to complete their associate degree and then move on to a university,” Roos said. “The fact that our bachelor’s degrees awarded is following such a strong trajectory is proof that students are staying in greater numbers to finish the four-year degree [at DSC].”
Roos said students must take opportunities, such as pursuing minor degrees, that assist in advancement in the workforce, and DSC administrators provide experiences oriented toward assisting students.
“Our great weather and ideal location can only take us so far,” Roos said. “At the end of the day, students want to know what we have to offer them.”
