Minors are a good way to add some tools to your toolbox for life after Baylor. In choosing a minor, think about the skill sets you will need for your chosen career.
I have been surveying International Studies alumni about the way they use their IST training in their careers. I ask about skill sets they have needed on the job. The most frequent answers have been languages, statistics, economics, and business administration. Skills in computer science and statistical analysis are in particularly high demand among employers and are very useful for internationally focused jobs.
Here is a list of minors that pair well with International Studies:
Language minors:
- Arabic
- Chinese
- French
- German
- Italian
- Japanese
- Russian
- Spanish
Other popular minors:
- Anthropology
- Asian Studies
- Business Administration
- Corporate communication
- Criminal Justice
- Economics
- English
- Entrepreneurship
- Environmental studies
- Forensic studies
- Geology
- History
- Leadership
- Legal Reasoning
- Linguistics
- Math
- Middle East studies
- Philosophy
- Political science
- Poverty Studies and Social Justice
- Public relations
- Religion
- Rhetoric and argumentation
- Sociology
- Statistics
- Studio art
- Women/Gender Studies
Minors that match IST career paths:
Law or law enforcement
- Legal Reasoning and Analysis: This minor helps students prepare for law careers. The coursework includes analytical reasoning, critical reading, problem solving, and exposure to the law. There are classes in oral and written communication, research, and commitment to justice. All pre-law students have access to professional pre-law advising regardless of major or minor.
- Criminal Justice: This minor includes courses focused on Criminal Justice and Community Law Enforcement, Criminology, Legal Communication, Abnormal Psychology. There is an internship requirement.
International Business
- An entrepreneurship minor includes the nuts and bolts of starting and maintaining a business. The curriculum includes courses in international entrepreneurship.
- Business administration teaches the basics of running a business. The six courses required to minor in Business Administration include Starting and Managing a Business, Survey of Accounting and Marketing Concepts.
Intelligence careers
- Computer science teaches students how to use computers as a tool for problem solving. A computer is to a computer scientist as a telescope is to an astronomer. This minor will teach strong logic skills and tools for processing information and solving puzzles.
- Statistics teaches students how to use mathematical models to analyze information. This minor teaches how to collect, analyze, present, and interpret data.
- Linguistics is the scientific study of languages. Knowing how languages work in general may allow you to pick up new languages more easily. Intelligence agencies often have job openings that require linguistics training.
- Critical languages – Arabic, Chinese and Russian language skills are all highly valued by government agency recruiters.
Missions work
- Religion minor is very flexible. Students can choose courses focused on ministry guidance, scriptures, or theology.
- Bible translators need a background in Linguistics.
- Poverty and Social Justice minor could provide useful skills for working in the nonprofit field.
- An entrepreneurship minor could help you develop a small business.
Foreign service career
- Modern Foreign Languages: The State Department likes to see that applicants are willing and able to achieve proficiency in a modern foreign language. You could minor in any foreign language to demonstrate this ability.
- Economics
- Communications
- Statistics, Data Science, or Computer science would help to build quantitative analysis skills, which is one of the 13 Dimensions of FSO qualifications that guide State Department recruitment.
- Public relations teaches skills for communicating ideas as attractively and memorably as possible. A PR minor will help you learn how to promote American values and policies through writing, editing and networking with journalists.
Nonprofit / Development
- Poverty Studies/Social Justice – Based in the School of Social Work, this minor covers the causes of poverty and the effects of social programs.
- Leadership Studies: Students will learn to apply a variety of leadership theories to actual leadership practice and experience, examine intrapersonal leadership abilities and capacity for growth, create interpersonal relationship across diverse circumstances and settings, consider how faith influences vocational decisions and application of leadership theories, and evaluate the systematic structures that support or impede social justice in societies.
Next Steps:
Once you identify some minors that match your learning goals, the next step is to learn about the minor’s requirements and plan out your course schedule.
- You can look up the requirements of any major or minor in the undergraduate course catalog.
- You can also read more about minors at the Baylor Admissions page on majors and minors.