Harvard OKs Minors for Undergrads

Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences has approved an undergraduate curriculum revision that will allow future students to declare secondary fields for their degrees. Secondary fields are similar to the degree minors that many colleges and universities allow students to pursue.

Faculty who voted for the revision said that it would benefit students by allowing them to combine study of a "popular and pragmatic" field like economics with a concentration in a less easily marketed field. Faculty who opposed the change expressed concern about possible conflicts between secondary field and core requirements. They also worried that allowing minors might lead to over-enrollment in certain classes.

Freed Professor of Economics Caroline M. Hoxby was quoted by the Harvard Crimson as saying that her department is "glad to teach any student who wants to learn economics," but warned that department resources would be stretched thin if a large number of additional students signed up for economics classes. Economics is the most popular major at Harvard, with over 700 current students having declared it their concentration.

Source: "Faculty Approves Secondary Fields," by Evan H. Jacobs and Anton S. Troianovski. The Harvard Crimson, April 5, 2006.

The Crimson criticized the move to allow secondary fields in its April 6 edition:

...More likely then not, the secondary field option will unduly pressure students to make curricular choices that will ultimately leave them less satisfied. The game theory dynamic is unavoidable. Dog eats dog in the Harvard world, and graduating without this additional feather in one’s cap will be frowned upon soon enough. Once there is a secondary field option in place, and as a few students begin to opt into it, a large number of students will quickly feel compelled to do so as well....

The philosophy behind Harvard’s current educational system is one that emphasizes finding the right mix of breadth—general education—and depth—concentration requirements—to create a comprehensive and enriching academic experience. A departure from this philosophy represents Harvard at its worst: responding to short-term market forces and the expense of sound conviction. In addition to breadth and depth, students will now unavoidably be pursuing credentials—credentials for things that are irrelevant to a worthwhile academic experience....

From "Second-Guessing Secondary Fields," The Crimson Staff (editorial), The Harvard Crimson, April 6, 2006