How to Enroll

Enrollment Process

Admission to the DSSC minor program will be contingent upon enrollment in good standing within a recognized doctoral degree-granting program of the University of Minnesota, and will be granted only by permission of the Director(s) of ICGC and the Director of Graduate Studies in Development Studies and Social Change. While the majority of our students enroll in graduate programs in the College of Liberal Arts; the College of Biological Sciences; the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences; and the College of Education and Human Development, doctoral students from other colleges and schools with relevant academic interests are also eligible.

Request for Approval of a Graduate Minor in Development Studies and Social Change

Fill out the online form. This form will automatically be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies in Development Studies and Social Change by all students who wish to enroll in the minor.

To formally declare this minor, there are two steps:

  1. The graduate minor program must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies in Development Studies and Social Change prior to, or concurrent with, submission of the Graduate Degree Plan or the Petition Form.
  2. Add a graduate minor through the Graduate School online GPAS system to formally declare the minor. The Director of Graduate Studies for the DSSC minor program can be contacted through ICGC.

The most important requirements are that the graduate minor program should be declared on the Degree Program Form, and that all required courses for the minor must be completed before taking the preliminary Ph.D. examinations.

Advising for the DSSC Minor Programs

All students enrolled in the DSSC Graduate Minor have a primary academic adviser in their major department. For the DSSC Minor, advising inquiries may be directed to the ICGC Director(s) or to the DSSC Director of Graduate Studies. Students should consult with their major department to determine any additional requirements related to completing a minor program, for example required number of credits and number of S/N credits permitted, or whether a member of the examining committee must come from the minor program faculty. We also encourage DSSC Minor Program students to participate in the weekly Interdisciplinary Research Colloquium series sponsored by ICGC during the academic year.