METU Directive for Minor Programs

 

ARTICLE 1 – (1) The aim of a minor program is to allow academically successful undergraduate students in a major program to become knowledgeable in a different subject they are interested in within the scope

of another undergraduate program.

(2) The aim of this directive is to regulate the principles governing the minor programs conducted at Middle East Technical University.

 

ARTICLE 2 – (1) This directive incorporates the provisions concerning student admissions and registration to the minor programs conducted at Middle East Technical University and the implementation of these

programs.

 

ARTICLE 3 – (1) This directive is based on the article which regulates the implementation of minor programs in the regulation entitled Middle East Technical University Academic Rules and Regulations for Undergraduate Period of Study.

 

ARTICLE 4 – (1) Wherever in this directive the below terms appear, they shall be taken to refer to the following:

a) Major program: The undergraduate program in which students are enrolled at METU by placement via the Student Selection and Placement Examination or an equivalent exam, or by admission through transfer fr om within or outside the university,

b) Minor program: The minor program which academically successful undergraduate students are additionally enrolled in at METU

c) President: President of Middle East Technical University

d) Regulation: Middle East Technical University Academic Rules and Regulations Governing Undergraduate Studies

e) RO: Middle East Technical University Registrar’s Office

f) Senate: Middle East Technical University Senate

g) The concerned faculty board: Middle East Technical University Faculty Boards

h) The concerned administrative board: Middle East Technical University Faculty Administrative Boards,

i) University/METU: Middle East Technical University

 

 

ARTICLE 5 – (1) A minor is a program independent of the major program the student is enrolled in.

(2) A minor program is designed by the concerned academic unit, and offered by recommendation of the concerned faculty board, decision of the Senate and approval of the Higher Education Council.

(3) A minor program consists of a minimum of 6 courses, with no less than a total of 18 credits.

(4) There may be identical or equivalent courses in the minor program and the major program which the student is enrolled in.

(5) Students in a minor program are required to take a minimum of 4 courses, with no less than a total of 12 credits. These courses must not be the same as or equivalent to the ones taken in the student’s major program.

(6) The provisions for program implementation, curricular amendments and student adjustments in major programs are also valid for minor programs.

(7) In addition to a major program, a student may concurrently attend only one double major program and a minor program different from the double major program.

 

ARTICLE 6 – (1) Quotas are set by the concerned administrative board upon the recommendation of the related department, and they are announced by the RO.

(2) Quotas are set on a yearly basis. However, their distribution between semesters may be rearranged according to applications.

 

ARTICLE 7 – (1) The criteria for application to minor programs and the required documents are announced by the RO.

(2) Applications must be made to the RO by the deadline indicated in the academic calendar.

(3) A student may concurrently apply to more than one double major and/or minor program by making an order of preference.

(4) Students must meet the following requirements so that their application to the minor program might be valid:

a) Students must have earned the letter grade DD or higher in all the credit courses and the letter grade S in the non-credit courses they took in their major program until the semester they are applying and their Cumulative Grade Point Average must be at least 2.50.

b) Students must be earliest at the beginning of their third semester, latest at the beginning of their sixth semester as of the date that they first enrolled in their major program.

c) Application and evaluation criteria additional to those described herein may be set by the concerned administrative board by recommendation of the concerned department and will be indicated in the announcement.

(5) In applications, withdrawn courses (courses with the letter grade “W”) are considered not taken.

(6) Courses taken during Summer School and their grades are disregarded in applications for the Fall semester following Summer School.

 

ARTICLE 8 – (1) Applications are subject to a preliminary evaluation by the RO in accordance with the provisions herein. Applications of candidates who have not met the requirements are not evaluated.

 

ARTICLE 9 – (1) The applications of the candidates who meet the required conditions are transferred by the RO to the faculty concerned.

(2) Among candidates who have made applications for a transfer, a double major and/or minor program in the same semester, the double major and/or minor application will not be evaluated if the student’s transfer application has been approved.

(3) Applications are rendered as “accepted” or “rejected” in the evaluation stage by recommendation of the department offering the minor program and approval of the concerned administrative board.

(4) The courses which were taken by the student in the major and/or minor program may be counted toward the double major program by recommendation of the department offering the double major program and approval of the concerned administrative board. The following procedures are involved in counting courses:

a) An adjustment form is made out.

b) Of the courses that were taken or those that were exempted from in the major and/or double major program, the ones to be counted toward the minor program are indicated on the adjustment form.

c) The courses counted toward the minor program are included in the calculation of the student’s Grade Point Average in that program.

 

ARTICLE 10 – (1) The results of the preliminary and final evaluations concerning the applications are announced by the RO. 

 

ARTICLE 11 – (1) Students may register for only one of the double major or minor programs they are accepted, according to the order of preference they set up during application.

(2) Students must register for the minor program as of the first semester in which they are accepted.

(3) Students are to follow the registration and advisor approval procedures separately for the major and minor programs.

(4) Enrollment and course counting procedures for the common courses taken are to be followed separately in both major and double major programs.

 

ARTICLE 12 – (1) Students in a minor program must meet the prerequisites of the courses in that program.

(2) Unless the prerequisite courses have been taken in the major program, they are taken in NI status in the minor program and are indicated in the transcript for that program.

 

ARTICLE 13 – (1) For students enrolled in minor programs, the maximum course load and the criteria regarding increasing course loads in both major and minor programs are determined in accordance with the regulation entitled Middle East Technical University Academic Rules and Regulations Governing Undergraduate Studies.

(2) In major and minor programs, the total number of credit courses which students can enroll in per semester is determined as follows:

a) A student whose major program Cumulative Grade Point Average is 2.50 and higher is entitled to the maximum course load of the major program, plus four courses.

b) A student whose major program Cumulative Grade Point Average is 2.00 – 2.49 in is entitled to the maximum course load of the major program, plus three courses.

c) The common courses in the major and minor programs are counted as a single course in calculating the course load.

 

ARTICLE 14 - (1) Students can withdraw from courses according to the rules indicated below:

a) Students can withdraw from only one course in each of the major and minor programs in a semester.

b) Withdrawal from a common course in the major and minor programs applies to both programs. Common courses are considered a single course.

c) In minor and major programs, course withdrawals are not allowed if the total number of credit courses enrolled in falls below 3.

 

ARTICLE 15 - (1) Provisions for academic success and graduation in minor programs are determined in accordance with the related articles of the regulation entitled Middle East Technical University Academic

Rules and Regulations Governing Undergraduate Studies.

(2) Students in minor programs are put in order of merit only in their major programs.

(3) Students in minor programs are awarded a major diploma at the end of the semester when they complete the major degree program.

(4) Students who qualify for graduation from a minor program are not awarded a minor program certificate until they qualify for graduation from their major degree program.

(5) Students who qualify for graduation from a major degree program but who have not completed their minor program are given a maximum period of two semesters to do so. This period can be extended with the approval of the concerned administrative board.

(6) Students continue to pay the tuition fee for the double major program during this additional period, taking their enrollment date to the major program into account. If they enroll in a Master’s Degree program, they must also pay the tuition fee for graduate studies. The faculty administrative board of the academic unit offering the minor program is authorized to take decisions concerning such students.

(7) The student’s success in and graduation from a major program is in no way affected by the minor program.

(8) A separate grade report and transcript are made out for the minor program. All the courses in the minor program are indicated on the related transcript.

(9) The courses which are counted for both programs are indicated on the transcripts of each program.

(10) A student who completes a minor program is not entitled to the rights and privileges exercised by graduates of the major or associate degree programs.

 

ARTICLE 16 - (1) A student may voluntarily withdraw from a minor program.

(2) Students enrolled in double major or minor programs may apply to other double major or minor programs provided they meet the application criteria, and they may transfer to another program on condition that they leave the previous program.

(3) A student enrolled in a minor program may not transfer laterally to the major program of the department offering the minor program without meeting the provisions concerning the major program in “The Rules and Regulations for the Student Transfer Between Associate Degree and Bachelor’s Degree Programs, Double Major and Minor Programs and Course Credit Transfers Between Institutions of Higher Education” and “Middle East Technical University Directive for Lateral Transfers to Associate Degree and Bachelor’s Degree Programs”.

(4) A student who has been granted a leave of absence from his/her major program is automatically considered on leave in the minor program as well. However, among students who have graduated from a major program, but are attending a minor program, the two programs are handled independently in the leave procedures for those enrolled in a graduate program.

(5) Students may be granted a leave of absence for the semester by recommendation of the department offering the minor program and approval of the concerned Faculty Administrative Board in cases where they cannot take courses due to academic reasons such as a course not being offered in the minor program or overlapping courses.

(6) Students who fail to take courses during two consecutive semesters without being granted a leave of absence are no longer entitled to attend a minor program. Such students may reapply to the minor program provided they qualify for application.

(7) Students whose Cumulative Grade Point Average falls below 2.00 in their major program are deemed on leave from the minor program until they raise their Cumulative Grade Point Average above 2.00.

(8) Students who leave a minor program are not required to repeat the courses they failed in that program.

(9) The minor program of a student who is subject to an adjustment due to the maximum period of study in the major program is also evaluated within the framework of adjustments.

 

 

ARTICLE 17 - (1) The Chairpersons of the departments offering the program appoints a minor program coordinator from among the faculty members.

(2) The duties of the coordinator are indicated below:

a) Acting as academic advisor for the students enrolled in the minor program,

b) Keeping in touch and cooperating with the students’ academic advisors in their major programs in order to enable the minor program to serve its purpose.

 

ARTICLE 18 - (1) The principles and procedures concerning the implementation of this directive in the double major programs conducted in Northern Cyprus Campus are determined by the University Senate.

 

TEMPORARY ARTICLE 1. The limitation to the maximum period for applications to a program as indicated in Article 7, clause 4-b herein, is applicable for students applying for a minor program as of the 2nd semester of the 2014-2015 academic year.

 

ARTICLE 19 – (1) This directive was approved by the University Senate on February 12, 2013 and has come into effect as of that date.

 

ARTICLE 20 – (1) This directive is implemented by the President.