Q1: The Diversity Minor sounds like a great program! How do I learn more and/or declare the minor?
To declare the Diversity minor, you may email divminor@uw.edu with a sentence or two stating you would like to declare the minor. You must have an officially declared major in order to declare the minor, but you are welcome to schedule a visit about the minor at any point. Advisers are here to answer questions about the program, help guide your inquiry, and assist in making connections between your academic major, general learning goals, and the Diversity Minor. Please schedule an appointment with the Diversity Minor Adviser here if you would like to learn more about the minor.
Q2: When are office hours for advising?
Our adviser is available for in-person or phone scheduled appointments Monday-Friday from 9AM-4PM. The exception is the lunch hour (12PM-1PM) and university holidays. Please refrain from requesting appointments on the weekends or after 5PM, as those requests cannot be considered.
Q3: There is a course that I believe should count for the Diversity Minor. What steps do I take to make it count?
Students often ask whether past, present, and future courses can count for the minor. If there's a class that you believe might be a good fit and it is not on the course list, please provide a brief description of how and why you think it connects to each specific area requirement in the minor. Here is where you can find information about the criteria of each category. If you have a syllabus for the course, please share it with the Diversity Minor adviser.
Q4: Can transfer courses count for the minor as well?
Yes! 15 of the 25 required credit hours for the minor must be completed here at UW, so that means 10 credit hours (usually 2 courses) may be transferred in from another institution. Transfer courses must be approved as UW credit. Please arrange to submit a copy of the syllabus (hard or electronic copy) for review if the course does not transfer in as a direct UW course equivalent. If you no longer have your old syllabus, please try to contact your previous course instructor or department for a copy. Also indicate for which category (Arts/Cultural, Historical, Contemporary/Institutional, Global, or Applications) you seek consideration. Here is where you can find information about the criteria of each category.
Q5: My DARS report for the Diversity Minor is confusing. How can I make sure that I'm on track?
Send us an email at divminor@uw.edu or schedule an in-person or phone appointment to discuss the requirements that you've met so far.
Q6: Do I need to submit graduation paperwork for the minor? When do I do that?
You must contact the Diversity Minor adviser for graduation approval in order to get the minor on your record. Ideally, we try to complete all graduation applications by the 3rd Friday of the given quarter in which you intend to graduate. You may request a review of your record by scheduling an advising appointment, and if complete, the adviser will create and submit a graduation application on your behalf. Graduation applications may be reviewed and approved up to one full academic year in advance.
Q7: How many classes can overlap between my major and the Diversity Minor?
With the Diversity Minor, you can take a maximum of 10 credit hours (usually 2 courses) within any one department, including your major department. For example, if you are an American Ethnic Studies major, you can only count two AES classes for the Diversity Minor, even though it might look as if you've completed all of the requirements for the minor with the AES classes on your DARS report. Aside from those two, you'll have to collect another 15 credits from other departments.
Q8: I tried to sign up for a class, but it's only open to students within the major right now! I was counting on that class. What should I do now?
You can try to contact the professor to see if they will provide you an add code for the course, but unfortunately there are no guarantees. If the course is cross listed with a course in another department, check to see if you can sign up through the other class prefix instead.