The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences will begin offering “micro-minors” this fall to bridge a gap between humanities and other academic disciplines.

Rachel Riedner, the CCAS associate dean of undergraduate studies, said the micro-minors will be composed of a group of three courses that examines an area of specialization from multiple perspectives. She said these programs will provide students with the opportunity to increase their knowledge of a subject through an interdisciplinary approach in humanities, social sciences, STEM and other disciplines.

“Micro-minors, which CCAS will begin offering this fall, provide students the opportunity to deepen and broaden their understanding of a topic, problem or theme through different disciplinary perspectives,” Riedner said in an email.

CCAS students can currently declare two micro-minors – “Health Equity” and “Immigration and Migration Studies” – with more offerings to come, according to the CCAS website. Riedner said the initiative is modeled after similar programs at Bates College in Maine and Trinity University in Texas, and officials have encouraged faculty to submit collaborative proposals to add new micro-minors in the future for review.

Students interested in declaring micro-minors will need to submit a Declaration of Major/Minor form indicating their interest. Up to two minors or two micro-minors may be noted on a student’s official transcript, according to the school’s website.