Undergraduate Minors
We offer three undergraduate minors to enhance and compliment your major and future goals. Minors are open to all current University of Minnesota undergraduates. Also, you don't need to be in the minors to take any of these classes; we welcome all students to explore our communities.
- Family violence prevention minor
- Social justice minor
- Youth studies minor
If you want to declare a minor or have questions about SSW minors, contact Rae Dillon, Academic Advisor.
Members of the Youth Studies Student Coop welcoming people to the Open House held October 2, 2023 in the Peters Hall Courtyard.
Family Violence Prevention
Family violence can affect anyone in our communities, and includes partner abuse, child maltreatment, and the abuse of elders and vulnerable adults. Knowing how to respond to not only the immediate aftermath of family violence, but also to the more complex needs of family members is critical in schools, clinics, and workplaces.
The family violence prevention minor strengthens your educational experience with both a research base and practical skills in preventing family violence. This minor best compliments career paths related to social services, education, health care, and other direct service fields.
Three foundation courses focus on research related to violent behavior, relationships between violence in society and violence within families, and different professional responses to violence. You will add 6 elective credits to integrate this study further into your major or other fields of interest.
Social Justice
Learn how to question critically, discover how to be an activist, and work to transform the world.
In our classrooms, we create respectful space for all opinions. Your learning will draw on theory and practice, with valued knowledge from both the University and local community experiences. We believe in equity and fairness in every aspect of the human experience, recognizing struggles for liberation, and social movements of many people globally.
The social justice minor is 17 credits. You’ll choose 3 of 4 core courses (11 credits) and 6 credits of elective courses.
Youth Studies
Explore youth as an idea, as people, as an age group, and as a life stage.
The youth studies minor builds on over 30 years of work done by the Center for Youth Development and Research and the youth studies program in the School of Social Work. This flexible 16-credit minor begins with a core class in youth studies and allows you to customize electives to suit how you plan to work with and understand youth.