With four additional minor degrees available this fall at Southwestern University, school officials hope students will be able to branch out and take courses covering interests in multiple educational disciplines.

Alisa Gaunder, the university’s dean of the faculty, said new minors in animal studies, health studies, international studies and data science have been designed to encourage students to take courses that otherwise would not be required for graduation.

“We were doing a larger look at our general education curriculum where we reduced the number of requirements for students (to graduate), which allow (for) more electives,” Gaunder said.

The minors were created to help Southwestern students gain exposure to subjects that may not have been included in their degree program, Gaunder said, and a minor can also serve as a connection to a future career after the student’s time at Southwestern.

“We would argue that a liberal arts education is the best type of education to prepare you for any type of career or advanced degree,” Gaunder said. “I think what these [minors] do is highlight the types of courses that we offer that can actually help prepare you for these careers or graduate studies.”

For example, students interested in attending veterinary school could minor in animal studies and take courses in other disciplines to give them a background that would make them more attractive candidates to postgraduate schools, she said.

No new courses were established for any of the four programs; all of the required classes to earn the new minors already existed in different departments.

Gaunder said taking courses in other disciplines can strengthen a student’s understanding of a subject.

“Especially now, when jobs change all the time and people don’t have the same job for their entire career, skills we teach at a liberal arts university, such as critical thinking, problem solving, writing, presentations and approaching things from many different perspectives are more important than ever,” Gaunder said.