The University Committee on Curriculum, or UCC, proposed the credit change. Gillian Bice, chairwoman of UCC, said the guideline is ambiguous and causes confusion within departments or programs with multiple versions of the corresponding major.

Currently, the guideline states that minors “require no less than one-third and no more than two-thirds the number of credits required for its major.”

The change would eliminate this confusion and is consistent with minor guidelines at other major universities, she said.

“The idea is to create flexibility for students,” Bice said.

Minors have been available at MSU since fall 2007, and six have been approved: Russian, linguistics, theater, philosophy, mathematics and anthropology. French, sociology, music and art history and visual culture minors are currently being considered.

The minors that have been approved, as well as those currently seeking approval, have already met the 15-credit minimum, so a change in the credit requirements will not affect those programs, Bice said.

Eric Hinojosa, the ASMSU Academic Assembly chairperson, said he was expecting more programs to create academic minors once they became available, and having a set minimum number of credits may help clarify things for the departments and students.

“Anything to lower the barriers of entry for students (would help),” Hinojosa said.

Roger Ludy, a supply chain management and economics senior, said he hopes more programs will take initiative and create academic minor programs.

A standard minimum could encourage this, he said.

“It would make it more clear for students and units,” Ludy said.