Explore Minors

Accountancy

The Accountancy Minor is designed for nonbusiness students (students not enrolled in a major in the Mendoza College of Business Administration) who desire a significant exposure to the language of business – the study of accountancy. The minor is open to non-Mendoza students graduating in the class of 2021 and subsequent years.

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Actuarial Science

The minor in actuarial science is a course of study tailored to the needs of students interested in actuarial careers, especially in business. The minor is based in the Department of Mathematics and is best suited for math and ACMS majors.

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Africana Studies

The Department of Africana Studies stands at the center of the study of the African American experience, Africa, and the African Diaspora—the global dispersion of peoples of African descent. Using an interdisciplinary approach to coursework and research, the department introduces students to a wide range of historical and contemporary perspectives, promoting a critical engagement with the whole of human culture. Our courses focus on race, politics, theology, education, and history related to the Africana world, and our faculty of dedicated teacher-scholars approach these topics from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Our students develop a multifaceted understanding of the Africana experience that prepares them for undergraduate research and internship opportunities in a wide array of fields. Our strong partnerships across the University can help Africana studies students connect with the financial and academic resources they need to support their endeavors, whether that means access to community engagement opportunities, guidance in crafting a research proposal, funding for international fieldwork or immersive summer language study, grants to defray internship expenses, or help developing competitive applications for prestigious fellowships. Africana studies majors and minors at Notre Dame hone their research, communications, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills while developing a keen cultural understanding and interdisciplinary perspective that prepares them thrive as leaders in their families, churches, communities, and careers.

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Anthropology

Concentrating on the interaction between design and anthropology is one of the hottest career trends. Anthropology majors are in demand as user experience specialists in technology companies, independent consultants for NGOs, and qualitative researchers for global organizations. Employers know anthropology students are able to navigate the complexity of human experiences and can integrate the countless skills they learned as anthropology students, including: Proven experience working with and among people Ethnographic methods such as participant observation Quantitative and qualitative data analysis Focused interviewing Critical engagement Language fluency Cultural competency Organizational understanding The perspectives you gain from anthropology are incredibly valuable in understanding complex global issues through the integrated lens of the human past, biology, communication, and culture.

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Asian Studies

The minor in Asian Studies provides a well-rounded introduction to the world’s most populous region and its people, who identify as Asians wherever they may be in the world. The minor is complementary to majors in anthropology, business, East Asian languages and cultures, history, political science, economics, or other arts and letters departments.

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Bioengineering

The Minor in Bioengineering integrates the tools of engineering analysis with the fundamentals of life sciences to enliven understanding of living organisms, medical treatments, and biochemical pathways. The goal is to provide quantitative predictions and insight toward the design of medical and biological devices and processes. Offered by: Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

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Business and the Common Good

The Minor in Business and the Common Good is designed to address these crucial questions at the intersection of business, society, and spirituality.

Together with an interdisciplinary team of faculty, students explore business and professional life with an intellectual depth that extends beyond core requirements, integrating theological and philosophical perspectives.

Inspired by the principles of Catholic Social Thought, this Minor also aligns with Mendoza’s larger vision: emphasizing the essential role an outstanding business school plays within a Catholic university.

Proudly sponsored by the Notre Dame Business Ethics and Society Program (BES).

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Business Economics

No matter what major you pursue in the College of Arts and Letters, you can also earn a minor in Business Economics — taking full advantage of a liberal arts education while becoming literate in key business principles. Arts and Letters alumni have long had a stellar track record of success. Whether you enter the business world immediately after graduation, enroll in graduate or professional school, or start life after Notre Dame by joining a service organization, you can leverage the traditional liberal arts skills — writing effectively, analyzing data, thinking critically, speaking and leading persuasively — into almost any career path you choose. With the Business Economics minor, you add to your professional skill set an understanding of specialized terminology used in business and the fundamental concepts of a market economy.

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Business Technology

Located in the Department of Information Technology, Analytics & Operations, this minor is only available to Mendoza College of Business students. It is designed to prepare students to become leaders in the use of technologies for the benefit of organizations and society. This program of study focuses on educating the students about the development and use of digital technologies for generating value. The program also is intended to develop an understanding of the managerial issues encountered in the operation or introduction of technologies in organizations, particularly, how these tools can be used to innovate processes, products, services, and business models to gain a competitive edge.

Applications are accepted in the fall semester from Mendoza Sophomores only, during the month prior to fall break.

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Catholic Social Tradition

The interdisciplinary minor in Catholic Social Tradition serves as a resource for Notre Dame undergraduates to learn the Catholic Social Tradition and is open to undergraduate students from every college and major. Drawing on faculty and courses from a number of departments, the minor is directed by Margaret Pfeil, Ph.D. The Catholic Social Tradition offers a long-standing and profound corpus of thought and teaching that draws upon classical texts and tradition in the full range of social spheres - economic, political, religious, cultural, and familial. It does so through a constellation of concepts that, taken as a whole, give articulation to a coherent yet variegated vision of the good society, a vision that serves as a guide for human and institutional behavior. Such concepts include the Common Good, Rights and Responsibilities, Option for the Poor, Subsidiarity, and Peace.

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Chinese

Studying Chinese is a great opportunity for a wide array of students. More people speak Chinese than any other language in the world. The growing international economy has created a greater need than ever for employees and researchers who are able to navigate Chinese culture and language. Written Chinese is also the longest continuously used writing system in the world. Chinese not only allows you to explore a different culture, it is also valuable in the study of history and society across time. The Chinese program prepares students for incredible academic experiences and pairs well with other fields of study at Notre Dame.

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Civil and Human Rights

How does race continue to affect economic opportunity? What is the connection between gender and political power? When do universal rights conflict with cultural norms? What global mechanisms exist to protect basic human rights – and how well do they work?

Gain a new perspective on your major area of study through the lens of civil and human rights. The Klau Institute minor provides a distinctive interdisciplinary curriculum that emphasizes both domestic and international issues, giving you a broad-based view of the most critical global problems we face today.

Core courses introduce pressing issues of civil and human rights in the United States and abroad. Elective courses then allow you to tailor your studies by deepening your focus on a particular topic or expanding the breadth of your understanding of a fuller range of civil and human rights issues. A policy-and-practice based capstone course applies your studies to a real world problem.

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Classical Studies: Civilization

The Classical Studies Greek and Roman Civilization minor focuses on the history and culture of the classical world. The three required courses supply the necessary framework for studying classical civilization. Students may select the other two courses from options such as: philosophy, art, architecture, political theory, literature or law. 15 credits, or 5 courses, are required to complete the minor in Classical Studies Civilization.

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Classical Studies: Heritage

The Classical Studies Heritage minor allows students to connect the study of classical antiquity with other disciplines and periods and especially to study the inheritance and transformation of the classical tradition. Students in this minor take an array of courses designed around their interests, which may include patristics, philosophy, late antiquity, and later Western art and literature. The two required types of course are intended to foster the multidisciplinary perspective important in studying the heritage of classical antiquity. Students in this minor are especially encouraged to substitute for one of their electives a capstone project, a concrete opportunity to reflect on the connections this minor is meant to foster. 15 credits, or five courses, are required to complete the minor in Classical Studies Heritage.

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Collaborative Innovation

The collaborative innovation minor offers a five-course sequence starting with Design Matters, a large, introductory, lecture-based design-thinking class. Declared minors will then cycle through a series of four additional courses introducing students to the various skillsets implicated in design thinking including research methods, visualization, and entrepreneurship.

The minor culminates in the capstone course Service Design: Strategies for Social Systems, which brings students with first majors in a variety of disciplines together in fruitful collaboration with design majors to take on industry-sponsored projects addressing real-world questions. Working in teams with corporate partners, students will get a chance to solve a variety of problems—from global distribution to product innovation to community outreach.

Design thinking is a dynamic, iterative, and deeply human process that prepares students for the type of collaborative, cross-disciplinary work they will encounter after graduation—no matter what career paths they pursue. Established companies and entrepreneurs in fields as diverse as healthcare, sustainability, education, urban planning, and economic development are increasingly employing design thinking methodology to produce innovative results.

The gateway course, Design Matters: Introduction to Design Thinking, features a hybrid seminar format with lectures and case studies followed by hands-on exercises and practical applications of design thinking methodology in the form of team projects. Notre Dame's collaborative innovation program welcomes a broad and diverse group of students, from within the College of Arts and Letters, as well as from business, science, engineering, and architecture—all of whom play a vital role in bringing successful solutions to fruition.

Declaration of the minor requires enrollment in or completion of any design course. Students may contact the department Director of Undergraduate Studies or the Director of Collaborative Innovation Minor for information, or declare the minor in the departmental office. Design majors will not be permitted to declare a collaborative innovation minor.

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Compassionate Care in Medicine

The Minor in Compassionate Care in Medicine is open to Notre Dame students in all majors and colleges. The purpose of the Minor in Compassionate Care in Medicine is to provide interdisciplinary training in the science and sustainable practice of compassionate care for future health professionals. This minor is designed as adjunctive training to the basic science required by health professions schools, by major departments within the College of Science, or by other science-related majors.

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Computational Engineering

This minor exposes students to the fundamentals of programming and numerical methods, providing experience and skills in computer usage and knowledge of applications from a range different areas. The minor provides a solid grounding in the application of computational methods to various engineering problems such as fluid mechanics, structural analysis, elasticity, and optimization. Offered by: Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.

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Computing and Digital Technologies

The Idzik Computing and Digital Technologies (CDT) minor is a blended program cutting across departments in the College of Arts & Letters and partnering with the College of Engineering's Department of Computer Science & Engineering. In this innovative interdisciplinary minor, you will take CDT courses in both colleges to enhance your technical skills and increase your understanding of the ways in which technology can contribute to both personal and professional life. CDT will enrich your liberal arts education, broaden your perspectives, and give you skills and experience that prospective employers will value tremendously.

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Constitutional Studies

Nothing has done more for justice in the modern world than the development of the rule of law under constitutional principles. But, for constitutional governments to secure the common good, thoughtful and educated citizens must possess certain virtues; they must understand and be able to implement, defend, and, if need be, reform constitutional institutions. The Constitutional Studies minor seeks to nurture such citizens, thereby contributing to the University’s mission to pursue truth and to nurture a concern for the common good that will bear fruit as learning becomes service to justice.

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Data Science

Data science now impacts every industry, every job, and virtually every decision. Notre Dame's data science minor helps you explore this exciting field and learn to approach the challenging problems of our time with innovative analytical tools.

Emphasizing computational science, communication skills, and ethics, the five-course sequence includes classes in data science and programming, as well as three electives that can be customized to your course of study. These electives delve into the applications of data science, demonstrate ways to communicate findings, and offer insights into privacy and ethics.

For students interested in the analytic and modeling elements of data science, the data science minor offers a specialized analytics track as well.

The data science minor is open to all Notre Dame students. The minor is housed in the College of Arts and Letters' Technology & Digital Studies Hub with support from the Department of Sociology and the College of Engineering.

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Digital Marketing

Beginning in Fall 2019, the Mendoza College of Business launched a Digital Marketing Minor for non-Mendoza students. This minor will provide you with baseline marketing skills so you understand the language of business, and to help you land internships and jobs. This minor is also designed to complement your major and help launch a career that is challenging, creative and fun.

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Economic and Business History

The Minor in Economic and Business History allows undergraduates across the University to gain vital historical perspective on complexities of the global age. The program draws upon the expertise of History faculty across time periods and global regions, encompassing the histories of business, labor, development, finance, capitalism, and economic thought. Elective courses will examine a wide range of topics and contexts. A capstone course, Economy and Business in History (History 30049), introduces students to the core approaches and ideas of the field, and offers the opportunity for an in-depth research project.

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Education, Schooling, and Society

The interdisciplinary ESS program explores how people learn and how society, culture, politics, and the economy influence that learning. Students critically analyze issues and examine ways in which policy and design affect teaching, learning, and youth development. Students also are encouraged to advocate for children and families and become aware of the role that education plays in democracy.

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Energy Engineering

This minor involves many engineering and non-engineering disciplines and focuses on the technical aspects of energy to prepare students for professional jobs or advanced studies in this important area. Topics include: blackouts (the stability of the power grid and other reliability issues); energy efficiency and policy; sources of energy and related environmental concerns; carbon dioxide capture and storage; nuclear energy and associated difficulties; and biofuels.

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Energy Studies

The Center for Sustainable Energy at Notre Dame offers an energy studies minor to all undergraduate majors at the University of Notre Dame. This minor prepares students to become successful leaders from all disciplines who understand the complexity of the energy challenge. They will be better prepared to provide goods and services that allow an acceptable quality of life in a more energy-efficient manner. In addition, students will be able to draw from technical and non-technical resources to move our country and the world toward a sustainable energy future.

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Engineering Corporate Practice

The College of Engineering collaborates with the Mendoza College of Business and the College of Arts and Letters to offer the Minor in Engineering Corporate Practice, which prepares students for future careers while exploring topics at the intersection of engineering and business.

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Environmental Earth Sciences

This minor provides a foundation in the physical sciences, emphasizing processes that occur near or at the surface of earth and the impact of human activity on such processes. Students explore geochemical, mineralogical and hydrological properties of earth’s crust and develop an understanding of the interplay of natural processes such as mineral-water-rock-bacteria interactions with anthropogenic issues such as transport of toxic heavy metals and safe disposal of nuclear waste. Offered by: Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences

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European Studies

The minor in European studies (MES) exposes students to the breadth and depth of European studies and affairs.

The minor grounds students’ knowledge in the foundational ideas that have and will continue to shape Europe and its peoples while allowing for students to pursue their unique interests and passions under the umbrella of European studies. Thus, coursework in the minor is flexible and expansive, covering European ideas, themes, and events from antiquity to the present day. It requires students to take a writing-intensive, foundational seminar that provides an opportunity for students to critically engage with a single time period or concept that is considered foundational to Europe. Students in the minor in European studies (MES) will graduate with proficiency in a European language and develop a nuanced historical understanding of European society and culture. They will gain the practical research, writing, and diplomatic skills needed to apply this knowledge to the most pressing issues facing Europe and the world today.

As integral members of the Nanovic Institute, students in the MES are afforded priority consideration for grant opportunities, research assistantships, and access to the Nanovic network on campus and in Europe. MES students can expect enhanced opportunities for European travel, research, and service beyond the classroom. They connect with European experts–such as diplomats, scholars, and policymakers. As a result, they cultivate interdisciplinary skills valuable in a wide range of fields, including the arts, economics and finance, foreign service, law and politics, and mission-oriented non-governmental organizations.

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Finance

The Finance Minor provides a broad range of students with the opportunity to build their finance-related skills. In particular, the minor will provide skill development related to financial markets, financial analysis, investment analysis, and valuation, among other areas, and will help to better prepare students for a wide range of business careers. The 15-credit minor is open to Mendoza students graduating in the class of 2026 and subsequent years. As is the case for a finance major, all students pursuing a finance minor must earn a grade of C or better in FIN 20150.

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Foundations of Business

The Minor in Foundations of Business offers comprehensive exposure to the key foundational principles across all business disciplines, including finance, accounting, marketing, operations, strategy, leadership, business ethics and business law. Starting in Fall 2023, the minor is available as a pilot program for a limited number of students in the College of Science. A student must take at least 15 credit-hours (CH) to complete the Minor in Foundations of Business.

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French

The program of French and Francophone Studies provides an entrée into research and scholarship on language, culture, politics, economics, migration, gender, public health, and faith. The official working language of the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, and the International Olympic Committee is spoken by 275 million people worldwide and is a gateway to the international community.

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Gender Studies

The Gender Studies undergraduate curriculum provides an interdisciplinary program of study grounded in the liberal arts. Gender Studies students are well-rounded, intellectually curious people committed to social justice. An education in Gender Studies prepares us to live, think, and be agents of change in a complex world. Gender Studies analyzes systems of gender and sexuality in diverse local, national, and global contexts. Gender Studies students and scholars identify, examine, and challenge injustice, while imagining and creating better futures that serve the common good.

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German

Our classes are discussion-based and draw on interdisciplinary approaches that integrate history, politics, language, literature, art, and culture to provide you with a full understanding of the German-speaking world. Our courses give you the intercultural competence that is necessary to succeed in a study abroad program, internship, or job in the region. A German major or minor is very easy to combine with other disciplines, such as political science, history, English, economics, business, science, journalism, mathematics, music, and engineering.

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Greek

The minor in Greek is designed to guarentee a solid grounding in the philogical and literary of Greek texts of the classical and Hellenisitc periods.

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Greek and Roman Civilization

Do a deep dive into life — art, religion, customs, philosophy, architecture, and literature — of Ancient Greece and Rome. Study abroad in Rome, Italy, or Athens, Greece, explore historic sites, and put what you've leaned into context.

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Health, Humanities, and Society

HHS minors study matters of health, medicine, and sickness from multiple disciplinary approaches, and learn how medicine is simultaneously technical, scientific, humanistic, and social. Learn the deeper social and humanistic factors underpinnings of health, in both a local and a global context.

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Hesburgh Program in Public Service

The Hesburgh Program in Public Service — an affiliate of the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy — is an interdisciplinary career-oriented minor that prepares students for an active life devoted to the pursuit of effective and just responses to issues in American society.

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History

Look to the past to find a better way forward. History majors take a variety of courses emphasizing different geographical areas, chronological periods, and thematic approaches. The Department of History thrives on and fosters the University's distinctive mission of preparing students to engage the world and to transform it.

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Impact Consulting

The Impact Consulting Minor at Notre Dame makes the world your classroom. Students discern their passion projects with the gateway course, Designing Your Life, then move through a sequence of courses to design ideas, pitch for funding, and build those ideas, engaging with their project partners over multiple semesters and culminating in a domestic or international immersion. This minor is available for Mendoza majors only.

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Innovation & Entrepreneurship

As a student in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship minor, you will join other ethical innovators in creating businesses that make the world a better place. In the process, you’ll develop your business skills, gain real-world experience and learn first-hand what it takes to bring your ideas to life.

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International Development Studies

The goal of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies’ minor in International Development Studies (IDS) is to provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to learn about and contribute to international development discourse and practice. IDS will provide context and an academic foundation for students to analyze the dynamics of development across the globe, as well as help students, develop skills for effective engagement in a complex world.

Development studies is interdisciplinary in nature, so students are required to take courses in a variety of disciplines.

This equips students with the broad lens through which to view and investigate international development challenges. Students from all colleges and departments are welcome to enroll in the program.

The IDS minor prepares students for a variety of post-graduate options related to international development, including graduate work in development studies, volunteer work or employment in the field, ranging from international and advocacy organizations, businesses, consulting firms, and policy and research groups. Many IDS students have been honored through fellowships and awards such as Fulbrights, Boren Fellowships, the Gilman Scholarship, as well as the Rhodes and Knight-Hennessy Scholarships. See the full list of award recipients.

Regardless of what career path IDS students follow, the breadth and diversity of academic and fieldwork training help prepare them to apply their learning from the classroom to the world around them.

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International Security Studies

Through the minor in international security studies, the Notre Dame International Security Center (NDISC) educates exceptional undergraduate students to prepare them for careers in a critical field. Our alumni land prestigious positions in the intelligence community, on Congressional committees, in the Department of Defense, in the private sector, and at top graduate schools. International Security Studies (ISS) will continue to have a profound influence on the world and the people living in it. Understanding the causes and consequences of war helps us to reflect on how to avoid conflicts—increasing the chances for peace, security, and diplomacy.

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Irish Language and Literature

Students learn Irish (Gaelic) — the indigenous language of Ireland and the voice of the oldest vernacular literature in Europe — from world-class faculty. Explore Irish literature and folklore originating in, or shaped by, its native language across more than 1,500 years to the present. This knowledge will enhance your ability to study abroad in Ireland.

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Irish Studies

All University undergraduates can earn an Irish Studies minor. Students engage in the interdisciplinary study of Ireland — including Irish language, folklore, history, literature in Irish and English, music, anthropology, archaeology, Africana Studies, dance, film, and American studies.

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Italian

Enjoy Verdi’s operas in Italian; watch Fellini and Gomorra without subtitles; consult for an Italian engineering company; do scientific research at CERN; work with refugees at the forefront of humanitarian action; sift through manuscripts in the Vatican archives. Italian Studies is an area of exceptional strength at Notre Dame and has its own Global Gateway facility in Rome.

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Japanese

Japanese is an exceptional option for students seeking to expand their cultural horizons and explore exciting career opportunities in a wide array of fields. Support is also provided for students who want intensive summer language study abroad opportunities and international research and internships.

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Journalism, Ethics, and Democracy

The Gallivan Program in Journalism, Ethics, and Democracy offers a minor for students interested in working in print, broadcast, or digital news. The Gallivan Program combines training in practical skills with the study of social, political, economic, and ethical issues that journalists face, offering students a foundation in the reporting and editing principles that endure in a changing media industry.

The journalism minor embeds practical and ethical training specific to the news industry within the broader scope of a liberal arts education. The content-specific knowledge students develop in their major(s), as well as critical thinking and curiosity from engaging with diverse ideas among professors and peers on a variety of subjects, sharpens an aspiring journalist’s worldview. Along with the lessons from journalism courses and student media work, Gallivan Program graduates embark on their careers prepared to succeed in the news industry and make a difference in their communities.

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Korean

The Korean minor is a great fit for students seeking options in a variety of fields — from medicine, to the arts, to social and political sciences. Students have opportunities to experience Korean culture on campus and study abroad in Seoul, South Korea.

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Latin

Enjoy Verdi’s operas in Italian; watch Fellini and Gomorra without subtitles; consult for an Italian engineering company; do scientific research at CERN; work with refugees at the forefront of humanitarian action; sift through manuscripts in the Vatican archives. Italian Studies is an area of exceptional strength at Notre Dame and has its own Global Gateway facility in Rome.

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Latino Studies

Latino Studies is an interdisciplinary field of academic research and scholarship engaged in understanding the past, present, and future of the youngest and fastest-growing population in the United States. Latinos encompass immigrants from every country in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as those whose ancestors were long ago incorporated during U.S. westward expansion. Latino Studies is relevant for practically every academic discipline and useful for careers in architecture, business, church leadership, community organizing, the arts, engineering, law, medicine, teaching, and much more.

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Linguistics

Linguistics minors learn how languages are constructed and used in different contexts. Linguistics has connections with a variety of fields, including neuroscience, literature, anthropology, psychology, philosophy, computer science, and languages, and is valuable for students interested in careers in translation, publishing, and military intelligence careers, to name a few.

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Liturgical Music Ministry

The Liturgical Music Ministry minor is for students who want to be well-informed lay leaders in their congregations, have a deeper understanding of music they play or sing in their own prayer lives, and graduate with a stronger sense of theological and historical meanings of sacred repertory in its liturgical contexts.

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Medieval Studies

Meet us in the Middle Ages — the crossroads of everything. Join the faculty, students, visiting fellows, friends and supporters at this historical crossroads. Explore it, map it, and make it known in our research, teaching, and community engagement.

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Middle Eastern and North African Studies

The minor in Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Studies will equip you with critical skills to approach the study of the region in a constructive and nuanced manner. Through the minor, you will explore the cultures of the Middle East and North Africa from various intellectual perspectives, using multidisciplinary tools such as textual criticism, historical studies, and strategic analysis. Students can choose between two tracks: religion and literature, or history and politics and the minor is open to any Notre Dame undergraduate student.

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Music

Studying music at Notre Dame offers avenues to build on the strengths, experiences, and training you bring to the program as well as new opportunities to engage deeply with familiar and unfamiliar sounds, traditions, and ways of understanding music through theories, histories, and cultures ranging from the Western classical tradition to musics around the world.

Our curriculum combines a strong foundation with a variety of advanced electives. It is designed to prepare you for professional careers in performance and academic study of music. You can also pair music with any other major if you wish to further your musical development while developing your knowledge in another subject, from anthropology to finance to computer science. The knowledge and skills developed through studying music will help you thrive in a wide variety of fields after graduation.

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Musical Theatre

The goal of the musical theatre minor is to engage students in both an intellectual and practical introduction to musical theatre. It provides an interdisciplinary approach to the craft while offering opportunities for you to follow your own interests in the art form, both in practice and in theory. It is not a voice-centric minor — you have the ability to take classes that are aligned with your interests, and can structure your program around singing and acting, songwriting, conducting, stage directing, research, or other areas of focus. Admission to introductory classes is not based on performance ability.

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Peace Studies

Peace studies provides undergraduates with the opportunity to envision the world as it ought to be, rather than simply how it is. Peace studies equips students with the knowledge to understand the causes of violent conflict, develop nonviolent ways of addressing violence, and build peaceful, just societies.

Peace studies links research and scholarship with policy and practice and challenges students to develop new and better ways of both thinking and acting. Peace studies deepens critical thinking and provides a useful framework for analyzing and understanding current events, global issues, and policy decisions. It gives students an additional perspective that sets them apart within the next generation of global leaders. Peace studies is an interdisciplinary program. It allows students to explore important topics and questions from a variety of academic perspectives that supplement the disciplinary training they gain from their major.

Peace studies empowers students to combine their multiple intellectual interests with their personal ideals. They can shape their time at Notre Dame into a meaningful experience that prepares them for the work of building a better world.

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Philosophy

Philosophy asks, and tries to answer, deep and important questions. Is there a god? Is there a real difference between right and wrong? In the largest philosophy department in the United States, whatever questions interest you, we have resources to help you pursue them in a rigorous and serious way.

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Philosophy, Politics, and Economics

The minor — open by application — is for students with serious interests at the intersection of political theory, political philosophy, and economic theory. It provides a forum where all three disciplines are brought to bear on common or complementary problems.

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Philosophy, Religion, and Literature

This interdisciplinary minor creates a context in which philosophical, religious, and literary approaches to thought and its expression are studied systematically and in conjunction with each other.

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Philosophy, Science, and Mathematics

This interdisciplinary minor — one of a kind in the U.S. — is designed to think about big questions raised by science and mathematics, including: Is there a conflict between contemporary science and religious belief? What does the theory of evolution tell us about ethics? What is mathematical truth?

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Portuguese and Brazilian Studies

Learn the language in interactive, dynamic, and communicative classes. This interdisciplinary minor opens doors to explore topics in diplomacy, history, business, international relations, and social sciences. There are also numerous opportunities to serve and study abroad.

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Real Estate

From investing in tangible assets and developing neighborhoods, to constructing buildings and fighting homelessness— real estate touches everyone. As an applied field of study, real estate leverages various disciplines, including accounting, architecture, engineering, economics, finance, and law. Students enrolled in the Minor in Real Estate learn the fundamental aspects of real estate, gain exposure to a wide range of career paths, and network with industry professionals. The 15-credit Minor is open to all Notre Dame undergraduate students. Real estate opens up career opportunities and allows students to create a lasting impact. Undergraduates who have an interest in real estate or who are seeking internships or entry-level positions in fields such as real estate investment, development, brokerage, construction, or related professional fields are encouraged to apply for the Minor.

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Resiliency and Sustainability of Engeering Systems

This minor spans a broad range of topics on the environmental consequences of engineering systems in sustainable development. It focuses on engineering for mitigation and resiliency, emphasizing communications skills to prepare students to work with city planners, policymakers and the public. Offered by: Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences.

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Russian

The Russian program at Notre Dame features small class sizes, close relationships with faculty, opportunities to do research and write a senior thesis, multiple avenues to study abroad in a Russian-speaking country, cultural events in the South Bend and Chicago areas, and much more! Our classes are discussion-based and draw on interdisciplinary approaches that integrate history, politics, language, literature, art, and culture to provide you with a full understanding of this complex region. They will give you the theoretical and analytical tools necessary to think critically and independently about Russia’s place in the world, as well as the intercultural competence to succeed in a study abroad program, internship, or job in the region.

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Science and Patient Advocacy

The mission of the Interdisciplinary Minor in Science and Patient Advocacy is to provide undergraduate students with critical skills and understanding of the multifaceted challenges needed to advocate effectively for rare disease patients. The core of patient advocacy is to know disease at the molecular, genetic and clinical levels and use that information to help patients find treatments. This minor in Science and Patient Advocacy provides an integrated framework that will provide students with needed skills to become effective patient opinion leaders who have enormous influences in health outcomes at all levels in our society.

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Science, Technology, and Values

The Science, Technology, and Values (STV) program offers students the opportunity to acquire an interdisciplinary understanding of science and technology in modern societies, providing them with analytical and conceptual tools they need to confront the complex questions that arise at the intersection of science and society. Science and technology play a powerful role in structuring our world, in everything from our physical environment to our culture. A multifaceted understanding of this role is key both for those who aspire to shape our world and for those who want to be successful in it.

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Scientific Computing

The core of scientific computing is the development of mathematical models and computer simulations to understand various physical phenomena. Modeling and simulation can be used to verify hypotheses, make predictions, and drive experimental data collection. This minor provides students with (i) a solid programming background for running computer simulations, (ii) a computing and modeling course for learning how to develop mathematical models, (iii) a foundational methods course for learning how to analyze the stability and accuracy of computer simulations, and (iv) an elective course to explore additional topics or applications of scientific computing.

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Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation

The Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation (SEI) Minor exposes undergraduate students to an integrated approach to applying entrepreneurial principles, concepts, and tools to the world's biggest social problems. Open to all Notre Dame undergraduates; this customizable minor offers a practical and experiential approach to making the world a better place. Students will strengthen their entrepreneurial mindset as they develop innovative solutions to global issues such as poverty, clean water, human trafficking, racial and ethnic discrimination, domestic abuse, literacy, health care, etc.

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Sociology

Sociology at Notre Dame teaches you to use empirical data to ask and answer complex and multi-faceted questions and to write with clarity, depth, and precision. By helping you understand context, studying sociology prepares you for a variety of career paths. Additionally, sociology helps you live our campus commitment to social justice and human rights, helping you to direct your talents, gifts, and energy in practical and meaningful ways to help others.

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Sport, Media, and Culture

The minor in Sport, Media, and Culture (SMAC) invites students to examine the cultural politics of sport from a scholarly point of view, and to practice them with an eye towards social justice and the dignity of every human being. SMAC thus defines media broadly—to include visual art, historical texts, and performing arts as well as print journalism, radio, film, television, and social media—and incorporates analyses of race, gender, sexuality, class, and inequality from across the humanities and social sciences. Through SMAC, students will consider how their own interest in sport engages in the politics of representation, and how they can promote equity and justice through it.

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Studio Art

Studio art prepares students to contribute creatively to the social and cultural discourses that shape contemporary society. From personal practice to the integration of visual art across disciplines, studio art offers a way of problem-solving through visual thinking, production, and analysis. The major seeks to promote growth and development of the student through a range of courses dealing with aesthetics and composition, critical skills, and mastery in both traditional and digital techniques. The interdisciplinary structure of the curriculum encourages students to explore a range of media in pursuit of their educational or career objectives.

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Sustainability

Sustainability lies at the intersection of humanities, sciences, and social sciences. Rooted in the tenets of Laudato Si', the minor aims to train future professionals who will address the most pressing issues of climate change and sustainability. The program's focus is empowered by emphasizing each student's disciplinary expertise coupled with interdisciplinary collaboration. In order to address the complexities of global challenges in the face of climate change, new approaches and bold creativity are needed.

The Minor in Sustainability is open to Notre Dame students in all majors and colleges. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the minor prepares students to serve as leaders in their communities - local, national, and international - by making constructive and substantive contributions to the development of more sustainable practices for the benefit of their own personal and professional lives, the lives of others, and the lives of future generations.

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Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

The TESOL minor equips students with essential skills to teach English to speakers of other languages. Learn about fundamental aspects of linguistics and language education and get practical experience in classroom instruction and lesson planning.

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Technology Ethics

What are the ethical responsibilities associated with developing artificial intelligence systems? What about the moral obligations of the companies and other entities that subsequently use those AI systems to automate aspects of their work? How do we address and prevent bias in decisions made by computers? Or take the many and ever-expanding ways our lives are lived online. Can we do anything to fight mis- and disinformation? How much privacy should we expect in exchange for the convenience of online transactions? What do institutions owe us when it comes to protecting our data? The undergraduate minor in tech ethics is designed for Notre Dame students interested in answers to questions like these.

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Theology

The Department of Theology — guided by the ideal of “faith seeking understanding” — is at the heart of the education in faith and reason the University strives to provide students. Encounter the great questions of life: What is truth? What is justice? What happens after death? While Catholic in our religious tradition, our commitment to pluralism and diversity is reflected in areas of academic specialization among faculty and students.

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