Georgia Tech Ph.D. students must demonstrate mastery of a second area of study in addition to their primary doctoral field —preferably outside the student's school. This is a unique opportunity to showcase a wider arena of interests and highlight your versatility, adaptability, and intellectual curiosity as a scholar.
Studying a language or cultural region is an excellent opportunity to gain transferable skills that will serve you well in both academia and industry, setting you apart in the job market. By learning the nuances of a language and cultural worldview and applying this knowledge in hands-on real-world contexts, our students hone their leadership, cross-cultural communication, and ethical reasoning.
Requirements
A doctoral minor will normally consist of at least 9 credit hours in related courses, selected by the student in consultation with a guidance committee and approved by Graduate Studies (on behalf of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Faculty Development).
These courses should be at the 6000 level or above, but the use of certain 4000-level courses may also be approved. The student must receive a letter grade within the minor comprising an overall GPA of 3.0 (B) or higher. Courses that are taken as pass/fail are not eligible to count toward the doctoral minor. Courses taken at other institutions may be included in the minor.
Once the student has satisfactorily completed the minor, the School Chair will send a confirmation, accompanied by course grades, to Graduate Studies for final approval and recording.
Design your own Ph.D. Minor
If you have advanced language ability in Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, or Spanish, you can enroll in our 6000-level cultural and media seminars. We encourage students to take three courses in the same language to gain expertise in the culture, history, and politics of the region.
Taking introductory courses in a language is possible with the permission of the instructor in the course. Please contact the instructor directly at least two weeks before the start of the semester to request a spot in the course and consult with your home department regarding whether language training is permissible for a Ph.D. minor.
Areas of Concentration
Our courses focus on a variety of topics and we are happy to meet with you to brainstorm an area of concentration for your minor that can fit your professional goals. A few areas of research strength in our School include:
- Popular media
- Cultural history
- Politics and History
- Cultural sustainability
- Culture, history, and the sciences
- Student-centered learning
- Applied linguistics
- Human-centered approaches
- Literature and film
- Global citizenship