Minors & Certificates

At Widener, you can stretch your education beyond major-specific courses. Customize your degree path by adding one of our 50+ minors, or take your learning further by pursuing an undergraduate certificate. 

To discover the details of our minors and certificates, browse the academic catalog.

View Academic Catalog 

 

Minors

Accounting: An accounting minor is designed for students in the School of Business Administration. These courses will provide the background needed to pursue professional certification in areas such as management accounting and internal auditing. 

African & African American Studies: An African and African American studies minor offers students an opportunity to explore the experiences of Africans and African-descended peoples from a variety of methodological viewpoints by examining theories of race and how race intersects with gender, sexuality, class, and other factors in a variety of historical and contemporary settings. 

Anthropology: An anthropology minor allows students to explore the inner workings of American culture as well as other cultures around the world. Students will examine cultural maps to examine modern culture along with ancient ones that formed society how it is today. 

Arts: A minor in art allows any student to express their creative side through learning about the history and growth of art and music while also allowing students to create their own expressions of themselves through traditional art. 

Astronomy: An astronomy minor is designed for non-science students to explore our world by learning broadly about various topics of astronomy and our environment and current conditions on our own planet. 

Astrophysics: An astrophysics minor is designed for physics majors or students in the School of Engineering who want to branch their physics requirements and knowledge into an understanding of astronomy and the workings of the world. 

Biochemistry: A biochemistry minor is most suitable for biology, chemistry, and chemical engineering majors but is open to anyone with a passion and understanding of both biology and chemistry. The curriculum emphasizes the molecular, analytical, and quantitative aspects of living systems and trains students to formulate questions, analyze data and derive answers.  

Biology: A biology minor allows students to explore the sciences through a majority biology focused curriculum along with some chemistry components, making sure that students have a well-rounded knowledge to maximize their knowledge in the sciences through hands on lab experience. 

Biomedical Engineering: A minor in biomedical engineering allows students to pursue an interdisciplinary field combining engineering principles integrated with the study of biology. This minor allows students to focus in on a wide range of topics from cardiovascular mechanics to kidney dialysis to tissue engineering and much more. 

Business: A minor in general business allows students of all majors to get a background in all fields of business, such as marketing and accounting, to strengthen their major and make their education range more sought after by employers.  

Business Analytics: A minor in business analytics allows students to explore a dynamic and challenging interdisciplinary field in exploring the roles of technology in various industries. This minor combines the basics of business alongside computing and allows students to learn to plan, analyze, design and implement information technology in the business world. 

Chemical Engineering: A minor in chemical engineering is made for students studying majors in the sciences or engineering who want to pursue careers in pharmaceutical, chemical process or petrochemical industries. This minor allows students to be exposed to the concepts of both chemistry and engineering with a flexible schedule.  

Chemistry: A chemistry minor allows students to branch out their education into the sciences and expand their education with classes to learn the concepts and labs to give a hands-on immersive experience. 

Communication Studies: A minor in communication studies allows students to work on their communication skills as well with getting a hands-on experience through graphic design or working behind the camera in film or television. This minor is suitable for any major to allow them to learn concepts of why and how people communicate and improve their skills in working with others. 

Computer Forensics: A computer forensics minor is an interdisciplinary minor melding the knowledge of criminal justice along with the skills of computer science. Students study theoretical and practical foundations of computer security, forensic methodologies and processes, digital evidence gathering and preservation, criminal investigation and examination and criminal law related to court presentation.

Computer Information Systems: A computer information systems minor allows students to get a knowledge of both computer science and management information systems. This minor focuses on an applied curriculum rather than theoretical, allow students to take advantage of this being interdisciplinary combining business and computers.

Computer Science: A computer science minor allows any student to dive into the world of computers and learn the knowledge of how to create what goes on behind the scenes in how computers function through coding and mathematical equations.  

Creative Writing: A creative writing minor allows any student to learn to express themselves though exploring the world of professional creative writing. This minor allows all students to improve their writing skills not only creatively but also creating a strong foundation for all writing. 

Criminal Justice: A criminal justice minor allows students to learn about the court systems and work on their research skills. This broad-based minor allows the study of a social and behavioral science through crime and the criminal justice system. 

Dance: A minor in dance allows students to explore the world of art and music history while also gaining the skills of performance. This minor allows students to express themselves though movement and rhythm and allows for a chance for physical activity combined with education.  

Economics: An economics minor is designed for students who are majoring in accounting, international business, or management and who have an interest in economics, including the economic aspects of public policy issues. This minor enables such students to broaden knowledge of economic matters, as well as strengthen their powers of reasoning and analytical skills.  

Electrical Engineering: A minor in electrical engineering allows students to gain the knowledge of advancing our current world with a foundation of physics and math through telecommunications, computers and computer networks, avionics, robotics, automatic control, microelectronics, power generation and distribution, medical imaging, virtual reality, sensors, and photonics. 

English: An English minor allows students to expand their knowledge in writing and professional language. This minor is open to anyone willing to work on their skills to become a better author in all fields of writing, whether it be research or creative. 

Environmental Engineering: An environmental engineering minor is open to anyone but most compatible with chemical and civil engineering, environmental science, chemistry or biology majors. This minor is a good option for students interested in ways to protect and restore the quality of our air, water, and land resources, and in the environmental issues and problems that are vitally important to the sustainability of our society’s infrastructure. 

Environmental Science: An environmental science minor focuses on the growing need in our society for both a broad scientific background and an understanding of environmental relationships. This minor is a mix between traditional sciences along with studies of how to better our planet. 

Environmental Studies: An environmental studies minor is designed primarily for students in the arts and sciences who have an interest in environmental issues and policies. This minor provides students with the necessary interdisciplinary academic knowledge to understand complex environmental issues and the social, political and cultural contexts that affect human interaction with the environment. 

Experimental Science: An experimental science minor explores the various fields in the sciences through hypothesis, problem solving and a focus in lab work. This minor includes courses in biology, chemistry, math and physics and is open to all majors except biology. 

Finance: A finance minor is designed for students who are majoring in accounting, business analytics, international business, management, or marketing and who have an interest in finance. This minor allows students to expand their knowledge of financial planning and their powers of reasoning and analytical skills. 

French: A French minor allows students to study with a focus in learning the language of French while also getting to know about the culture. This minor is open to anyone who is interested in becoming fluent in another language while also getting to know the societies where the language is spoken as well. 

Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies: A minor in gender, women & sexuality studies creates an introduction to this broad range of social science. While focusing on getting a range of knowledge gender, women and sexuality, this minor also allows for in depth studies in the upper level classes with students picking which topic to focus in on. 

History: A history minor allows any student to study the past moving into the future through learning about the history of the world. Students studying this minor have a very flexible curriculum allowing them to take any class that falls under the history requirements, including both lower and upper level. 

Human Resource Management: A minor in human resource management gives students the ability to examine contemporary challenges in human resources and provides a comprehensive exposure to the practice of sound human resource management. This minor also emphasizes the importance of professional networking and the building of professional relationships to further one’s professional career and increase knowledge and skills.  

International Business: An international business minor is designed for students who are majoring in accounting, economics, or management, and who would like to learn more about the global nature of various business functions. This minor allows students to be prepared for competing in a global marketplace and be familiar with the global economy and competent in the areas of international finance, world-wide operations, and cultural diversity.

International Relations: An international relations minor allows any student to learn about government, law, international business and finance, communications, and diplomacy while also learning the basics of a language of their choice. Students who take this minor will further their understanding of the world and how each country works together to improve the world we live in. 

Italian: An Italian minor allows students to study with a focus in learning the language of Italian while also getting to know about the culture. This minor is open to anyone who is interested in becoming fluent in another language while also getting to know the societies where the language is spoken as well. 

Leadership Studies: A leadership studies minor is open to all undergraduate students regardless of major. With this minor, students develop the skills and capacities to recognize relevant theories and styles of effective leadership and the ability to critically assess, reflect, and learn from their own leadership experiences, inside the classroom and beyond. 

Legal Studies and Analysis: A legal studies and analysis minor is designed to provide prospective law students with a solid academic preparation for the skills needed for success in the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) and to strengthen the knowledge in the study and practice of law itself. This minor mainly focuses in on logical reasoning, analytical reasoning, writing, and reading comprehension. 

Management: A management minor gives students a solid background in understanding, dealing with and managing with people, processes and projects. This minor provides students with a skill that is in great demand by employers and will help them advance any career. 

Marketing: A minor in marketing will expose any student to a dynamic and diverse business field that impacts our daily lives. This minor will give students the professional skills required in any marketing field and gives a chance for students to pursue more opportunities. 

Mathematics: A mathematics minor is a great addition to any major with a math focused curriculum or any student with a passion for solving complex problems. This minor allows students to take both pure and applied mathematics as well as providing a solid foundation in abstract mathematics as well. 

Mechanical Engineering: A minor in mechanical engineering is available to students in other engineering disciplines. This minor will give students a broad understanding of the fundamentals of mechanical engineering as well going in depth into a field of choice, either mechanical design, thermal sciences or dynamics and vibrations. 

Music: A minor in music allows students of any major to study their passion of rhythm and sound. This minor focuses on a variety of musical topics from studying the history of past composers to performing for audiences to express yourself through elaborate melodies.  

Natural Science: A natural science minor is available to any non-science major to allow them to explore a field outside their own. This minor has a focus in environmental science, but also explores into biology and chemistry. 

Operations Management: An operations management minor is available to business students who have an interest in service and manufacturing operations. This minor allows students to learn effective management of operations skills by taking classes with a higher-level curriculum.  

Physics: A physics minor is geared towards students majoring in science related fields such as engineering, mathematics, computer science and chemistry. This minor will give students a stronger foundation in physics through may labs and a strong focus in understanding conceptual ideas. 

Political Science: A political science minor is a flexible minor open to any student with an interest in learning how to legally solve confrontations and settle disputes. This minor provides a good foundation to students going into fields related to public service or professional writing in journalism.  

Psychology: A psychology minor is open to any student wishing to study how humans grow, develop and interact with one another. This minor pairs well with any major that has a focus in communication between business and individuals to strengthen understanding on why certain decisions are made. 

Robotics Engineering: A minor in robotics engineering is offered to engineering students and provides them with a broad-based knowledge of mechanical systems, electronics, sensors, and controls in the pioneering and expanding field of robotics. The minor focuses on topics from electrical and mechanical engineering along with hands-on experience in robotics systems.

Social Work: A social work minor is open to any student wishing to integrate social welfare and professional social work content with their chosen career path. This minor offers students the opportunity to synthesize and apply social work theories, policies, and research in the development of comprehensive solutions to major social problems.

Sociology: A sociology minor if offered to any student with an interest in learning about society as a whole along with individual human interaction. This minor focuses in on the theories of past and present social movements to see how societies around the world have developed while also keeping some aspects the same.

Spanish: A Spanish minor allows students to study with a focus in learning the language of Spanish while also getting to know about the culture. This minor is open to anyone who is interested in becoming fluent in another language while also getting to know the societies where the language is spoken as well.

Sport and Event Management: A minor in sport and event management exposes students to the vast sport and event industry, from management positions in sport organizations or in traditional firms working with sport institutions, health/sports facilities, and community recreation to the marketing of sports and entertainment-related products and programs, sport services and the promotion, selling, designing, and execution of events all over the world. 

Sustainability Management: A sustainability management minor is open to any student in the School of Business Administration who wants to work on making sure future generations can have their needs met. This minor will focus on management skills and the relationships between the environment, the economy and culture.

Sustainability Science: A sustainability science minor is open to all students who have an interest in sustainability practices as well as expanding their scientific knowledge. This minor helps students prepare to address local, national and international sustainability problems to improve our future.

Taxation: A minor in taxation is open to any business student to help them develop a more in-depth knowledge in an area that offers high employment opportunities. With both CFP and CPA examinations having emphasis on taxations concepts, this minor will better prepare students for the future.

 

Certificates

Bilingual Certificate in Spanish: Students who are interested in careers requiring proficiency in a foreign language can obtain a bilingual certificate by completing the following 27 semester hours in Spanish in addition to the requirements for their major: ML 281–282 and seven 300-level courses.

Bloomberg Certificate: Upon the completion of the Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) eight-hour self-paced e-learning course, students are given the Bloomberg Certificate, indicating that students learned the essential parts in business through the Bloomberg and also familiarized themselves with the high-end Bloomberg Professional Service and they are comfortable and confident with the market data platform.

Certificate in Accounting: The purpose of the certificate in accounting is to provide non-SBA students who are majoring in criminal justice with an opportunity to obtain additional exposure to accounting and business law.

Certificate in Accounting Information Systems: The accounting information systems (AIS) concentration is designed to enable students to design, use, and audit sophisticated accounting information systems and to act as consultants to advise organizations as to the liabilities and risks associated with changing technology.

Certificate of Advanced Honors in General Education: Students will receive this by successfully completing at least six Honor courses, which include two Honors Seminars, or one Seminar and one Honors Independent Study.

Certificate in Biology: A certificate offered by the Center of Education allowing students to pursue professional certification in Biology over two or three semesters, allowing education students to increase their knowledge and open more opportunities in the career field.

Certificate in Business Process Innovation: Business process management centers on understanding the need to change the focus of organizations form functional silos to integrated end-to-end business processes in order to gain a competitive advantage.

Certificate in Chemistry: A certificate offered by the Center of Education allowing students to pursue professional certification in Chemistry over two or three semesters, allowing education students to increase their knowledge and open more opportunities in the career field.

Certificate in Earth and Space Science: A certificate offered by the Center of Education allowing students to pursue professional certification in Earth and Space Science over two or three semesters, allowing education students to increase their knowledge and open more opportunities in the career field.

Certification in Elementary Education: A certificate offered by the Center of Education allowing students to pursue professional certification in Elementary Education (PreK-4) over two or three semesters, allowing education students to increase their knowledge and open more opportunities in the career field.

Certificate in English: A certificate offered by the Center of Education allowing students to pursue professional certification in English over two or three semesters, allowing education students to increase their knowledge and open more opportunities in the career field.

Certificate in Enterprise Resource Planning: This certificate program is designed for professionals who are interested in enhancing their knowledge and understanding of enterprise systems and to obtain hands-on experience.

Certificate in French: A certificate offered by the Center of Education allowing students to pursue professional certification in French over two or three semesters, allowing education students to increase their knowledge and open more opportunities in the career field.

Certificate in Heath Care Management: The certificate in health care management is designed to provide such knowledge and skills through a high-quality educational experience. It is ideally suited for individuals who would like to prepare for management positions in the health care industry but do not, at this time, want to pursue a graduate degree in the field.

Certificate of Honors in Engineering: To earn a Certificate of Honors in Engineering, students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 and a technical GPA of 3.25 or higher at graduation and satisfy the above program requirements.

Certificate of Honor in General Education: Students will receive this by successfully completing at least five Honors courses, which include Freshman Honors English and one Honors Seminar.

Certificate in Mathematics: A certificate offered by the Center of Education allowing students to pursue professional certification in Mathematics over two or three semesters, allowing education students to increase their knowledge and open more opportunities in the career field.

Certificate in Online Teaching: This certificate program offered by the Center for Education is designed for working professionals who want to develop their expertise in online instruction, including how to develop curricula, implement instruction, and assess student learning in an online environment.

Certificate in Organizational Leadership: The certificate in organizational leadership is designed to create effective leaders who can manage people, projects, and change. It is ideally suited for individuals who are interested in preparing for front-line management positions but are not ready to pursue a master’s degree.

Certificate in Professional Writing: A certificate in professional writing takes communication beyond the classroom. In this four-course program, you'll learn techniques that target various audiences: consumers, administrators, practitioners, and researchers. Using both text and visuals, you'll design, revise, and publish communication materials with professional impact.

Certificate in Physics: A certificate offered by the Center of Education allowing students to pursue professional certification in Physics over two or three semesters, allowing education students to increase their knowledge and open more opportunities in the career field.

Certificate in Spanish: A certificate offered by the Center of Education allowing students to pursue professional certification in Spanish over two or three semesters, allowing education students to increase their knowledge and open more opportunities in the career field.

Certificate in Sociology: A certificate offered by the Center of Education allowing students to pursue professional certification in Sociology over two or three semesters, allowing education students to increase their knowledge and open more opportunities in the career field.

Certificate in Taxation: This certificate program is designed for professionals who are interested in enhancing their knowledge of taxation at a graduate course level without earning a master's degree.

Certificate in Textual Scholarship: Students who complete 12 semester hours of ENGL 401 Textual Scholarship will receive a certificate in textual scholarship that confirms an exceptional level of expertise in a field that is distinguished for undergraduate English majors.

Leadership Certificate: To qualify for a Leadership Certificate, students must participate in 18 one-hour interactive, leadership-focused workshops led by Widener faculty and staff. Students are also are asked to create their own concise, meaningful leadership philosophy statement (28 characters or less) that embodies the kind of leader they want to become. Students present and explain their leadership philosophy at a ceremony where they receive their certificate.

Pre-MBA Undergraduate Certificate: The pre-MBA certificate provides students with a solid exposure to foundational business topics, such as accounting, economics, finance and management, and can be integrated into the four-year engineering curriculum.

SAP Certificate of Recognition: Awarded to students who have completed three courses designated as SAP approved. This recognition is made possible through Widener’s alliance with SAP AG, a German-based software solutions company specializing in enterprise systems.

SAS Joint Certificate: The SAS Joint Certificate is awarded by Widener and the SAS Institute, which is a leading producer of analytics and data management software. The following four courses must be completed at Widener to receive this certificate: MIS 290 Management Information Systems, QA 251 Elementary Statistics, MIS 358 Database Management Systems, and MIS 370 Business Analytics.

Secondary Education Certification in Social Studies Education: History majors who wish to teach social studies can seek certification. This comprehensive certificate permits graduates to teach secondary social studies courses, including history, political science, economics, geography, and world cultures in secondary schools.

The Certificate of Recognition for Outstanding Academic Achievement: Presented by the faculty of the School of Nursing to the graduating registered nurse who has earned the highest academic average in the nursing major.