The objective in instituting a minor field of study at the University of Georgia is to encourage and officially acknowledge the attainment by students of a fair measure of expertise and knowledge in more than one academic field. SPIA offers four minors: Political SciencePublic Policy and Management, International Affairs, and International Human Rights and Security. SPIA, in collaboration with Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, offers a fifth minor in Criminal Justice Studies.

Courses for a minor may simultaneously apply to Area VI of the general education requirements, across multiple minors or also in a major.

An undergraduate area of emphasis is a specialty within a major or certificate. It is an acknowledgment of the attainment of a fair measure of expertise and knowledge of a specific nature within the major field of study. Areas of emphasis require 12 credit hours of upper-division courses which also apply to the major and are noted on the student’s transcript. SPIA offers three areas of emphasis. Political Science majors may choose the Area of Emphasis in Courts, Justice, and Law. International Affairs majors may choose from either the Area of Emphasis in Security or the Area of Emphasis in International Organizations and Law.