Student FAQs
These frequently asked questions offer answers to some questions students may have about transfer.
Two-Year Academic Programs Designed for Transfer
Associate of Arts Degree
- An associate of arts degree is awarded upon completion of a 60 credit academic program in the liberal arts and sciences without a named field of study. It is designed for transfer to baccalaureate degree-granting college or university.
- An associate of arts degree requires completion of at least a 40 credit curriculum that fulfills the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum goal areas.
- The associate of arts degree program is named Liberal Arts and Sciences.
- An associate of arts degree may have one or more emphases of at least 9 credits each in liberal arts and science fields, provided there is an articulation agreement with a related baccalaureate major offered by one or more system universities.
- At least 15 credits in the associate of arts degree shall be taught by the faculty recommending the award. This requirement may be decreased upon recommendation of the faculty and approval by the president of the system college or university.
Associate of Science Degree
- An associate of science degree is awarded upon completion of a 60 credit academic program in scientific, technological, or other professional fields.
- The associate of science degree is designed to transfer in its entirety to one or more related baccalaureate degree programs. A college shall pursue an articulation agreement with one or more system universities before establishing an articulation agreement with a non-system university.
- An associate of science degree program may be individualized according to the standards outlined in Part 5, Subpart F. Associate of science individualized studies programs do not require an articulation agreement.
- An associate of science degree may address a single specialty or a set of allied specialties such as, but not limited to, (1) agriculture, (2) business, (3) computer and information sciences, (4) education, (5) engineering, (6) engineering technologies, (7) environmental sciences, (8) health sciences, and (9) natural sciences.
- The associate of science degree requires a minimum of 30 credits selected from at least six of the ten goal areas of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum.
- An associate of science degree shall not have emphases.
- An associate of science degree may be individualized according to the standards outlined in Part 5, Subpart F, to provide a student an opportunity to design an academic program to meet specific occupational goals that cannot be met by current program offerings.
- At least 15 credits in an associate of science degree shall be taught by the faculty recommending the award. This requirement may be decreased upon recommendation of the faculty and approval by the president of the system college or university.
- A waiver may be granted to exceed a length of 60 credits when (1) the waiver criteria in Part 3, Subpart C, are met and (2) an articulation agreement specifies the transfer of a greater number of credits.
Associate of Fine Arts Degree
- An associate of fine arts degree is a named degree awarded upon completion of a 60 credit academic program in particular disciplines in the fine arts.
- An associate of fine arts degree is designed to transfer in its entirety to a related fine arts discipline baccalaureate degree program. An articulation agreement with a related baccalaureate degree program at a regionally accredited university is required. A system college shall pursue an articulation agreement with a system university before establishing an articulation agreement with a non-system university.
- An associate of fine arts degree program may be individualized according to the standards outlined in Part 5, Subpart F. Associate of fine arts individualized studies degree programs do not require an articulation agreement.
- An associate of fine arts degree requires a minimum of 24 credits selected from at least six of the ten goal areas of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum. Requirements for the following disciplines have been adopted.
- Art. An associate of fine arts degree in art requires the minimum of 24 credits selected from at least six of the ten goal areas of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum.
- Music. An associate of fine arts degree in music requires at least 30 credits selected from at least six of the ten goal areas of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum.
- Theatre arts. An associate of fine arts degree in theatre arts requires completion of the entire Minnesota Transfer Curriculum with a minimum of 40 credits.
- An associate of fine arts degree shall not have emphases.
- An associate of fine arts degree program may be individualized according to the standards outlined in Part 5, Subpart F, to provide a student an opportunity to design an academic program to meet specific academic or occupational goals that cannot be met by current program offerings.
- At least 15 credits in the associate of fine arts degree shall be taught by the faculty recommending the award. This requirement may be decreased upon recommendation of the faculty and approval by the president of the system college or university.
- A waiver may be granted to exceed a length of 60 credits when (1) the waiver criteria in Part 3, Subpart C, are met and (2) an articulation agreement specifies the transfer of a greater number of credits.
Two-Year Academic Programs Not Designed for Transfer
Associate in Applied Science Degree
- An associate of applied science degree is awarded upon completion of a 60 credit academic program in a named field of study in scientific, technological or other professional fields.
- An associate of applied science degree prepares students for employment in an occupation or range of occupations. An associate of applied science degree may also be accepted in transfer to a related baccalaureate program.
- An associate of applied science degree requires a minimum of 15 credits selected from at least three of the ten goal areas of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum. At least 30 credits shall be in the academic program’s occupational or technical field of preparation.
- An associate of applied science degree may have one or more emphases of at least 9 credits each when there are at least 30 credits in the major that are common to the emphases.
- An associate of applied science degree program may be individualized according to the standards outlined in Part 5, Subpart F, to provide a student an opportunity to design an academic program to meet specific occupational goals that cannot be met by current program offerings.
- At least 15 credits in an associate of applied science shall be taught by the faculty recommending the award. This requirement may be decreased upon recommendation of the faculty and approval by the president of the system college or university.
- A waiver may be granted to exceed a length of 60 credits when (1) the waiver criteria in Part 3, Subpart C, are met and (2) an articulation agreement, where applicable, specifies the transfer of a greater number of credits.
Several AAS degree programs are articulated with Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.) degrees. In these cases, the AAS degree must transfer pursuant to the terms and conditions of the articulation agreement, and the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum courses within the A.A.S. Degree must transfer to any Minnesota State college or university.
Diploma
- A diploma is awarded upon completion of a 31 to 72 credit undergraduate academic program that prepares students for employment. A minimum of 24 credits shall be in occupational or technical courses.
- A diploma may have one or more emphases of at least 9 credits when there are at least 30 credits in the major that are common to the emphases.
- A diploma may be individualized according to the standards outlined in Part 5. Subpart C, to provide a student an opportunity to design an academic program to meet specific occupational goals that cannot be met by current program offerings.
- At least one-third of the credits in the diploma shall be taught by the faculty recommending the award. This requirement may be decreased upon recommendation by the faculty and approval by the president of the college.
- A diploma of more than 72 credits in length may be approved when the academic program prepares an individual for employment and the length is (1) required by an employer, a licensing body or other regulatory agency, accrediting association, or board, or (2) based on a formal task analysis conducted within the previous three years and the results endorsed by an advisory committee.
Although diplomas are not typically designed for transfer, they may transfer when articulation agreements exist between participating colleges and universities.
Undergraduate certificate
- An undergraduate certificate is awarded upon completion of a 9 to 30 credit academic program. An undergraduate certificate may have an occupational outcome or address a focused area of study.
- An undergraduate certificate shall not have emphases.
At least one-third of the credits in the undergraduate certificate shall be taught by the faculty recommending the award. This requirement may be decreased upon recommendation by the faculty and approval by the president of the college or university. - An undergraduate certificate less than 9 or more than 30 credits in length may be approved when the academic program prepares an individual for employment and the length or the designation as a certificate is (1) required by an employer, a licensing body or other regulatory agency, accrediting association, or board, or (2) based on a formal task analysis conducted within the previous three years and the results endorsed by an advisory committee.
Although certificates are not typically designed for transfer, they may transfer when articulation agreements exist between participating colleges and universities.
College roles in credit transfer determine what credits will transfer and/or fulfill course requirements for your chosen program, degree or major. To qualify for transfer, course credits need to meet various criterion set by system, institution-specific and program-specific policy.
The "receiving institution" in a college credit transfer is the college or university to which you are trying to transfer and apply course credits completed at a different school. The receiving institution decides which credits to accept.
The "sending institution" is where you took courses or completed a degree that you wish to transfer and count toward a degree offered through another college or university. In general, the sending institution verifies your participation, upon your request, by submitting an official transcript to the receiving institution.
Systemwide transfer programs and opportunities are available at Minnesota State.
When researching and evaluating transfer opportunities:
- Use the transfer action plan to guide you in getting started.
- Check the transfer agreement database to see if a transfer agreement exists for a degree you have earned or a program you are currently pursuing.
- Discover course-by-course transfer opportunities at Transferology by generating a program request that shows you how the various general education or technical courses you have completed will transfer to specific programs or degrees at another college or university.
- Research the advantages of completing the general education courses comprising the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC). This is especially important if you are transferring to another college, a Minnesota State university, the University of Minnesota or an out-of-state institution.
- Discuss the following questions regarding transfer of technical credits with online support or the Transfer Specialist from your current or future college or university:
- Does the college or university I am considering accept technical credits earned from a different college or university? Is there a limit to how many technical credits will transfer?
- Does the date technical credits were earned influence whether the credits will transfer?
- To what extent will the transferred technical credits apply to the specific program(s), degree(s), or major(s) that interest me?
- Are there any advantages to completing a technical degree with my current college or university and then transferring? Or, will as many credits transfer if I elect to transfer the group of technical credits I have earned thus far?
- Will earning a certain package or block of technical credits from my current college or university increase the number of credits that will fulfill the requirements of the program(s), degree(s), or major(s) at my new school?
- Will I benefit from any special relationships (articulation) between my previous college and my transfer university?
In many cases, if a course does not transfer as an equivalent course, a college or university may accept it as elective credit. It is also important to realize that developmental or remedial courses typically do not transfer. The upper limit of transfer credits accepted will depend on how credits must be taken in residency for the institution to award your degree. (Note: "Taken in residency" means taken through the institution awarding your degree.)
Transferology is a nation-wide network designed to help students answer the question "Will my courses transfer?" Students enter their coursework, exams, and/or military learning experiences, and then discover in a single click how many colleges in the Transferology network have matching courses that may be awarded when the student transfers.
Colleges are ranked by the percentage of coursework they accept in transfer for each student, though users can focus the results with a number of handy filters and sorts. Details of how those courses will count are available with another click or two, and students can inform colleges of their interest in transferring by asking about specific programs, campus visits, and/or coursework that has not yet been evaluated by the college.
One great feature in Transferology is the ability to import the courses you have taken at Minnesota State institutions to monitor your progress toward a selected degree, certificate or MnTC program at other Minnesota State institutions. Note that using this feature will require that you log in to Minnesota State eServices for each institution you have attended.
Transferology is supported through a collaboration of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and the University of Minnesota.
Watch the Transferology videos below to how easy it is to get started using the service.
Transferology Resource Videos:
- Welcome to Transferology
- Transferology: Will My Courses Transfer
- Transferology: Find a Replacement Course
Importing Courses into Transferology:
Learn how to import your courses from Minnesota State institutions directly in to your account.
After you import your courses, learn how to find transfer matches and how to apply your courses to a program.
Sign up for Tranferology now and start exploring!
The Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) is the result of a collaborative effort by all of the two- and four-year public colleges and universities in Minnesota to help students transfer their work in lower-division general education. Each institution within the Minnesota State system certifies the courses for the ten goal areas within the MnTC.
Students choose courses in each goal area as required by the institution where they are intending to complete the MnTC. To complete the entire MnTC, students must earn a minimum of 40 credits in the ten goal areas, as well as the requirements for each of the goal areas.
Passing grades (A-D) for MnTC courses apply including transfer courses; however, a cumulative MnTC GPA of 2.0 is required to complete the entire 40 credit package. There may be specific MnTC courses that require a minimum grade.
Learn more about the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC)
Check the Minnesota State transfer agreement search to see if a transfer articulation agreement exists for a degree you have earned or a program you are currently pursuing.
When researching and evaluating transfer opportunities:
- Start by creating a transfer action plan using our transfer tools, resources and tips.
- Check the transfer agreement database for an agreement with the program you are pursuing. An agreement is not necessarily required for transfer. Talk to an advisor for more information.
- Create an account in Transferology and instantly import your courses. This will show how your completed or potential courses transfer to majors and programs at other Minnesota State colleges and universities and show equivalencies for any colleges and universities that license Transferology.
- Discuss the following questions with a success coach or transfer specialist from your current or future college or university:
- Does the college or university I am considering accept technical credits earned from a different college or university? Is there a limit on technical credit transfers?
- Does the earned date of technical credits influence the credit transfer? Some colleges have a time limit for technical credits since curriculum can change over time.
- To what extent will the transferred technical credits apply to the specific program(s), degree(s), or major(s) that interest me? What are the advantages of completing a technical degree at my current college or university and then transferring? Or, will as many credits transfer if I elect to transfer the group of technical credits I have earned?
- Will earning a certain package or block of technical credits from my current college or university increase the number of credits that will fulfill the requirements of the program(s), degree(s), or major(s) at my new school?
- Will I benefit from any special relationships (articulation) between my previous college and my transfer university?