Transfer degrees are designed for students who plan to continue their degree studies at a four-year university or college. By earning M State's Associate in Arts degree - also called a University Transfer degree - students fulfill the first two years of most bachelor's degree programs, completing general education requirements and some major requirements.

Close to half of our students come to M State seeking a University Transfer degree. They choose M State for many reasons, including our smaller class sizes, personalized education and low cost per credit. At M State, you'll get a four-year college experience with all the advantages of a two-year college campus.

Our advisors are ready to help you tailor your course schedule and create a curriculum based on your career interests. Course requirements can vary according to your intended major and the four-year institution that you plan to attend, so our focus is on providing each student with a personalized education plan.

Associate Degree Program Curriculum

The curriculum for students in M State's Associate degree program can provide you with skills important for future success, including critical thinking, reading, reasoning and analysis, mathematics and elementary foreign language skills. The curriculum also provides exposure to the various disciplines of the arts and humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. The Associate degree program courses form the foundation of a traditional liberal arts education and will satisfy a large portion of the general education course requirements for bachelor's degrees at four-year colleges and universities.

• The Associate in Arts degree requires the successful completion of 60 credit hours of
  approved academic work with a minimum grade point index of 2.0.
• Admitted students may pursue the degree part-time or full-time.
• Full-time students may expect to complete the degree in about two years.

What are my options?

Transfer degrees available at M State include the Associate in Arts, Associate in Science and Associate in Fine Arts. Learn more about your areas of interest and customize your educational plan with an adviser.

View list of MN Transfer Curriculum Courses.

Associate in Arts (AA) Degree

The Associate in Arts degree can be used to fulfill freshman-sophomore general education requirements in all the state universities in Minnesota, and at several colleges within the University of Minnesota.
The degree is the basic graduation award toward which most students will work if they intend to transfer.
It emphasizes a broad general education. In order to obtain an AA degree, students must complete the following uniform requirements.

• Successful completion of a minimum of 60 semester credits numbered 1000 or above.
• Achieve an overall GPA of 2.00 and a GPA of 2.00 with the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum.
• Earn at least 20 of the 60 credits at M State.
• Complete a minimum of 40 credits of liberal education.

Students may satisfy the liberal education requirement with a variety of courses and credits. Some courses will serve more than one of the 10 required areas of emphasis. Fulfilling the minimum required credits of courses in each area of emphasis will not satisfy the 40 credit liberal education minimum. Some additional credits beyond the minimum requirements in Areas 1-10 are required to achieve the overall 40 credit liberal education component. Students should carefully review and tally their progress.

In order to be certified as having met all the requirements of the College's MINNESOTA TRANSFER CURRICULUM, a student must successfully complete courses as prescribed in the following liberal education distribution areas with a minimum GPA of 2.00.

Download: AA Degree Worksheet

Degree Concentration Areas:

Associate in Arts degrees provide you the means to transfer into a wide range of academic fields such as:

Associate in Science (AS) Degree: Business

Offered in Fergus Falls and Moorhead, and through eCampus
The Business AS is a flexible degree designed for students who want to continue their education or enter the workforce in a business-related career. This 60-credit degree includes 30 semester credits in general education from six of the 10 goal areas of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum and 30 technical credits. Students completing this degree may further advance their education by obtaining a degree through articulation agreements with baccalaureate degree-granting institutions. Emphasis is placed on contemporary business practices through coursework in management, marketing, economics, accounting, technology and communications.

Associate in Science (AS) Degree: Biological Science

Offered in Fergus Falls and Moorhead
This degree is designed for students interested in the various fields of biological sciences such as cell biology, bioengineering, environmental science, fish and wildlife management, forestry, genetics and microbiology.

Associate in Fine Arts (AFA) Degree: Music

Offered in Fergus Falls
The Associate in Fine Arts in Music is designed to enable music students to pursue a path with seamless transition to a four-year music degree and be prepared for a degree and/or career in music.

Associate in Fine Arts (AFA) Degree: Art

Offered in Fergus Falls
The Associate in Fine Arts in Art has a visual arts focus and prepares students to transfer and continue their education toward a degree and/or career in art.

Students transferring to M State from another college or transferring to a four-year university following M State graduation have a variery of resources available to them.

u.select - u.select is designed to help transfer students determine which courses will transfer to another college or university.

MnTransfer - The Minnesota Transfer site includes a host of resources for transfer students. This site is your connection to resources about transfer options.

Other types of transfer credits. This site provides definitions for other transfer options for students, including CLEP, IB, AP and Credit for Prior Learning.