M State courses with a number prefix of 1000 or greater are considered to be college-level classes, and students earn college credits for successfully completing the courses.
Math and English courses with course numbers beginning with 0 are considered developmental courses and are designed to prepare students for college-level academic work. These developmental courses do not count toward degree requirements, and they may not be eligible for financial aid.
Students are placed in developmental courses based on their Accuplacer assessment scores. Students are required to take the Accuplacer unless:
- Their high school grade point average is from within the last 10 years and meets the college's minimum standards in English, reading and mathematics;
- They already have completed college-level coursework in English or mathematics;
- Their ACT or SAT scores meet the college's minimum standards in English, reading and mathematics;
- Their Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) score meets the college's minimum standards in mathematics.