Surgical Technology admission requirements

Apply to M State

To be considered for the Surgical Technology program, students must be accepted to M State. The application for the Surgical Technology program is separate. You must be accepted to M State to access the Surgical Technology program application. 

New to M State - Follow the admissions checklist at www.minnesota.edu/admissions. 

Returning to M State - Submit an online application for admission at www.minnesota.edu/admissions. If you have attended another college since you last attended M State, you will also need to request the official transcript be sent to records@minnesota.edu. They may also be mailed to the M State Processing Center.   

M State Processing Center
1414 College Way 
Fergus Falls, MN 56537

Students should allow up to six weeks for transfer work to be received, evaluated and entered onto their Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) audit. Transfer courses will not count toward admission to the program until they have been evaluated by the M State transfer specialist and successfully transferred.

Current M State student - If you are currently attending M State, you will not need to update your application to the college. 

Apply to Surgical Technology program

The Surgical Technology program application must be submitted for an applicant to be considered for the program. The eligibility criteria must be read and understood prior to applying. You must be accepted to M State to access the program application.

Surgical Technology Program Application

Placement testing

Applicants must complete all developmental English and/or math courses with a grade of C or higher. Placement in these courses may be determined by ACT, SAT, Accuplacer assessment or high school GPA. Guided self-placement for students who do not have an ACT, SAT, Accuplacer or high school GPA on file cannot be used for Surgical Technology applicants.

Complete the Accuplacer assessment to determine which, if any, English and/or math developmental courses you need to complete. Sign up for the Accuplacer assessment at www.minnesota.edu/testing. 

Transfer students may have previous coursework to satisfy developmental coursework and therefore may not need to assess. 

High school status

High school graduates are encouraged to register for college general education courses while they pursue acceptance into the program. GED completers must supply the college with a GED transcript or certificate in order to gain acceptance.

Prerequisite coursework requirements and GPA

Applicants must earn a C grade or higher and a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher in the program prerequisite courses:

• ENGL 1101 College Writing
• BIOL 2260 Anatomy and Physiology I Lecture*
• BIOL 2261 Anatomy and Physiology I Lab*
• PSYC 2222 Lifespan Development 
• HLTH 1116 Medical Terminology*
• SURT 1200 Introduction to Surgical Technology

*Course must have been completed within five years prior to the program start date. For the Fall 2023 start, the course must have been taken Fall 2018 or later.

Math and English requirements

Math scores on the Accuplacer/ACT or high school GPA must place the student into Math 1020 Intermediate Algebra or higher. Students testing into developmental math must complete the highest level developmental course with a grade of C or higher prior to starting the program.

Reading scores on the Accuplacer/ACT or high school GPA must place the student into ENGL 1101 College Writing I. Students testing into developmental English must complete the course(s) with a grade of C or higher, along with ENGL 1101, prior to starting the program.

Laptop requirements

CPR

Current American Heart Association BLS CPR/AED (Healthcare Providers) certification must be completed by August 1 and remain current throughout. Students are to upload documents to the Student Passport System.

Minnesota Department of Human Services background study

Accepted Surgical Technology students are required to have a cleared Minnesota Department of Health background study by August 1 to be eligible to start classes in the fall. The cost of the background study is $30. Students are responsible for the cost.

Accepted students who choose not to complete the background study or who do not clear may not be permitted to attend clinical experiences or service-learning opportunities. In such cases, the college cannot guarantee alternative learning opportunities, which ultimately will affect the students’ ability to complete the program.

National Background Check

Accepted Surgical Technology students are required to have a cleared National Background Check by August 1 to be eligible to start classes in the fall, even if they have completed a National Background Check for employment. National Background Checks are completed through a third-party vendor. Instructions and codes will be provided via official M State email from Joel Hoffman. The cost of the background check is $45.75. Students are responsible for the cost.

Accepted students who choose not to complete the background study or who do not clear may not be permitted to attend clinical experiences or service-learning opportunities. In such cases, the college cannot guarantee alternative learning opportunities, which ultimately will affect students’ ability to complete the program.

North Dakota State Board of Nursing Registry requirement

Student Passport

Health forms, supporting documentation and American Heart Association BLS CPR/AED (Healthcare Providers) documentation are required to be uploaded to the Student Passport system by August 1. Information on Student Passport will be sent via M State email to all accepted Surgical Technology students.

CST Exam

Students are required to sit for the national certification exam in their last fall semester at a cost of $247.

Clinical compliance program

Students are required to enroll in "My Clinical Exchange." This is a program which monitors the clinical compliance of students between the college and our clinical partners.