1. The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system is an Equal Opportunity employer and educator. Minnesota State Colleges and Universities “Regularizing” the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum and AA Degree Requirements May 29-30, 2014

2. The legislature intends that credit transfer policies provide for the broadest and most simple mechanisms that are feasible while protecting the academic quality of institutions and programs - MnSCU was created for transfer 2  1991: Minnesota session law created the Higher Education Board to merge three postsecondary systems:  Resolve differences and inconsistencies within and among the post-secondary systems relating to educationally sound transfer of credit policies, including…transferability of general education components… development of a transfer curriculum to satisfy lower division requirements…[and] development of a transfer curriculum to satisfy lower division requirements  Minnesota Laws (1991) Chapter 356, Article 2, Sect. 8

3. 1994: Minnesota Transfer Curriculum Agreement 3  A collaborative effort among all two-and four-year public colleges and universities to help students transfer their work in general education.  Students who complete a curriculum are certified in the ten areas of competency by faculty at the sending institution.  Completion of an institution's identified transfer curriculum (or an associate in arts degree) will satisfy the lower-division general education requirements at any public university. A formal agreement among four systems Community colleges Technical colleges State universities University of Minnesota

4. 1994: Minnesota Transfer Curriculum Agreement, continued 4  The expectation of all institutions is equivalent learning in comparable courses or programs  Universities will set any upper division general education requirements so that students who complete a transfer curriculum will not be required to take any more general education credits than a native student in the same degree program would be required to take.

5. 2001 : Minnesota Session Laws 5  By January 1, 2002, the board must implement the Minnesota transfer curriculum at all state colleges and universities. Once a course has met the criteria necessary for inclusion in the Minnesota transfer curriculum in any area of emphasis, the course must be accepted for full credit in that area of emphasis at all Minnesota state colleges and universities. - 2001 Omnibus Higher Education Bill

6. Vice Chancellor Memo 2001 Transfer of the Minnesota transfer curriculum must occur in each of the following three ways:  As an entire package--as per the original agreement. Completion of the transfer curriculum at one institution must be accepted as completion of the transfer curriculum at all institutions.  As a goal area--completion of a goal area of the Minnesota transfer curriculum at one institution must be accepted as goal completion at all institutions.  As courses within goal areas--a completed course which is included as part of a goal area at the sending institution must be accepted for full credit within the same goal area at the receiving institution. When courses are recognized as meeting requirements for two different goal areas at a sending institution, the course must be accepted in transfer at the receiving institution for the same two goal areas.

7. 7 Courses and Goal Areas  Microeconomics  [Goal areas 2, 5, 8, 9 or 10 at 10 institutions]  Developmental or lifespan psychology  [Goal areas 5, 5 and 7, or 5 and 9; none]  American government and politics  [Goal areas 5 or 5 and 9]

8. 8 Transfer: Not Broken, but Not Seamless  25% or more students not satisfied with transfer  “Retook a writing class I didn't need (got a very easy "A", it was below my skill level) because my "writing intensive" class didn't meet requirements and I had no idea I had options other than to just take the class.”  “I have an associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and law degree (j.d.). I am told that despite having four degrees (one of which is from an Ivy League school) I must take a communications course in order to receive my certificate in apparel technologies. Are you kidding me?”

9. 9 Transfer: Not Broken, but Not Seamless  “I believe all MN school courses should be equivalent/matched in credits.”  “MNSCU needs to be the same across the board, I only took MNSCU classes so it would all count and transfer, but not all counted in my goal area like I was told, which wasted my money.”  “I wish that each of the MNSCU schools would 100% align their curriculums so each course would be equivalent, no matter who was teaching the class.”  “I thought that a course would be equivalent to another which is why I took a course at a community college closer to home. Turns out it was not equivalent. That is why my overall satisfaction is not excellent.”

10. 10 Transfer: Not Broken, but Not Seamless  “MN Transfer curriculum didn't work as smoothly as it had been explained to be.”  “I also had all of my General Education Requirements done before transferring, but after transfer I was required to take 3 more General Education Classes if I wanted to graduate.”  “MN School system will not take my general credits. Hinders my whole degree, increases cost, delays graduation and doesn't make sense. Since when does College Algebra (among other generals) at one college not transfer into College Algebra at another??”  “I have had to take the ‘same’ class three times because MNSCU schools do not believe they are equivalent or they are lower level, however I have learned the same material in each class and even more in the lower level ones compared to the "higher" level courses.”

11. 11 Transfer: Not Broken, but Not Seamless  Transfer Specialists:  “Standardize MnTC requirements (labs, # of classes required to satisfy a goal, how to satisfy goal #2)”  “MnTC should meet the same goal areas”  “Same amount of credits for all goal areas throughout MnSCU; courses have same goal areas.”  “Yes, but maintain institution identity”

12. 12 Minnesota Transfer Curriculum Goal Area Requirements

13. Goal Area 1 Communications 6-10 credits 21 Institutions - 2 English courses - 1 speech course 7 Institutions - 1 English - 1 Speech 4 Institution - 3 courses including English and speech 1 Institution - 1 English course - 1 speech course - 1 capstone course 1 Institution - 3 courses including English 1 Institution - 2 English courses Goal Area 2 Critical Thinking 0-9 credits 20 Institutions - Satisfied by completion of all MnTC requirements 5 Institutions - 1 course 3 Institutions - Embedded in all MnTC coursed 3 Institutions - 3 credits 1 Institution Satisfied by completion of one course from goals 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 1 Institution - Satisfied by completion of one course from goal 1, 3 or 4 or by 1 course 1 Institution - 2 courses - 2 disciplines 1 Institution - 3 courses Goal Area 3 Natural Science 3-9 credits 16 Institutions - 2 courses - 2 disciplines - 1 lab 11 Institutions - 2 courses - 1 lab 3 Institutions - 2 courses - 2 disciplines 2 Institutions - 2 courses - 2 labs 2 Institutions - 2 courses - 2 disciplines - 2 labs 1 Institution - 3 credits Goal Area 4 Math/Logical Reasoning 2-3 credits 24 Institutions - 3 credits 11 Institutions - 1 course Goal Area 5 History & Social & Behavioral Sciences 6-9 credits 12 Institutions - 3 courses - 2 disciplines 11 Institutions - 2 courses - 2 disciplines 9 Institutions - 3 courses - 3 disciplines 2 Institutions - 2 courses 1 Institution - 3 courses MnTC Requirement Variations

14. Goal Area 6 Humanities & Fine Arts 3-9 credits 12 Institutions - 2 courses - 2 disciplines 10 Institutions - 3 courses - 2 disciplines 9 Institutions - 3 courses - 3 disciplines 2 Institutions - 2 courses 1 Institution - 3 courses 1 Institution - 3 credits Goal Area 7 Human Diversity 2-6 credits 19 Institutions - 1 course 12 Institutions - 3 credits 3 Institutions - 2 credits 1 Institution - 2 courses Goal Area 8 Global Perspective 2-3 credits 19 Institutions - 1 course 14 Institutions - 3 credits 2 Institutions - 2 credits Goal Area 9 Ethical & Civic Responsibility 2-3 credits 19 Institutions - 1 course 13 Institutions - 3 credits 3 Institutions - 2 credits Goal Area 10 People & the Environment 2-3 credits 19 Institutions - 1 course 14 Institutions - 3 credits 2 Institutions - 2 credits MnTC Requirement Variations

15. 15 Questions  What are your reactions to the variation depicted in the chart?  Do you think the variation serves students?  Do you think we could eliminate all variation?  What would be good next steps at the system level?

16. 16 Associate in Arts Degree Requirements

17. 17 AA Degree Requirements  20+ variations on AA degrees  MnTC is supposed to be the common and only set of lower-division general education requirements  Additional requirements like wellness, FYE, computers, additional writing can impede or interfere with successful transfer.  These requirements may contribute to lower rate of AA attainment.

18. Additional Degree Requirements Wellness 1-4 credits 7 Institutions - 2cr wellness 4 Institutions - 1cr wellness 2 Institutions - 1cr PE and 1cr Health 2 Institutions - 2cr wellness course and 1cr PE 1 Institution - 2cr wellness including 1cr PE 1 Institution - 2 PE courses 1 Institution - 4cr from two courses 1 Institution - 2cr PE or HLTH1150 and 1cr PE 1 institution - 1cr PE and 1cr HLTH or HLTH1155 1 Institution - 2cr HLTH and 1cr PE 1 Institution - Two 1cr PE courses and 2cr HLTH 1 Institution - 4cr wellness including one HLTH course and one PE course 1 Institution - 3cr from 2 wellness courses or HPER1120 First Year Experience 1 credit 7 Institutions - 1cr first year experience Computer Science 2-3 credits 5 Institutions - 1 computer science course Unique Requirements 1-6 credits 1 Institution - 1cr capstone 1 Institution - 1 writing intensive course 1 Institution - 2 writing intensive courses 1 Institution - 3cr Anishinaabe course 1 Institution - 3 diversity courses including racial issues 1 Institution - 2 diversity courses 1 Institution - 1cr workplace skills

19. 40 MnTC + elective credits 3 institutions No additional requirements 12 institutions Wellness 1 institution Writing intensive 1 institution Diversity 1 institution FYE 3 institutions Wellness Computer science 4 institutions Wellness FYE 1 institution Wellness Anishinaabeg course 1 institution Wellness Diversity Writing intensive 2 institutions Wellness FYE Computer science 1 institution Wellness FYE Capstone Combinations of Additional Degree Requirements

20. 20 Questions  What are the pros and cons of having a consistent AA degree across the system?  How do additional AA requirements affect transfer into a 120-credit bachelor’s program?  How do others’ additional requirements affect students who transfer into your college or university?  What next discussion/action steps should we consider at a system level?

21. 21 Thanks! We’ll keep you posted  We’ll share your ideas on the mntransfer.org website.  We’ll also report what you had to say at the Transfer Oversight Commmittee in fall.  Please share additional thoughts with any of us.  Also suggest related topics for monthly CAO/CSAO conference calls.