Chapter 3: Educational Policies
- Adoption: 6/20/07
- Revised: 11/16/2023
- Last Reviewed: 1/17/24 (AASC)
- President Approved: 2/9/24
- Next Review Date: 1/30/29
- Authority: MinnState Board Policy 3.36
- Custodian of Policy: Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs
Procedure
All Awards shall:
- Have a description that describes the nature of the award, employment opportunities and transfer opportunities. Descriptions are especially critical for programs that offer multiple awards. Each description should clearly describe the unique characteristics.
- Integrate the HTC Learner Outcomes into the curriculum. Proficiency in the Learner Outcomes can be demonstrated through goals and activities completed in technical coursework, general education coursework, prerequisites or a combination thereof. Ideally, the demonstration of HTC Learner Outcomes in a degree will be mutually reinforced through technical and general education coursework and the setting of appropriate prerequisites.
Individual Award Standards
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.
Transfer pathway programs are designed to transfer all courses within the pathway into designated baccalaureate degree programs identified by system universities.
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.
An associate of science degree or associate of science transfer pathway degree must not have emphases.
An associate of science degree may be individualized according to the standards outlined in MinnState Policy 3.36.1, 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. Associate of science individualized studies programs do not require an articulation agreement.
At least 15 credits in an associate of science degree or associate of science transfer pathway degree must 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 college or university.
A waiver may be granted to exceed a length of 60 credits when (1) the waiver criteria in MinnState Procedure 3.36.1, Part 3, Subpart C, are met and (2) an articulation agreement specifies the transfer of a greater number of credits.
Award Credits
Programs may submit A.S. degree proposals for up to 60 credits unless colleges and universities agree to the transfer of a greater number of credits through an articulation agreement. An approved waiver must be obtained to exceed a length of 60 credits (see criteria and process for granting waivers). https://www.minnstate.edu/board/procedure/336p1.html
General Education
The associate in science degree requires a minimum of 30 general education credits selected from at least six of the ten goal areas of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum. https://www.minnstate.edu/board/procedure/336p1.html
Associate of 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.
At least 30 credits must 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 MinnState Procedure 3.36.1, 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 must 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 college or university.
A waiver may be granted to exceed a length of 60 credits when (1) the waiver criteria in MinnState Procedure, Part 3, Subpart C, are met and (2) an articulation agreement, where applicable, specifies the transfer of a greater number of credits.
Award Credits
Program may submit AAS degree proposals up to 60 semester credits. AAS degree proposals that exceed 60 credits shall require authorization from MnSCU System Office pursuant to MnSCU 3.36 and 3.36.1 Academic Programs.
General Education
The associate in applied science degree requires a minimum of 15 general education credits. To support HTC’s Learner Outcomes, of these 15 credits:
- One course must come from Goal 1 of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC).
- One course must come from Goal 2 of the MnTC
- One course must come from either Goal 3, Goal 4, or Goal 5 of the MnTC
- The remaining courses needed to meet the 15 credit minimum can be selected from any of the 10 MnTC goal areas depending upon the general skills necessary for the program
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 must be in occupational or technical courses. Diplomas must also identify and incorporate minimum levels of general skills. Programs may adopt one of two options for general skills: either identifying pre-college-level competencies in reading, writing, and math that can be tied to appropriate technical courses or including Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) level courses as part of the diploma. For the second option, one MnTC course would be required for diplomas with less than 42 technical credits and two MnTC courses would be required for diplomas with 43 or more technical credits.
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.
All vocational and technical credits earned for a diploma must be applicable toward an available degree in the same program.
A diploma may be individualized according to the standards outlined in MinnState Procedure 3.36.1, 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 must 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.
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 must not have emphases.
An undergraduate certificate is ineligible for individualized studies.
All vocational and technical credits earned for a certificate must be applicable toward any available degree in the same program.
At least one-third of the credits in the undergraduate certificate must 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 may have as few credits as 9, in order to be eligible for federal financial aid, a certificate must be at least 16 credits in length.
General Education
An undergraduate certificate may not include unspecified general education electives. A certificate may include specified general education electives, such as a choice between two or three courses related to the undergraduate certificate outcomes.