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Academics

Degrees & Awards

The following degrees and awards are available through Minnesota West:

Associate of Arts (A.A.)
Associate of Science (A.S.)
Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.)
Diploma
Certificate

Associate of Arts (A.A.) Degree Requirements

Minnesota West offers the first two years of coursework that is designed to transfer to a baccalaureate degree at four year colleges and universities. Some examples of majors for which Minnesota West offers the first two years of preparation (A.A.) are listed below. 

Art
Biology - Fish - Wildlife
Business Administration
Chiropractic
Communication Studies Transfer Pathway
Economics
Education, Elementary or Special
Education, Secondary
English Transfer Pathway
Environmental Sciences
Health
Home Economics (Human Ecology)



Law - PreLaw
Liberal Arts
Mass Communication Transfer Pathway
Mathematics Transfer Pathway
Occupational Therapy
Physical Education
Pre-Dental Hygiene
Psychology
Recreation/Parks Administration
Sociology

The Associate of Arts Degree can be used to fulfill the freshman-sophomore general education requirements at all state universities in Minnesota, at all colleges within the University of Minnesota, and at most other four-year colleges and universities. The degree is the basic graduation award toward which most students will work if they intend to transfer. It emphasizes a broad general education.

To earn an A.A. degree, students must complete the following requirements:

  1. A minimum of 60 credits, 15 of which must be earned at Minnesota West Community & Technical College.

  2. A grade point average of 2.00 (“C”) or better.

  3. A minimum of 40 credits of general education that fulfills the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum. Students must meet credit requirements in each of the ten listed areas of emphasis. Courses may count in no more than two of the areas of emphasis, but no individual course can count more than once in Areas 1-6. One-credit courses will apply to the MTC only if two or more one-credit courses are completed in the same discipline (i.e. two semesters of Chorale or two semesters of Theater Production).

  4. A minimum of four credits from two of the following areas,  HLTH 1101 or HLTH 2220, CSCI 1102, or any Physical Education course.

  5. Electives sufficient to total 60 credits.

Associate of Science (A.S.) Degree Requirements

Minnesota West Community & Technical College offers the first two years of various majors leading to the baccalaureate or professional degree in several technical areas. This list is not all-inclusive. Students may work toward the Associate in Science (A.S.) degree with one or more of the following as their major field: 

Agriculture
Agriculture Business
Agriculture Production Management
Business Management
Business Transfer Pathway
Chemistry Transfer Pathway
Dentistry - PreDental Science
Early Childhood
Elementary Education Foundations
      Transfer Pathways
Engineering

Food Science
Forestry/Natural Resources
Individualized Studies
Peace Officer/Public Safety Transfer Pathway
Management and Supervision in Healthcare
Nursing
Office Management
Optometry - PreOptometry
Pharmacy - PrePharmacy
Plant Science GIS/GPS

Students planning to continue their education in engineering, medicine, medical technology, pharmacy, veterinary medicine and other such fields are advised to carefully plan their programs with a counselor. In such cases, students are encouraged to follow the requirements of the institution to which they will be transferring.

To earn an A.S. degree, students must complete the following requirements:

  1. 60 semester credits, of which at least 15 must be earned at Minnesota West Community & Technical College.

  2. A grade point average of 2.00 (“C”) or better.

  3. A minimum of 30 credits selected from at least six of the ten goal areas in the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum.

  4. Fulfill at least a 30 credit core of technical courses unique to the selected degree program.

Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) Degree Requirements

The Associate of Applied Science Degree is granted for successful completion of occupational programs. The A.A.S. career programs are designed to prepare students for entry into chosen occupations. An A.A.S. degree may be designed to transfer to a related baccalaureate major. Students planning to apply credits to a four-year degree should be aware that acceptance of degree/technical credits at a four-year institution is dependent upon the policies of the receiving institution.

To earn an A.A.S. degree, students must complete the following requirements:

  1. 60-72 semester credits, 15 of which must be earned at Minnesota West Community & Technical College.

  2. A grade point average of 2.0 (“C”) or better.

  3. 30 semester credits that are program related, occupational or technical credits.

  4. A minimum of fifteen (15) credits must be in general education, selected from three of the ten goal areas of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum.

Diploma Requirements

A diploma may be awarded for successful completion of a program intended to provide students with employment skills. The diploma programs are identified in the Programs of Study section of the catalog and require:

  1. Completion of 30-72 semester credits.

  2. If diplomas are awarded for under 45 credits, general education courses may be required as part of the program and are established through consultation with the program advisory committee.

  3. If diplomas are awarded for 45 credits or more, 15% of the credits must be in general education or seek advisory committee approval requesting a waiver to require a minimum of 6 general education credits.

  4. At least 1/3 (33%) of the credits must be completed at Minnesota West.

  5. A grade point average of 2.0 ("C") or better is required.

Certificate Requirements
  1. 9-30 semester credits.

  2. 0 general education courses.

  3. 100% of credits must be completed at Minnesota West for certificates 9-15 credits in length and at least 12 credits for certificates 16-30 credits in length.

  4. A grade point average of 2.0 ("C") or better is required.