Earning an Award
MCTC Awards
As governed by MCTC Policies 3.03 and 3.09, the following awards are conferred by MCTC faculty to students who successfully complete:
1. The requirements of the award program; and
2. The graduation requirements outlined in this catalog.
As governed by MCTC Policy 3.05, most awards have Minnesota General Education Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) requirements. Eligible courses have an MnTC designation in brackets after the course description that identifies the goal area or areas to which the course can be applied. Unless otherwise specified, a course cannot be used to meet the requirements of more than one goal area.
Associate in Arts Degree
A program to award an associate in arts degree (A.A.) must consist of 60 credits of coursework.
As governed by MCTC Policies 3.03 and 3.05, students seeking an associate in arts (A.A.) degree from MCTC must successfully complete a total of 60 college-level credits as outlined below.
MnTC Requirements: 40 Credits
Students must successfully complete a total of 40 credits of coursework in all MnTC goal areas.
• Goal Area 1. Written and Oral Communication
A minimum of 9 credits, which must include ENGL 1110 or ENGA 1110, and ENGL 1111, as well as an eligible communication studies course.
• Goal Area 2. Critical Thinking
Any course from MnTC Goal Area 2 or completion of all other MnTC Goal Areas and the 40 MnTC credits.
• Goal Area 3. Natural Sciences
A minimum of two courses in different disciplines, one course must have a traditional lab and the other course must have a traditional lab or lab-like experience.
• Goal Area 4. Mathematical and Logical Reasoning
A minimum of one course.
• Goal Area 5. History and the Social and Behavioral Sciences
A minimum of three courses, in three different disciplines.
• Goal Area 6. Humanities and Fine Arts
A minimum of three courses, in three different disciplines.
• Goal Areas 7–10. Human Diversity, et. al.
A minimum of one course in each goal area 7–10.
Required Coursework: 5 credits
• Health: 2 credits
• Physical Education: 1 credit
• INFS 1000: 2 credits
Elective Credits
The number of elective credits required will vary depending on the number of MnTC and required coursework credits a student accumulates.
Completion Requirement
Students seeking an A.A. degree must complete ENGL 1110 or ENGA 1110 and information literacy requirements within their first 24 college-level course credits (those courses numbered 1000 or above).
Associate in Arts with an Emphasis
A program to award an associate in arts degree (A.A.) must consist of 60 credits of coursework.
As governed by MCTC Policies 3.03 and 3.05 students seeking an associate of arts with an emphasis degree from MCTC must successfully complete a total of 60 college credits and the degree requirements, which include MnTC-required credits. Refer to the Programs and Credentials section of the catalog for specific requirements.
MnTC Requirements: 40 Credits
Students must successfully complete a total of 40 credits of coursework in all MnTC Goal Areas: (see Associate in Arts Degree). This coursework will include at least 9 credits of specific coursework in the emphasis.
Elective Credits
The number of elective credits will vary depending on the number of MnTC-required courses a student satisfactorily completes.
Online Associate in Arts Degree
The online Associate in Arts (Online A.A.) degree program involves taking online courses that are required for earning the A.A. degree. For more information, go here.
Like the on-campus A.A. degree program, you can transfer to a college or university to finish a bachelor’s degree after you complete the Online A.A. degree at MCTC.
Overview of Online A.A.
For an overview of the Online A.A. degree, do the following:
1. Take an online course self-assessment to see if you’re ready for taking online classes.
2. Read about the A.A. Degree Requirements.
3. View a list of online classes that are available by term.
4. Learn how to register for classes online.
5. Log into the Intranet and visit the D2L Brightspace Brightspace/eLearning support web page to learn more about D2L Brightspace, the course management system MCTC uses to deliver online courses.
6. Preview an online (D2L Brightspace) course. Use onlinestudent (all lower case) for both the Username and studentonline11 for the Password.
Transferring MnTC Credits to another Institution
Students who complete the MnTC coursework required for an A.A. degree as outlined above may transfer these credits to another MnSCU institution and receive credit for all lower division general education courses upon admission to that institution.
Associate in Fine Arts Degree
A program to award an associate in fine arts degree (A.F.A.) must consist of 60 credits of coursework.
As governed by MCTC Policies 3.03 and 3.05, students seeking an Associate in Fine Arts (A.F.A.) degree from MCTC must successfully complete the degree requirements determined by the Fine Arts faculty, which include MnTC-required credits. Refer to the Programs and Credentials section of the catalog for specific requirements.
Associate in Science Degree
A program to award an associate in science degree (A.S.) must consist of 60–68 credits of coursework.
As governed by MCTC Policies 3.03 and 3.05, students seeking an Associate in Science (A.S.) degree from MCTC must successfully complete the degree requirements determined by the specific program, which include MnTC-required credits.
Refer to the Programs and Credentials section of the catalog for specific degree requirements.
MnTC Requirements: 30 Credits
Students must successfully complete 30 credits of coursework in a minimum of six MnTC goal areas. Of these credits, students must earn a minimum of three credits in MnTC Goal Area 1 and three credits in MnTC Goal Areas 7, 8, 9 or 10.
Associate in Applied Science Degree
A program to award an associate in applied science degree (A.A.S.) must consist of 60 - 72 credits of coursework.
As governed by MCTC Policies 3.03 and 3.05, students seeking an Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree from MCTC must successfully complete the degree requirements determined by the specific program, which include MnTC-required credits. Refer to the Programs and Credentials section of the catalog for specific degree requirements.
MnTC Requirements: 25 Percent of Required Credits
Students must successfully complete MnTC requirements equal to 25 percent of the required award credits in a minimum of three MnTC goal areas. Of these credits, students must earn a minimum of three credits in MnTC Goal Area 1 and three credits in MnTC Goal Areas 7, 8, 9 or 10.
Diploma
A program to award a diploma must consist of 31-64 credits of coursework.
As governed by MCTC Policies 3.03 and 3.05, students seeking a two-year diploma from MCTC must successfully complete the diploma requirements determined by the specific program, which include MnTC-required credits. Refer to the Programs and Credentials section of the catalog for specific diploma requirements.
Two-Year Diploma MnTC Requirements: 9 Credits
Students seeking a two-year diploma must successfully complete nine credits of coursework in the MnTC goal areas. Of these credits, students must earn a minimum of three credits in MnTC Goal Area 1 and three credits in MnTC Goal Areas 7, 8, 9 or 10.
Three-Semester Diploma MnTC Requirements: 6 Credits
Students seeking a three-semester diploma must successfully complete six credits of coursework in the MnTC goal areas. Of these credits, students must earn a minimum of three credits in MnTC Goal Area 1.
Two-Semester Diploma MnTC Requirements: 3 Credits
Students seeking a two-semester diploma must successfully complete three credits of coursework in MnTC Goal Area 1.
Certificate
A program to award a certificate must include 10-30 credits of coursework.
As governed by MCTC Policies 3.03 and 3.05, students seeking a certificate from MCTC must successfully complete the certificate requirements determined by the specific program, which may include MnTC required credits. Refer to the Programs and Credentials section of the catalog for specific award requirements.
MnTC Requirements: 3 credits
Students seeking a two-semester certificate must successfully complete three credits of coursework in MnTC Goal Area 1.