Degree Overview

There are basically two parts to your degree program:

Part I: The first part is your general education that meets the ten goal areas of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) and 8 credits of upper-division liberal studies. General Education and Liberal Studies provides you the communication, analytical and critical thinking skills to do well in college.  Completing your general education requirements will help you lay a good foundation that you can build on while you complete degree requirements and explore your options. Transfer students who have completed an Associate of Arts (AA) from one of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system will have their general education completed at Metropolitan State University. Since community colleges may not grant upper-division credit, these transfer students will still need to complete the 8 credits of upper-division Liberal Studies.


Part II: The second part is your focus or major courses that provide you the depth into a particular career or discipline. If you are in the early stages of your degree, consider a double major or a minor that complements your degree program while completing requirements. Also, courses may satisfy more than one requirement such as Econ 311 Economics of the Environment meets 1) Goal X: People and the Environment, 2) 4 upper-division credits of Liberal Studies, 3) one of the five courses required in an Economics Minor and 4) possibly another requirement depending on your major.  However, the credits are counted only once. 

In addition to the course requirements, there are credit requirements such as the minimum number of 120 credits to graduate, minimum of 40 upper-division credits, 30 credits in residency at Metropolitan State and more. Careful planning of your program will help you get the most out of your education. Your academic advisor is a consultant who can help you.

Degree Components: The Building Blocks of Your Degree

Using the analogy of the building, each degree program is constructed of various components. First the foundation is laid and then additional courses are added to the foundation until the degree is completed. Just as buildings vary in design and in how they are built, so do degrees vary in design and what courses are required.

Once you have a plan, you have the information you need to select courses that meet requirements and take them in a sequence so you can get the most out of your education.

Where you are in your program will influence the courses you will take. For example, a new student with 0 to 16 credits is required to take Metr 101 Your Academic Journey to gain the tools, information and strategies to be successful in college. In addition, if you are a freshman or sophomore, you will want to take primarily general education courses from 100-to-200-level such as writing, speech, literature and humanities to develop your communication, analytical and critical thinking skills as well as prerequisites courses for your major. Most juniors and seniors are completing courses required in their major at the 300-to-400 level.

The support links located on the side of the page provide a summary of each key degree component.