3.53 Program Offerings and Recognition
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to define program offerings and recognitions.
Applicability
Riverland Community College offers academic and career programs and awards undergraduate certificates, diplomas, Associate of Arts, Associate of Fine Arts, Associate of Science, and Associate of Applied Science degrees under the authority of the Board of Trustees for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.
Scope
All
Definitions
Degrees, Diplomas, and Certificates
Riverland Community College offers academic and technical programs and awards degrees, diplomas, and certificates under the authority of the Board of Trustees for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.
Associate of Arts Degree (AA)
The AA degree is awarded for successful completion of 60 semester credits in liberal arts and sciences and is designed to constitute the first two years of a baccalaureate degree. The AA is a liberal arts degree intended primarily for students who plan to transfer to another college or university to complete a bachelor’s degree. No specific major is listed in conjunction with the degree; however, students may choose to concentrate in a particular field of study in preparation for a planned major or professional emphasis at a four-year college or university.
An AA degree must include the entire Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (40 semester credits), which, pursuant to Minnesota Statute, must transfer to any institution in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system or the University of Minnesota. The remaining credits are considered electives and may be chosen from any course with a course number 1000 or higher. Additionally, one of the elective credits must be a PHED, HLTH, EMER course or THTR1111 to satisfy the college’s health and wellness requirement. (Students may elect EMER1200 or HCNA1200 but must apply for an exception to be automatically approved by the registrar.) Further, a student who does not transfer in at least 12 credits with a 2.0 GPA must complete Riverland’s First Year Student Success Experience requirement by completing CCLS1000 or CCLS1010. A minimum of 20 semester credits must be taken at Riverland; this requirement is reduced to 12 semester credits for students transferring from another Minnesota State college or university. Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) requires a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.
Transfer Grades — All college-level courses in which a student has received a grade of A, B, C, D, or P/F will be considered for transfer evaluation for the purpose of meeting Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) requirements. No F grade courses will be accepted. Please note that while D grades will transfer and will fulfill MnTC requirements, some programs require all courses to have a grade of C or higher to fulfill requirements.
Students are to develop an educational plan in consultation with a Riverland Community College counselor or advisor to assure that degree requirements are fulfilled as requirements may vary depending upon the major and transfer college. At least 15 credits shall be taught by the faculty recommending the award.
An Associate of Arts degree may have one or more emphases of at least 9 credits each in liberal arts and science fields, provided there is an articulation agreement with a related baccalaureate major offered by one or more system universities.
Associate of Fine Arts (AFA)
An Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) degree is a named degree awarded upon completion of a 60-credit academic program in particular disciplines in the fine arts.
An AFA degree is designed to transfer in its entirety to a related fine arts discipline baccalaureate degree program. An articulation agreement with a related baccalaureate degree program at a regionally accredited university is required. A system college shall pursue an articulation agreement with a system university before establishing an articulation agreement with a non-system university.
An AFA degree requires a minimum of 24 credits selected from at least six of the ten goal areas of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum. Requirements for the following disciplines have been adopted:
- Art: A minimum of 24 credits selected from at least six of the ten MnTC goal areas.
- Music: At least 30 credits selected from at least six of the ten MnTC goal areas.
- Theatre Arts: Completion of the entire MnTC with a minimum of 40 credits.
An Associate of Fine Arts degree shall not have emphases.
Associate of Science Degree (AS)
The Associate of Science (AS) degree is awarded upon successful completion of a 60-credit program in a designated field or area and is designed to transfer in its entirety to one or more related baccalaureate degree programs. The AS degree provides a balance of liberal arts education and career-oriented classes. An AS degree may prepare a student for direct employment in a specific field. Articulation agreements must exist between the institution awarding the Associate of Science degree and an institution awarding a related baccalaureate degree.
An Associate of Science degree shall include a minimum of 30 semester credits in general education as described in the MnTC distribution requirements for the AS degree. At least 15 credits shall be taught by the faculty recommending the award.
- A minimum of twelve semester credits in the MnTC shall be distributed as follows: at least three semester credits from each of the goal areas — Goal 1 Communications, Goals 3 & 4 Natural Sciences and Mathematical/Logical Reasoning, Goal 5 History and the Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Goal 6 Humanities and Fine Arts.
- A majority of the liberal arts and sciences courses shall be prerequisites to or specifically supportive of occupation courses.
- A grade point average of 2.0 or better must be maintained in the required program courses as well as for the credits the student applies toward the degree.
- Nursing students must have a 2.0 or better in each program course.
Associate of Applied Science Degree (AAS)
The Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree is awarded for successful completion of a program of 60 semester credits and is intended for students who desire immediate employment upon graduation. At Riverland Community College, the AAS program shall include a minimum of 15 semester credits of liberal arts and sciences courses as described in the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum distribution requirements for the AAS degree, and at least 30 credits shall be in the program’s occupational or technical field of preparation. At least three credits are required within each of the goal areas: Goal 1 Communications, Goals 3 & 4 Natural Sciences and Mathematical/Logical Reasoning, Goal 5 History and the Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Goal 6 Humanities and Fine Arts. ENGL1101 is a degree requirement.
Transfer Pathways
Transfer pathways provide a consistent curricular path for an associate degree (Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, and the Associate of Fine Arts) to any Minnesota State university offering a parallel degree. The transfer pathways require the student to complete the associate degree before transferring.
The pathway will meet all MnTC Goal 1 requirements and university lower-division content and learning outcome requirements, at a minimum of 9 credits, needed to prepare students to enroll in the major at the university. The pathway will identify and require inclusion of prerequisite courses, including the designation of the MnTC, as needed, and include any lower-division experiential learning activities required by direct-entry university students (e.g., service learning, internships, undergraduate research). Students will transfer into the university at a junior level.
Diploma Programs
Diplomas are awarded for successful completion of 31–72 semester college-level credits and are intended for students who desire entry-level employment skills or career advancement. Students in diploma programs are required to complete technical courses as well as general education courses. A minimum of 24 credits shall be in occupational or technical courses. At least one-third of the credits shall be taught by the faculty recommending the award.
Certificate Programs
Certificates are awarded for successful completion of 9–30 semester college-level credits. Certificates are awarded for successful completion of a program intended to provide students with entry-level employment skills, to enhance a student’s technical skills, or to address a focused area of study. Certificates do not require general studies courses.
Concentration
Concentrations are awarded for successful completion of a specific set of courses, a minimum of 9 semester college-level credits, as part of the completion of a diploma or degree. Concentrations are designed to supplement a student’s major, including to provide additional preparation for transfer, to study a particular area of a major more in-depth, or to gain additional skills within a specific industry field to enhance employability.
Completion Recognition (Minnesota Transfer Curriculum)
The Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) is the general education curriculum for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. To earn MnTC Recognition, a student must complete 40 credits of the MnTC at Riverland. The courses taken must meet the credit requirements in each of the five disciplines (Communications, Humanities and Fine Arts, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Mathematics/Logical Reasoning) and must also include at least one course in each of the five thematic areas: Critical Thinking (CT), Ethical and Civic Responsibility (EC), Human Diversity (HD), Global Perspective (GP), and People and the Environment (PE). MnTC requires a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0. This is not an awarded degree.
Program Option Recognition
All students who complete an approved program option within or beyond the major program’s requirements shall have that option acknowledged on the diploma, degree, or certificate transcript. Students must notify the Registrar of the program option during the application for graduation process prior to graduation.
Does this policy have a procedure?
No
Related Policies, Procedures, or Forms
Submit completed form and policy to the Cabinet Member responsible for the division affected by the proposal. This section to be completed by President’s Office.
Date Implemented: 6/13/2013
Responsible Division / Author: Academic Affairs / Vice President of Academics & Innovation
Date Revised: 11/2015 — Revised degree definitions; 4/20/16 — Defined MnTC requirements; added concentration, completion recognition, and emphasis verbiage; 9/21/16 — Branding language/logo; 10/19/16 — Align AA, AS definition with web content; 4/13/17 — Defined AA elective credits; additional language to AS; added transfer pathway definition; 11/29/17 — Revised wellness requirement for AA degree; removed from AS degree; revised MnTC elective language for AS degree (four to 3 credits); 6/2022 — number and new template; Oct 2024 — MnTC link corrected.