Degree Options

Minnesota West offers diplomas, certificates and two-year degree programs that transfer into a four-year bachelor's degree programs. Selecting the right degree option before registering will save time and money.

Associate of Arts (A.A.) Degree

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.
An Associate in Arts degree is awarded upon completion of a 60-credit academic program in liberal arts.

Requirements:

  • A minimum of 60 credits, 15 of which must be earned at Minnesota West.
  • A grade point average of 2.00 (“C”) or better.
  • A minimum of 40 credits of general education that fulfills the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum.
  • A minimum of four credits from two of the following areas,  HLTH 1101 or HLTH 2220, CSCI 1102, or any Physical Education course.
  • Electives sufficient to total 60 credits.

It is designed for transfer to baccalaureate degree-granting institutions.

Associate of Science (A.S.) Degree

An A.S. degree offers the first two years of various majors leading to the baccalaureate or professional degree in several technical areas. 

Requirements:

  • 60 semester credits, of which at least 15 must be earned at Minnesota West.
  • A grade point average of 2.00 (“C”) or better.
  • A minimum of 30 credits selected from at least six of the ten goal areas in the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum.
  • Fulfill at least a 30 credit core of technical courses unique to the selected degree program.

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

The A.A.S. degree is granted for successful completion of occupational programs. The programs are designed to prepare students for entry into chosen occupations. Some A.A.S. degrees 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.

Requirements:

  • 60-72 semester credits, 15 of which must be earned at Minnesota West.
  • A grade point average of 2.0 (“C”) or better.
  • 30 semester credits that are program related, occupational or technical credits.
  • 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

A diploma may be awarded for successful completion of a program intended to provide students with employment skills. 

Requirements:

  • Completion of 30-72 semester credits.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • At least 1/3 (33%) of the credits must be completed at Minnesota West.
  • A grade point average of 2.0 ("C") or better is required.

Certificate

A certificate is allows students to gain a specific skill that leads to employment or is needed for a current job.

Requirements:

  • 9-30 semester credits.
  • 0 general education courses.
  • 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.
  • A grade point average of 2.0 ("C") or better is required.

Zero Textbook Cost - Z-Degree

Save hundreds of dollars with the courses that have zero textbooks. 

Student can earn a degree using free Open Educational Resources (OER) instead of buying textbooks