Academic Program and Policy Guidance
The Academic Programs and Quality Assurance unit provides system leadership and support for academic programs, policies, and procedures and manages the official inventory of Minnesota State academic programs.
This unit works with Minnesota State colleges and universities to:
- Ensure quality and excellence that is competitive on a national and international level in meeting the needs of students for occupational, general, undergraduate, and graduate education;
- Facilitate ease of transfer among schools and programs, integrate course credit, and coordinate degree programs;
- Give the highest priority to meeting the needs of Minnesota employers for a highly skilled and adaptable workforce;
- Enhance Minnesota's quality of life by developing an understanding and appreciation of a free and diverse society; and
- Eliminate unnecessary duplication of programs and achieve high quality programs to meet the diverse needs of the Minnesota workforce.
All approved academic programs are searchable in the top banner under Campuses & Programs.
Current Notices of Intent (NOI)
NOIs provide an opportunity for a 20 day review and comment period regarding newly proposed programs.
No current NOIs
Individuals may send a comment on notices of intent to AcademicPrograms@MinnState.edu.
New Program Approval Process
The following process has been adopted to improve program quality and equitable outcomes across our campuses. At the core of this process is a common framework for the review and assessment of new academic program proposals that not only incorporates an equity lens but aligns with regional and program accreditation requirements.
- Submit a Letter of Inquiry in Program Navigator six months to one year prior to the expected new program implementation date.
- Consult with the Academic Program Director to develop a Notice of Intent to be posted for review and comment.
- Approval or Appeal process begins.
View the rubric and learn more about the Program Approval Process.
Faculty and staff can visit the Academic Program page in ASA Connect to learn more about accessing the program inventory, editing programs, and to find additional resources (sign in with StarID@MinnState.edu).
Related policy and procedure:
Copyright
The Minnesota State Board of Trustees recognizes and affirms the rights of copyright owners. Members of the Minnesota State community should take reasonable care to acknowledge and preserve these rights.
- Guidelines
- Copyright FAQ
- IP/Copyright Forms and Tools
Related Policies
Intellectual Property
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities define intellectual property as “any work of authorship, invention, discovery, or other original creation that may be protected by copyright, patent, trademark, or other category of law.” (Board Policy 3.26 , Part 3, Subpart I). Historically, colleges and universities have been major sources of the development of intellectual property through creative works in art, music, theater, scholarly writings, research and other innovative processes.
Students enroll in Minnesota State colleges and universities with varying levels of academic readiness in core course subject areas like mathematics, reading, and writing. In order to ensure students have the highest likelihood for success in their courses, a variety of assessments may be used to best align a student’s level of academic readiness with the coursework they enroll in.
Assessments of Academic Readiness
Students can demonstrate their academic readiness based on their performance on a variety of assessments. Students may submit any of the following assessment scores to determine their course placement and enrollment into college-level courses.
- Subject area test scores from a nationally-normed college entrance exam, including the ACT and the SAT. Students who meet college-level benchmarks on the ACT or SAT are not required to take a developmental-level course in that subject area.
- Starting in the 2017-2018 academic year, students who attended a Minnesota high school can submit subject area test scores from the high school Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) in reading and mathematics. Students whose grade 10 MCA Reading and/or grade 11 MCA Mathematics scores that meet the designated benchmark in the subject area, within the validation window, are not required to take a developmental-level course in that subject area. This link provides more information for secondary schools on how MCAs are used.
- Subject area test scores from a course placement assessment, Accuplacer, may also be considered to demonstrate academic readiness to enroll in college-level courses. Each of the Minnesota State colleges and universities
offer the Accuplacer assessments. The following link provides more information on the Accuplacer.
Course Placement and Developmental Education
When students meet the qualifying benchmarks in a subject area on any of the eligible assessments, they can enroll in college-level courses that have that indicating course prerequisite. If a student does not meet qualifying benchmarks on any of the eligible assessments, they may need to enroll in additional coursework to increase their foundational academic skills to improve their likelihood of success in
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board Policy 3.3 and System Procedure 3.3.1 outline the system-wide requirements for assessing academic readiness to enroll in courses that require college-level reading, writing, and/or mathematics skills.
Contact
Janica Austad Ed.D.
Interim System Director, P-20 and College Readiness
651-201-1424
Janica.Austad@MinnState.edu
The Academic Affairs College Faculty Credentialing unit develops policies and procedures to assure qualified individuals perform faculty work in our two-year colleges through system-established faculty minimum qualifications under Board Policy 3.32 College Faculty Credentialing and Procedure 3.32.1 College Faculty Credentialing. This applies to faculty positions governed by the Minnesota State College Faculty (MSCF) bargaining agreement.
The Joint Committee on Credential Fields is an ongoing committee established under the Minnesota State College Faculty (MSCF) collective bargaining agreement. Its purpose is to make recommendations regarding credential fields and minimum qualifications for two-year faculty. This includes the alignment of appropriate credential fields with programs and disciplines at the system level. The committee is comprised of six faculty members appointed by MSCF and six college administrators appointed by the System Office.
Credential fields with their associated minimum qualifications are found on this website. A credential field, assigned field or license field means a defined area of knowledge and skill that is specifically related to a program, service, or academic discipline, and for which system-established minimum qualifications have been created. Assigned fields are associated with faculty positions formerly governed by the Minnesota Community College Faculty Association bargaining agreement and license fields are associated with faculty positions formerly governed by the United Technical College Educators' bargaining agreement.
Credential fields will replace assigned fields and license fields upon completion of the conversion process specified in Procedure 3.32.1.
College Faculty Credentialing Unit Staff
Wendy McCance
Wendy.McCance@MinnState.edu
651-201-1768
More Resources
» Board Policy 3.32
» Board Procedure 3.32.1
» Credential Fields Search
The Online Strategy Workgroup developed the quality improvement process (QIP) site as a common framework that can be used to advance the state of online education throughout Minnesota State, providing structural guidance to improve student learning outcomes.