Academic Program and Policy Guidance

We develop initiatives that promote quality and accountability of academic programming as we strive to prepare all students for the workforce and professional careers in a globally, culturally and linguistically diverse world. We are focused on effective and innovative teaching with an assurance of collaboratively planned and high-quality academic programs throughout the state.

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.

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.

More about intellectual property

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 college level courses. In these instances, a student may be recommended or required to enroll in a developmental-level course and must successfully complete the course prior to enrolling in college-level courses. Developmental education courses are designed to build academic readiness in reading, writing, or mathematics. Courses are also available at many institutions specifically designed to meet the needs of English Language Learners. Developmental education courses are credit-bearing but do not count toward the requirements of degrees, diplomas or certificates. This coursework is critical in addressing the readiness gaps that students arrive with when they enter postsecondary institutions. Colleges and universities offer developmental education to ensure access to higher education for all students that need support to be academically prepared for college-level coursework in their programs and majors.

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.

Committee's charge document

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 seven Minnesota State universities offer the graduate programs and courses you need to meet HLC concurrent enrollment guidelines, delivered online to fit your schedule. Learn more about Pathway to 18.

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.

ASA prepares a variety of reports including many that are produced for the Minnesota Legislature. Find recent reports through the links below.

Employees can access Academic Affairs information on ASA SharePoint/Connect using your StarID@MinnState.edu and password.