GENERAL EDUCATION
The Montana Board of Regents has adopted Policy 301.10 to assist transfer students with the general education requirements of their degree program. The information below may be helpful in understanding the policy.
Background Information
The institutions that make up the Montana University System have each developed general education programs for their students. The programs are all different, reflecting the mission and values of the individual institutions. General education programs are an important part of every four-year bachelor's degree program, and they include classes that insure college-level skills in students and broaden their exposure to important academic disciplines.
The following points are important about general education:
- Every student who is working on a four-year degree will have to complete a general education program.
- The general education programs for bachelor's degrees may include coursework at the "upper division" or 300/400 level. All students, including transfer students, must complete any upper division general education requirements that are specific to the campus awarding the bachelors' degree.
- Campuses that offer two-year degrees will have a general education program, but it may not be as extensive as the general education program on a four-year campus.
- On two-year campuses, the general education component is only required as part of an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree, so students in other types of programs may not be required to complete a general education program.
- A grade of C- or better is required for every course that is used to satisfy a general education requirement. More information on minimum grades can be found here.
General Education for Transfer Students
Policy 301.10, General Education Transfer Policies, recognizes that general education is an integral part of every four-year degree in the Montana University System. The policy establishes three options for transferring students to complete the general education requirements . (Transfer students who do not complete one of these three options must complete the general education requirements established at their new campus. Their coursework will be analyzed on a class-by-class basis to see how it can satisfy the requirements of the program.)
OPTION 1 : Students can complete all of the lower division coursework (courses numbered at the 100- or 200- level) in a campus-specific general education program, which will then transfer as "a block" to units throughout the Montana University System. The student may still be required to take additional general education coursework at the upper division level at the new campus, but no additional lower division coursework will be required. You can view the general education programs on each campus of the Montana University System here.
OPTION 2: Students can complete a set of courses known as the Montana University System Core, consisting of 30 credits. Each campus in the Montana University System has identified a set of classes that will satisfy the MUS Core requirements. You can view the list of courses for each campus here. Students may still be required to take additional general education coursework at the upper division level.
This option has an important twist. To use the MUS Core to complete the general education requirement, students must have completed at least 20 credits from the course list at the time of transfer. Students meeting the 20-credit requirement will have a choice: they can complete the MUS Core at their new campus, or they can complete the campus-specific general education program at the new campus. Students with less than 20 credits at the time of transfer will have to complete the general education program that is unique to the new campus.
OPTION 3: Students can complete an Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science degree before they transfer to a new institution. Those degree programs are designed for transfer to a four-year program, and they are required to have a strong general education component as part of the required coursework. The student may still be required to take additional general education coursework at the upper division level at the new campus.
An Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science degree ordinarily does not include a specific program of study as part of the degree title. If it does, like the Associate of Science degree in Nursing, it won't have the necessary number of general education credits to satisfy the expectations of Option 3.
Remember, a grade of C- or better in each of the classes that make up the general education program is required.
