College of Business and Management policies

In addition to university policies, these policies apply to all College of Business and Management students.

Double majors

Students may combine any two majors in the College of Business and Management as a double major as long as there are at least 24 upper division semester credits of coursework in the second major that do not overlap the first major. Both majors must be completed at the time of graduation.

Sunset policy

Sunset policy specifies the maximum time between when the course was taken and when the student was admitted to Metropolitan State University. If a course is not accepted because too much time has elapsed since the course was completed, a student may demonstrate competence via exam. The MIS sunset is five years from the term of admission to the university.

Credit and residency

Students in the College of Business and Management Bachelor of Science major programs must complete a minimum of 20 credits in the Business Core Courses, Major Required Courses and Capstone (unless otherwise noted) at Metropolitan State. In addition, students must meet the residency requirement of at least 30 credits at Metropolitan State in order to graduate.

Credit transfers

The university’s registrar determines whether credits will transfer and which courses will meet GELS requirements.

Transfer course evaluation is made by the faculty evaluate transferred courses to ensure students have the background and skills necessary to succeed in courses required for their program, and to ensure each student's program provides the quality and meets the learning goals expected from a College of Business and Management program. College of Business and Management transfer policy is intended to enable students to complete their programs efficiently while maintaining the quality of their education. College of Business and Management will accept a course as meeting a College of Business and Management major or minor requirement if the course is approved by College of Business and Management faculty, consistent with the following considerations 1 through 5, plus the other considerations below.

1. The course's content is equivalent to or acceptable in place of a Metropolitan State course, as determined by Metropolitan State's College of Business and Management faculty as per Metropolitan State Procedure 212 Section 10.3.a;
2. The course was taught at a similar level to or higher level than the comparable College of Business and Management course: a. Lower division courses may be accepted in place of Financial Accounting, Fundamentals of Information Technology in Organizations, College Algebra, Calculus, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, and Statistics; b. Normally only upper division or graduate courses from other institutions will be accepted in place of College of Business and Management upper division courses;
3. The content and level of the course are consistent with state/national-level professional, industry and licensure standards;
4. The course carries a grade of "S" or "C-" or higher; and
5. The course meets any other criteria defined by the faculty.

College of Business and Management will not accept a course as meeting a College of Business and Management major or minor requirement if, for example:

• College of Business and Management faculty determine that the course is not comparable in content and level to a given College of Business and Management course, or have insufficient information to determine that the course is comparable to the College of Business and Management course;
• The course was awarded fewer than 3 quarter or semester credits, and the College of Business and Management course is a 3 or 4 credit course; 
• The course is not acceptable because it was taken too long ago, as defined by the appropriate faculty, as per Procedure 212 Section 10.5.
• MIS courses taken more than five years prior to the term of transfer course review.

Exceptions to these policies may only be approved by the appropriate Metropolitan State department chair or his or her designee.

Appeals

Students may submit an appeal of the evaluation of their transfer credits for major and minor requirements, as per University Procedure 212 Section 9.A.2. Students should consult a College of Business and Management advisor if they wish to appeal a course transfer decision. Appeals must be in writing and include a copy of the course syllabus from the year and term the course was taken, and/or additional supporting information that the student wishes to be considered as part of the appeal. The appeal should be submitted to the Office of the Dean of the College. Students will receive a timely response providing a rationale for the decision.

Other considerations

1. Articulation agreements with certain Minnesota community colleges allow approved lower division courses to be accepted in place of designated upper division College of Business and Management courses. See Transferology.com for course equivalents.
2. College of Business and Management has agreements with a variety of colleges, articulating specified AAS degrees with BAS degrees and governing the transfer of those credits.
3. Students who take a course that is substantially equivalent to a course they have previously taken will not receive credit for both courses. A transfer course in MIS that is not accepted for a major or minor requirement because it was taken too long before transfer to the University is not considered substantially equivalent to current courses in those disciplines.
4. Free waiver exams are available for Financial Accounting, Strategic Management Accounting, Fundamentals of Information Technology in Organizations, Marketing Principles, Macroeconomics, and Microeconomics. If passed, waiver exams satisfy a requirement but do not award credit. Information is available from the College of Business and Management Advising Center or online on the College of Business and Management Advising Forms and Handouts page.
5. Prior Learning Assessment, CLEP or DSST exams may be possible options for students with previous learning in a subject. Consult with a College of Business and Management advisor for more information.

College of Business and Management prior learning assessment policy

Note: While the steps in the College of Business and Management policy are greater in number than the “steps in the Prior Learning Process” set forth by the university, the College of Business and Management steps are consistent with the university steps.

1. Read Information on Prior Learning Assessments (PLAs or Priors): 
   • Prior Learning Assessment:  Prior Learning Criteria
   • Steps in Prior Learning Process 
   • Metropolitan State University Policy 2150 Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Minnesota State Procedure 3.35.1 
2. Identify the College of Business and Management subject or course in which you think you have gained knowledge through life or work experience that might meet the “Prior Learning Criteria.” This may include coursework or seminars for which you have not received college credit (e.g., workshops, training). Note that “priors” may not be done for accounting courses due to certification requirements. The MIS curriculum unit currently does not allow “priors” in this area. 
3. Contact the appropriate College of Business and Management department chair to obtain the name of a faculty evaluator in your topic area. The name of the appropriate department chair can be obtained by contacting the College of Business and Management at 612-659-7250. The department chair or a designated faculty evaluator will determine whether or not your knowledge might potentially constitute college-level learning and is equivalent to a College of Business and Management course.
4. Meet with the designated faculty evaluator to discuss your competence. The purpose of this meeting is for the evaluator to determine the depth and breadth of knowledge you have attained in a particular subject. 
   • In order to help the evaluator make this determination, you will need to provide the evaluator with copies of the following:
     • transcript;
     • resume;
     • list of all of subject areas for which you are requesting credit for prior learning; and
     • if you are a College of Individual Studies student, your degree plan.
   • The faculty evaluator will determine if the assessment of prior learning process is appropriate for you.  If so, s/he will outline the work you need to do to validate your competence, and will determine how you will be evaluated (e.g., reports, work documents, certificates, a resume, an oral interview, test, etc.). The evaluation will usually consist of two or more methods. S/he will also determine how many credits the prior will earn.
5. Complete a Prior Learning Evaluation Proposal form. 
   • The form requires the signature of the department chair of the area in which you are requesting the prior. 
6. Register for the Prior Experiential Learning. (Student) submits the completed and signed Prior Evaluation Proposal form to the Registrar’s Office. You may register for either a letter grade or for S/N evaluation, unless the faculty evaluator or department chair specifies otherwise.
   • Consult the Metropolitan State Academic Events to determine the last day of a term for which you can register for an alternative learning strategy (e.g. Prior Learning Experience).  
   • If you receive financial aid or military benefits, check with the Registrar’s Office to determine when you may need to register for the “prior” in order to have those credits count for that term’s benefits.
   • A Learning Evaluation (LE) form will be sent to the faculty evaluator by the Registration Office.
7. Submit work for assessment to the faculty evaluator.
8. Faculty member will evaluate your submitted work, complete the LE form, and send it to the Registrar’s Office.
9. The Registrar’s Office will send you a copy of the completed LE form and the letter grade or S/N will be recorded on your transcript.