Metropolitan State University

metropolitan state university accreditation

Metropolitan State University Degree Programs

Metropolitan State University appears in our ranking of the 30 Most Affordable Online Bachelor’s In Finance.

Metropolitan State University offers its students 164 various courses of study, including four-year undergraduate degrees, minor foci, and graduate degrees. The university is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report. The online study portion of the school’s class offerings is similarly ranked.

The spheres of study offered by Metropolitan State University are diverse. The categories into which all of the degree programs are slotted include:

  • Arts and communications
  • Business & Finance
  • Education
  • Healthcare
  • Human services
  • Individualized studies
  • Law enforcement and criminal justice
  • Public and nonprofit administration
  • Science, tech, engineering, and math
  • Social sciences and humanities

About Metropolitan State University

The four main campuses of Metropolitan State University dot the landscape on both sides of the mighty Mississippi. The original campus cornerstone was laid down in 1971, and the school and its curricula were designed at that time to service older working adults. Because the focus was on older students from diverse and well-established backgrounds, the university took previous life experience into consideration when accepting students for admission and in designing each student’s coursework.

Throughout its history, the university has prided itself on its community involvement. In 2018 and beyond, this involvement includes law enforcement internships, partnerships with local schools and businesses, and community outreach programs. One such program of which the university and its students are most proud is Project SHINE. The project is designed to help refugees and immigrants learn English and assimilate more easily into area society.

Metropolitan State University also maintains good relationships with the Twin Cities’ community colleges and high-school college-prep programs. By aligning its curricula with those of these other entities, the university seeks to provide a seamless transition into post-secondary education. Similarly, the university lines up its own undergraduate curricula with its graduate programs.

Metropolitan State University Accreditation Details

As with many universities in the Midwest, Metropolitan State University has received accreditation from The Higher Learning Commission. In addition to this prestigious qualification, which must be renewed every 10 years, the university has received the following other accreditations:

  • Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education
  • Council on Social Work Education
  • Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs
  • Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board
  • Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training
  • Institute of Management Accountants
  • National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education
  • The Society for Human Resource Management
  • Academic Quality Improvement Program

Participation in AQIP’s program after receiving accreditation requires not only meeting standards but always showing either outright improvement annually or a cogent plan to implement such improvement in the future.

Metropolitan State University Admission Requirements

Undergraduate students must have graduated from their high schools in at least the 50th percentile and have scored higher than the national median on either the ACT or the SAT. Respectively, those scores are 21 and 1055. Additionally, students must have at least a 3.0 GPA. Some students who score less than a 3.0 GPA might be considered, but the Admissions Office takes these cases one at a time. There is no hard-and-fast rule. Graduate students’ admission requirements vary according to the degrees for which they wish to strive. For example, nursing students who seek a Ph.D, whether to become a nurse practitioner or not, would require a 3.0 GPA in all previous studies and multiple interviews.

All students must have all applicable transcripts sent. These must be official transcripts and be marked as such prior to sending by the institutions in question. Students are not allowed to send their own transcripts even if they are sealed and official.

International students must follow all of the same procedures as their American counterparts, with additions. All international students, for example, must provide proof of English language proficiency if they are non-native English speakers. They must provide proper visas and other immigration documents, including work permits if the students want to participate in work-study programs or hold an off-campus job.

Tuition and Financial Aid

In-state undergraduate tuition is $7,566 annually, which is roughly 20 percent that of the United States median. Graduate tuition is $390 per credit hour. This is also significantly less than the national median. Out-of-state undergraduate tuition is roughly double that of in-state tuition, and the exact rate varies by program. Online tuition is done exclusively by credit hour. The different levels are:

  • Undergraduate – $303.73
  • Graduate – $511.04

Assorted fees, which are also dependent upon program and activity choices, come to a few hundred dollars.

The financial aid process begins with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. The university and the government both determine a student’s eligibility for certain types of financial aid through this form. Student tax forms and the tax forms of students’ parents are usually required as part of the approval process.

There are three kinds of financial aid usually available: loans, grants and scholarships, and work-study. Not all students will qualify for all types of aid. Indeed, receiving one kind of aid might disqualify a student from receiving other aid packages.

In general, loans must be repaid while grants, scholarships, and work-study earnings do not have to be repaid. Some grants and scholarships have academic standards attached, and if a student fails to meet those standards, the grant or scholarship might revert to a high-interest rate, unsubsidized Stafford loan. Students should always inform themselves of all paperwork and requirements for any form of financial aid they receive. Otherwise, an unpleasant surprise might await them.

In addition to the work-study program, there are also jobs available on campus that are separate from the program. These jobs are funded by endowments or the budgets of the various departments that offer them. They might have their own criteria for acceptance and maintenance of the awards, so it would be a good idea to discuss all aspects of each job prior to accepting such a job.

Metropolitan State University, which is also known as Metro State, is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges System and is nationally recognized for its excellence, conscientiousness, and forward-looking outlook.