Metropolitan State University

The University is in its fourth decade of building educational opportunity for working adults and other traditionally underserved populations and making a vital contribution to the educational, social, cultural, and economic vitality of the Twin Cities metropolitan region.Metropolitan State was established in 1971 to offer advanced academic degrees to working adults. The University was completely accredited in 1975, and one year later enrollment exceeded 1,000. The campus relocated to its current position in 1990. In 1994 Metropolitan State welcomed its first freshman students and also celebrated its 10,000th graduate. Metropolitan State won the prestigious Hesburgh award for quality of teaching in 1995.Academics Metropolitan State University presents more than 65 major courses of study. Individualized Studies, Accounting, Business Administration, Psychology, and Information & Computer Systems are five the most popular. The University offers its academic programs through the College of Arts & Sciences, College of Management, College of Professional Studies, the School of Nursing, and the School of Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice. The “First College” is also available to students who may want to customize their degree program for a specific purpose or fashion a course of study that combines multiple fields. The First College offers collaborative degrees with other departments, a B.A.S. in Technology Management, and the University’s most popular major, Individualized Studies.Online ProgramsMetropolitan State University offers completely online study that includes courses, independent studies, certificates and a number of completely online degrees, both at the baccalaureate and master’s levels. These courses may fulfill general education and liberal studies requirements and span across a number of disciplines, including courses required for majors in the Collegeof Management, Collegeof Professional Studies, College of Artsand Sciences, and First College. Unique ProgramThe most unique and most popular course of study at Metropolitan State is the Individualized Degree. This customizable major course of study allows the student to fashion his or her degree program for use in a specific industry, utilize a combination of learning strategies (i.e. internships, seminars, laboratory courses), and build on existing areas of academic expertise or experience. The requirements to graduate with an Individualized Degree are the same for any other degree at Metropolitan State: 124 total course hours completed and at least 40 course hours in upper division courses.StudentsMetropolitan State University is home to 21 different student organizations, including groups focused on ethnic backgrounds, political affiliations, specific majors, and extracurricular interests. Students who do not find a group that meets their interests or needs are encouraged to establish a new student organization. Metropolitan State serves nearly 10,000 students annually, the majority of whom are females. The average age of Metro State students is 32. The University offers a total of five different campuses for convenience and easy access.Financial AidIncoming students are advised to begin the financial aid application process as early as possible, as it takes three-to-six weeks to complete. The aid application deadline for Fall enrollment is July 15. Students are also advised that there are deadlines for tuition payment, and financial aid recipients must have received and submitted their payments by those same dates. All financial aid applicants must have completed the FAFSA in order to be considered for aid.