Ferris State Academic Affairs Policy Letter: Michigan Transfer Agreement
Ferris State University participates in the Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) and is both a sending and receiving institution. This agreement facilitates the transfer of general education requirements from one Michigan institution to another. Students may complete the MTA as part of a degree program or as a stand-alone package. The MTA consists of a minimum of 30 general education credit hours as identified by the college or university.
Students transferring to Ferris with the Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) and entering a degree program will have met a 30 hour block of lower-level general education courses. However, this does not exempt students from completing program specific prerequisites or higher-level general education course requirements. Students should contact their advisor regarding classes that meet the MTA.
Students meeting the MTA should check with their FSU advisor to determine how this impacts their degree requirements.
Students eligible for reverse transfer who have met the MTA guidelines may request the MTA satisfied notation from their prior institution.
MTA Audit
Ferris students pursuing the MTA should contact the registrar’s office to request an MTA audit. Transcripts for Ferris students that meet the MTA will be updated to include the “MTA Satisfied” on the transcript.
Ferris students wishing to have their transcripts evaluated to determine if they meet the MTA should contact the Ferris Registrar’s Office at (231) 591-2805.
Ferris students wishing to pursue MTA through Ferris should choose classes from the general education list that meet the MTA criteria. The sortable list can be found here.
Students should meet with their advisor to ensure that they are selecting classes that meet MTA and program requirements.
History
In 2012 the Michigan legislature included language in the community college appropriations bill calling for improvement in the transferability of college courses between Michigan colleges and universities by revising the Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (MACRAO) Agreement. Since its 1972 signing, the MACRAO Agreement has been used successfully by many students to transfer their general education courses from a community college to a university. The Michigan Transfer Agreement has been created in an effort to increase the transferability of core college courses between community colleges and four‐year colleges and universities.
Purpose
The Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) was designed to facilitate the transfer of general education requirements from one institution to another. Students may complete the Michigan Transfer Agreement as part of an associate’s degree or as a stand‐alone package.
A transfer student must be admissible to a receiving institution in order to benefit from this agreement.
Minimum Requirements
To fulfill the Michigan Transfer Agreement, students must successfully complete at least 30 credits, with at least a grade of 2.0 in each course. These credits, which will be certified by a sending institution, should be met according to the following distributions:
- One course in English Composition
- A second course in English Composition or one course in Communications
- Two courses in Social Sciences (from two disciplines)
- Two courses in Humanities and Fine Arts (from two disciplines excluding studio and performance classes)
- Two courses in Natural Sciences including one with laboratory experience (from two disciplines)
- One course in an approved Mathematics course
Additional coursework may be necessary to satisfy the 30 credit hour requirement.
More detailed information about the Michigan Transfer Agreement can be found at MACRAO.org
Questions?
- For general questions about transferring to Ferris, contact the Transfer Admissions Coordinator at (800) 433-7747. General questions include: admissions application process, on campus housing, dining options, scheduling a visit to campus, etc. More specialized questions will be directed to the appropriate Ferris department.
- Advising assistance or questions about how the MTA fits with specific academic programs
should be directed to staff in the appropriate Ferris college. See the contact information
listed below for each Ferris specialty college. If you need assistance with determining
the correct Ferris College or Department to contact, please contact the Transfer Admissions
Coordinator for assistance at (800) 433-7747.
- College of Arts, Sciences, and Education: (231) 591-3660
- College of Business: (231) 591-2420
- College of Engineering Technology: (231) 591-2890
- College of Health Professions: (231) 591-2270
- College of Pharmacy: (231) 591-3870
- College of Optometry: (231) 591-3703
- Kendall College of Art and Design: (800) 676-2787
- Interested in on of off-campus locations? Visit www.ferris.edu/statewide for more information.
- Educational partners with general MTA questions should contact the Office of Transfer and Secondary School Partnerships at (231) 591-5985.
Information was retrieved from
www.macrao.org/Publications/MTA.asp.
