American Indian Studies Graduate Program Policies

The Department of American Indian Studies has has determined policies which apply to our master's degree and post-baccalaureate certificate programs. They are detailed below.

AIS Department Policy Regarding Graduate Transfer Credits

We will accept up to nine transfer graduate credits from accredited universities (including the University of Minnesota); the other required credits must be unique to your current enrollment in MTAG or MTRES. Note that there is an exception for the post baccalaureate certificates from our department, which fully transfer into the MTAG or MTRES programs.

AIS Policy on Concurrent Enrollment in AIS Graduate Programs and Post-Baccalaureate Certificates

Policy Statement

Students concurrently enrolled in an AIS post-baccalaureate certificate and another AIS graduate program (MTAG, MTRES, or another certificate) must complete at least nine credits that are unique to the certificate program. This means that a maximum of three credits from a certificate program may be used to fulfill requirements for both the certificate and a master’s degree (or another certificate). To earn a certificate, students must take a minimum of nine credits beyond the course requirements for their primary graduate program.

Program Compatibility

The following list outlines which programs are compatible for concurrent enrollment based on their current potential for credit overlap.

  1. Tribal Sovereignty & Federal Indian Law:
    • Compatible with: all other AIS certificates.
    • Incompatible with: MTRES, MTAG.
  2. Tribal Administration and Leadership:
    • Compatible with: MTRES, all other AIS certificates.
      • Note for MTRES students: A maximum of one course from this certificate may be used as an elective for the MTRES degree to maintain the nine unique credit requirements.
    • Incompatible: MTAG.
  3. Indigenous Environmental Systems and Resource Management:
    • Compatible: MTAG, all other AIS certificates.
    • Incompatible: MTRES.
  4. Tribal Natural Resource Stewardship, Economics, and Law:
    • Compatible: MTAG, all other AIS certificates.
    • Incompatible: MTRES.