Welcome to the Minnesota State Concurrent Enrollment Credentialing Pathways site! Learn more about what our seven Universities have to offer high school instructors seeking to meet minimum faculty qualifications to teach Concurrent Enrollment.
Your Minnesota State universities offer the graduate programs and courses you need to meet HLC concurrent enrollment guidelines, delivered online to fit your schedule.
We’ve created an easy, one-stop-shop with everything you need to know about funding sources, what courses are offered, when they are offered, and how to get started.
I am interested in graduate courses. What do I do next?
If you are a current or future concurrent enrollment instructor in Minnesota:
*Note: High school instructors are encouraged to follow their local district processes. The steps below may not include steps required by your district.
Step 1: Identify how many graduate credits you need.
Provide your partnering college or university with all relevant documentation of all graduate coursework already completed and request a review of all courses to determine how many graduate credits you need to obtain in order to meet minimum faculty qualifications to teach the course(s) you are currently teaching or plan to teach.
Step 2: Obtain approval to pursue graduate coursework.
Obtain written approval from your high school principal or superintendent to enroll in the graduate coursework prior to pursuing any graduate coursework.
Step 3: Select graduate course(s).
Identify graduate course within your discipline for which you would like to enroll. Note that courses are offered in a variety of modalities (e.g., face-to-face, online, hybrid) and not all are available for state funding.
Step 4: Obtain pre-approval to enroll in the courses.
Contact the Concurrent Enrollment Director at your partner college or university to obtain pre-approval prior to enrolling in any course. Each graduate course must receive pre-approval to ensure that the course will count towards meeting minimum faculty qualifications for your discipline at that college or university.
Step 5: Identify potential tuition support.
- Consult with your district for potential tuition support.
- Review eligible course list at the Statewide Partnership for Concurrent Enrollment or 18 Online sites to identify if your courses are eligible for tuition support. Additional steps are required to obtain tuition support through these programs (more information is available on their websites).
Step 6: Apply to the University.
Submit the Graduate Online Application for the university offering the course(s) you wish to enroll in.
Step 7: Enroll in courses.
Follow the steps provided by the university to enroll in the graduate course(s) you have chosen.
Tuition Support for Minnesota Concurrent Enrollment Instructors for Academic Year 2021-2022
High school teacher teaching concurrent enrollment (dual credit) courses are now required by the Higher Learning Commission, the regional accrediting body for Minnesota’s public post-secondary educational institutions, to have a master’s degree in the subject matter they are teaching, or to have a master’s degree and 18 credits in the subject matter they are teaching.
| University | Tuition rate per graduate credit | Cost for Minnesota concurrent enrollment instructor for one 3-credit online graduate course |
| Bemidji State University | $478.25 plus fees | $1,476.78 |
| Metropolitan State University | $474.77 plus fees | $1,535.64 |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead | $485.74 plus fees | $300.00 Statewide Partnership funds cover the difference |
| Minnesota State University, Mankato | $472.50 plus fees | $1,551.33 |
| St. Cloud State University | $447.60 plus fees | $900.00 SCSU scholarship covers the difference |
| Southwest Minnesota State University | $486.78 plus fees | $1,469.97 |
| Winona State University | $444.98 plus fees | $1,461.21 |
Tuition costs by credit for in-state and out of state students.
Additional Resources
Other support opportunities are available for concurrent enrollment instructors to meet faculty qualifications.
- Credit For Prior Learning Pathways
- Minnesota Tax Credit for Attaining Master's Degree in Teacher's Licensure Field
- School District Support: Some school districts may have resources available to support tuition, instructional materials, or other incentives for professional development of high school teachers.
State Tuition Support
To support high school instructors in meeting these requirements, the Minnesota state legislature appropriated funds for a tuition assistance programs: 18 Online, coordinated by Lake Country Service Cooperative .
The Minnesota Legislature has supported the sustainability of concurrent enrollment offerings by providing tuition support for eligible teachers who needed additional graduate coursework to remain eligible to teach concurrent enrollment courses in the liberal arts. Funds have been managed through K-12 education service cooperatives under the Statewide Partnership for Concurrent Enrollment. As of June 30, 2021, the Metro service cooperative’s involvement officially ended.
All available state funding is now managed by the Lakes Country Service Cooperative. Jeremy Kovash, the Executive Director of the Cooperative continues to support this effort and manages the annual appropriation of $375,000 for tuition support. Demand for graduate courses continues to increase as financial resources are constrained. As a result, for the 2021-2022 academic year, Lakes Country will provide tuition support for online graduate courses offered through Minnesota State University-Moorhead only. All seven universities involved in Pathway to 18 continue to offer online graduate courses across 19 different disciplines. The chart below outlines the costs and support available for high school instructors this academic year.
Lakes Country Service Cooperative will support $125 per credit towards the graduate tuition for 18 Online courses provided by MSU Moorhead, reducing the cost to concurrent enrollment instructors to $100 per credit. Instructors will be responsible for paying the remainder of the costs associated with enrolling in the graduate courses.
What is the Minnesota State Concurrent Enrollment Graduate Education Collaborative?
In 2015, the Higher Learning Commission identified faculty qualification standards for high school teachers instructing concurrent enrollment courses. Minnesota State has responded by providing courses guaranteed to count towards meeting the minimum faculty requirements to teach Concurrent Enrollment courses within Minnesota State. High School instructors can access high-quality graduate courses available in a variety of disciplines from seven accredited Minnesota State Universities with the most affordable tuition rate in the state to become a qualified concurrent enrollment instructor.
Course Submissions
Graduate Course Review Form (University staff only)
Graduate courses - View complete listing of approved courses by discipline or university for Concurrent Enrollment Credentialing Pathway
We are available extended hours, seven days a week:
Monday-Friday: 7:00am-8:00pm CST
Saturday: 9:00am-2:30pm CST
Sunday: 11:00am-4:30pm CST
