Facing legislative pressure, the WTCS State Board on November 29, 2005 adopted a series of policy changes that clear the way for all sixteen technical college districts to create additional collegiate transfer programs.

Prior to the changes only three of the state’s 16 technical college districts – Madison; Milwaukee; and Nicolet – were permitted to offer collegiate transfer programs.

Collegiate transfer degrees (e.g. Associate of Arts) differ from the technical colleges’ traditional Associated of Applied Sciences (AAS) degree in their emphasis on general education. Collegiate transfer degrees typically require between 50% to 75% of credits be in general education. AAS degrees require a much greater emphasis on technical/occupational studies; roughly one-third of AAS credits are required to be in general education.

In addition to opening the possibility of collegiate transfer programs to all districts, the changes adopted by the WTCS State Board establish the criteria a district must meet before the Board can give its final approval to a collegiate transfer program.

By state statute, the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents also must give its approval before a technical college district is able to establish a collegiate transfer program. The Regents are in the process of developing the criteria and condition that technical college districts must meet prior to their approval.

State law requires that collegiate transfer credit hours can make up no more than 25% of the total credit hours offered by a technical college, thus capping the number of collegiate transfer credits a district can offer.

The WTCS State Board adopted the policy change after introduction of legislation that would have required three additional technical college districts – Chippewa Valley; Gateway; and Western Wisconsin – to establish liberal arts transfer programs akin to those already offered at Madison, Milwaukee and Nicolet.