Mo. Code Regs. Ann. tit. 6, § 10-3.020
PURPOSE: The purpose of this rule is to establish guidelines to promote and facilitate the transfer of students between institutions of higher education within the state.
(2) Definitions.
(120) semester credit hours except as may be necessary for accreditation or licensure.
(1) two- (2-) year representative and one (1) four- (4-) year representative from the Missouri Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
dent credit hours.
(4) Transfer Policy.
(A) Baccalaureate Degree Program.
ments of the major for a baccalaureate degree, including introductory and related courses, is the prerogative of the four- (4-) year institution. The catalog of each four- (4-) year AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
institution will state clearly the requirements for each degree program. When required, specific prerequisites will be designated and will be noted in conjunction with the course description. Transfer students who have completed prerequisites will not be required to duplicate study in the area. Courses taken as part of the Higher Education Core Transfer Curriculum (CORE 42) shall transfer to all public two- (2-) year and four- (4-) year institutions and participating independent institutions and will count toward completion of general education. And, if a specific course designated as part of the CORE 42 serves as a prerequisite to another course, or fulfills major or graduation requirements for native students, it shall serve that same role for the purpose of transfer. The catalog will specify any restrictions or limitations for additional major requirements.
major consists of a coherent grouping of courses or subject area requirements in a specific discipline or program field. Generally, the number of credit hours required for a major extends from thirty to forty-eight (30– 48)-semester credit hours but there may be exceptions to this in the case of highly specialized professions or disciplines, interdisciplinary studies, or majors in general liberal arts studies.
(B) General Education.
lege may include introductory courses and other courses which permit the student to explore areas of specialization that can be pursued at a later time at the baccalaureate level. In a two- (2-) year college transfer program, the courses should be adequate in content to be counted fully toward the baccalaureate degree for transfer students continuing in a particular field.
in Missouri fosters a program of general education. These general education programs typically follow one (1) of three (3) models, that is, competency-based programs; topical or thematic programs; or distributional programs. Among Missouri’s higher education institutions, especially in the public sector, virtually all general education programs are currently distributional in character and consist of a set of courses composed of a specific number of semester credit hours within a pattern of curricular areas of study.
requirement may vary from institution to institution, it represents an institutional statement, developed by the faculty and given ultimate validation by the college’s administration or governing board, about the general body of knowledge and skills which should be possessed by the recipient of that college’s degree.
lic higher education institution in Missouri shall develop and shall promulgate a program of general education. After a Missouri institution of higher education has developed and published its program of general education, the integrity of that program will be recognized by other institutions within the state.
between institutions in the state, institutions shall accept in transfer the Missouri Higher Education Core Transfer Curriculum (CORE 42), a general education program comprised of at least forty-two (42) semester credit hours which shall consist of, but not be limited to, the distribution of courses specified in subparagraphs (4)(B)5.A.–E. and which shall satisfy sections 178.785-178.789, RSMo. Such a distribution of courses shall be deemed as meeting the general education requirements of the receiving institution. The framework for Missouri’s CORE is designed for students to obtain the basic competencies of Valuing, Managing Information, Communicating, and Higher-Order Thinking through the completion of at least forty-two (42) semester credit hours and shall consist of college-level (nonremedial) course work or its equivalent distributed across each of the following knowledge areas:
of nine (9) semester credit hours are required, with a minimum of six (6) semester credit hours in written communications and a minimum of three (3) semester credit hours in oral communications;
mum of nine (9) semester credit hours are required, from at least two (2) disciplines and no more than three (3) credit hours of performance courses that can be applied to the Humanities and Fine Arts Knowledge Area and to the total CORE 42;
seven (7) semester credit hours are required, from at least two (2) disciplines, including at least one (1) with a laboratory component;
mum of three (3) semester credit hours are required. Mathematical Sciences courses that use one of the pathway courses as a prerequisite will meet the general education credit for mathematical sciences. For example, Calculus meets the general education math requirement since Pre-Calculus Algebra is a prerequisite; and
minimum of nine (9) semester credit hours and Workforce Development
are required, from at least two (2) disciplines, and including at least one (1) Civics course.
validity of other institutions’ general education requirements when the minimum requirements as specified in subparagraphs (4)(B)5.A.–E. are met. However, some foreign language and/or upper division general education courses or upper division graduation requirements may be required by the receiving institution whenever all native students are obligated to satisfy the same requirements.
because of licensure and accreditation requirements, are exempt from formulating general education programs according to the distributional requirements established within this rule. However, institutions are encouraged to establish specialized articulation programs. In these instances, transferring students are not exempted from satisfying the specialized lower division requirements of departments or divisions of an institution into which a student wishes to transfer.
the requirements for completion of a general education program shall have their transcript notated as “General Education Complete” or “CORE 42 Complete.”
(C) Associate Degrees.
1. Associate of Arts Degree.
a two- (2-) year degree which indicates the completion of a student’s lower division general education requirements. It is also a specific transfer degree for entry, at the junior level, into the general range of baccalaureate degree programs offered by a four- (4-) year college.
obligated to accept transfer credit which exceeds the minimum number of credits the sending institution has established for awarding the associate level degree. This degree is not normally awarded in a program area.
associate degrees will be evaluated on a course-by-course basis.
(D) Course-By-Course Transfer. After an institution of higher learning in Missouri has developed and published its program of general education, the integrity of the program will be recognized by the other institutions in Missouri. Once students have been certified, and the transcript notated, that the student has satisfactorily completed the prescribed general education program or CORE 42, as specified in this document, no other public or participating institution of higher learning in Missouri will require further lower division courses in their general education program except as provided in subsections (4)(B) and (E). However, students transferring without completing the prescribed general education program shall be subject to the general education requirements of the receiving institution at the time of their admission to that institution. For students transferring with courses that have been assigned a Missouri statewide transfer number (MOTR number), the following rules apply pursuant to sections 178.785-178.789, RSMo:
CORE 42 will transfer as equivalent to all Missouri public two- (2-) year and four- (4-) year institutions and participating independent institutions of higher education and will count toward completion of general education;
ignated as a MOTR course serves as a prerequisite to another course, or fulfills major or graduation requirements for native students, it shall also serve in that same role for the purpose of transfer; and
institutional requirements as native students in regard to institutional admission, program admission, transferability of credit, and transferability of course grades in accordance with subsections (4)(E), (F), (I), and (J) of this rule.
(E) Institutional Admission.
cess is the mutual acceptance of the nature and purpose of the associate of arts degree. This degree shall be transferable upon—
(60) semester hours of college-level work oriented toward a baccalaureate degree;
approved general education program of not fewer than forty-two (42) semester hours or the CORE 42 general education program, as defined in subsection (4)(B); and
point average of not less than 2.0 (A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, F = 0.0) provided that only the final grade received in courses repeated by the student shall be used in computing this average.
degrees oriented toward the baccalaureate degree with a grade point average of 2.0 or above, as validated by a regionally accredited associate degree granting institution, are admitted to a baccalaureate degree granting institution, but not necessarily to a program (see subsection (4)(F)), as—
general education requirements. However, this does not exempt the student from meeting the specialized lower division requirements of departments or divisions of the school to which a student transfers provided such exceptions to the basic general education and CORE 42 requirements have been promulgated in accordance with subsections (4)(B) and (C).
associate of arts degree must meet the admission requirements of the receiving institution.
finds it necessary to select from among qualified transfer students, its criteria for admission will be stated in its official publications. These publications will be on file with the Coordinating Board for Higher Education.
(G) Catalog.
the same regulations regarding applicability of catalog requirements as native students.
RSMo, each Missouri public two- (2-) year and four- (4-) year and participating independent institutions will, in order to facilitate the seamless transfer of the Higher Education Core Transfer Curriculum (CORE 42) and associated courses, include in its catalog listings the applicable course numbers from the common course numbering equivalency matrix (MOTR number).
record at a given institution will include all courses attempted. Grades of “D” or better earned in college-level work at an accredited or approved institution of higher education should receive full credit when transferred to another college or university. However, the receiving institution will treat all grades on courses attempted on the same basis as that of the native student. For example, if the native student is required to repeat a “D” grade in a specified course, a transfer student will also be required to repeat the “D” grade in the same course.
(K) Credit by Examination, Experiential Learning and Pass/fail Credit.
treated by the receiving institution in the same way pass/fail credit is treated for native students.
ination and credit for experiential learning will be transcripted and clearly defined. Course equivalency for credit by examination may be listed as desired. The receiving institution shall transfer and treat credit earned through advanced placement, credit by examination and credit for experiential learning in the same manner as it would for native students except that the integrity of the associate degree will not be invalidated.
examination and nontraditional learning vary from one (1) institution to another. Each institution will publish information about its policies for awarding credit by nontraditional modes, including name of tests which are used to assess credit, cut-off scores, deadline dates for submission of scores to the receiving institution and restrictions on the time interval permitted to receive current credit for a course taken some years previously.
(5) General Transfer.
institution shall publish in its catalog or otherwise provide to each transfer student a statement of appeal rights and procedures internal to the institution. A copy of that formal statement shall be furnished to the committee on transfer/articulation. If a transfer student’s appeal challenge is denied by the institution after all appeal steps internal to the institution have been exhausted, the institution shall advise the student in writing of the availability and process of appeal to the committee on transfer/articulation.
(B) Appeal to the committee on transfer/articulation shall be by the following procedures:
transfer/articulation is to be initiated by the affected student only after all other remedies have been exhausted without resolution of the issue at the receiving institution. The appeal process is initiated when the student informs the committee on transfer/articulation in writing of the reason for the appeal;
the chief executive officer of the relevant institution(s) of higher education of the appeal and invite the institution(s) to submit documentation for the decision being appealed by the student. Documentation shall be submitted by the relevant institution(s) within fifteen (15) days of notification by the committee;
shall convene the appeals committee within thirty (30) days, if possible, but in no event later than ninety (90) days, of the receipt of an appeal for the purpose of considering the information presented by the student and the institution(s). Both the student and the institution(s) shall be notified of the committee’s meeting time and location. The student and the institution(s) will have the opportunity to make an oral presentation to the appeals committee if either desires to do so;
ing a campus represented on the committee on transfer/articulation, the commissioner shall, for the purpose of considering the appeal, appoint an interim member of the committee from the same sector;
appeal shall include, but not be limited to, the institution(s)’s compliance with the guidelines set forth in this rule, the student’s compliance with the guidelines set forth in this rule and the student rights and responsibilities statement;
inform the chief executive officer of the relevant institution(s) and the student of the committee’s determination and recommend that the institution(s)’s chief executive officer implement the committee’s recommendation;
officer shall inform the chairperson of the appeals committee within thirty (30) days of the action taken in regard to the committee’s recommendation; and
and the action taken by the institution(s) shall be reported to the coordinating board by the commissioner on higher education.
(C) Core Transfer Curriculum (CORE 42) and MOTR Courses.
if a Missouri public institution of higher education or participating independent institution does not accept MOTR course credit earned by a student at another Missouri public or participating independent institution of higher education, that institution shall give written notice to the student and the sending institution that the transfer of the course credit is denied within ten (10) business days of the denial of credit. When sending notification of denial of credit, institutions must include standard information which is available on the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development’s website. The standard information requires at a minimum: student identification information, course identification information, the reason why the course did not transfer, and the institutional internal appeal process.
cation shall have an internal process of appeal available to transfer students for purposes of challenging institutional decisions on the acceptance of the students’ credits in transfer. The process shall include a minimum of two (2) levels of appeal but not to exceed more than three (3) levels of appeal. The process of internal appeal shall be decided upon by the institution. The institution shall publish in its catalog and place in a student accessible area on the institution’s website the statement of appeals rights and procedures internal to the institution. A copy of that formal statement shall be furnished to the committee on transfer/articulation. The institution’s internal appeals policy shall include the process for transfer appeal.
dent shall attempt to resolve the transfer of the course credit dispute in accordance with these rules.
resolved to the satisfaction of the student or the institution at which the credit was earned within forty-five (45) business days after the date the student received written notice of the denial, the institution that denies the transfer of the course credit shall notify the commissioner of higher education of its denial and and Workforce Development
the reasons for the denial. The student and sending institution shall also be copied on the notification sent to the commissioner of higher education.
er education or his or her designee shall be by the following procedures:
higher education is initiated by the institution that denies the transfer of the course credit after all other remedies have been exhausted without resolution of the issue at the receiving institution. This must be done by the institution that denied the transfer of credit within forty-five (45) business days after the date the student received written notice of denial. The institution shall submit any documentation for the reason of the denial of course credit with the appeal;
tion or his or her designee shall promptly notify the chief academic officer of the relevant institution(s) of higher education of the appeal and the involved student and invite the institution(s) and student to submit documentation for the decision being appealed. Documentation shall be submitted by the relevant institution(s) and student within fifteen (15) business days of notification by the commissioner of higher education or his or her designee;
cation or his or her designee shall make the final determination about a dispute concerning the transfer of course credit and give written notice of the determination as to the involved student and institutions within thirty (30) business days of the documentation deadline;
designee’s consideration of the appeal shall include, but not be limited to, the institution(s)’s compliance with the guidelines set forth in this rule and the student rights and responsibilities statement and the receiving institution’s compliance with its own transfer policies;
cation or his or her designee shall inform the chief academic officer of the relevant institution(s) and the involved student of the commissioner’s determination and recommend that the institution(s)’s chief academic officer implement the commissioner’s recommendation;
academic officer shall inform the commissioner within thirty (30) business days of the action taken in regard to the commissioner of higher education’s recommendation;
lect data on the types of transfer disputes that are reported and the disposition of each case that is considered by the commissioner of higher education or the commissioner’s designee; and
education, in consultation with the advisory board, shall develop criteria to evaluate the transfer practices of each public institution of higher education in this state and shall evaluate the transfer practices of each institution based on this criteria.
(7) Committees.
(A) Committee on Transfer and Articulation (COTA). The Committee on Transfer and Articulation was established by the Coordinating Board for Higher Education in 1987. COTA consists of twelve (12) members, with responsibility for overseeing the implementation of the guidelines as set forth in this rule.
members appointed by the commissioner of higher education, one (1) of which shall serve as chairperson of the committee. Membership shall consist of four (4) representatives from the public two- (2-) year colleges and four (4) representatives from the public four- (4-) year colleges and universities, one (1) of which must be from the University of Missouri and one (1) of which must be from the other public four- (4-) year institutions; one (1) representative from independent two- (2-) year colleges or proprietary institutions; two (2) representatives from independent four- (4-) year colleges and universities and one (1) at-large position. In addition, the commissioner or a designated representative will sit as an exofficio voting member of the committee.
counsel of faculty and other institutional representatives in the performance of its functions. Those functions shall include:
the provisions of the college transfer guidelines and recommending such revisions as needed to promote the success and general well-being of the transfer student;
dations concerning transfer issues brought before it by institutions;
institutional policies and procedures which, in the committee’s judgment, would enhance and facilitate the transfer of students;
developing transfer guidelines for them;
and data from administrators, faculty and students concerning matters of transfer;
the articulation officer’s position. The chief academic officer of each institution will appoint an articulation officer and inform the commissioner of higher education or his or her designee;
transfer rights and responsibilities;
receiving institutions to determine whether they are informing transfer students of their rights and responsibilities;
Coordinating Board for Higher Education, for such action and distribution as the coordinating board deems appropriate, an annual report of committee meetings, actions and recommendations. The chairperson must convene the committee at least once a month; and
procedure and meeting on call of the chairperson as is necessary to perform its functions.
(B) Core Curriculum Advisory Committee (CCAC). The Core Curriculum Advisory Committee was established in 2016 in accordance with section 178.786, RSMo, with responsibility for overseeing the implementation of the guidelines as set forth in this rule.
RSMo, the CCAC is to be composed of representatives from each Missouri public two- (2-) year and four- (4-) year institution of higher education. Membership also includes one (1) representative from each Missouri independent institution participating in the CORE 42 and one (1) two- (2-) year representative and one (1) four- (4-) year representative from the Missouri Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
CCAC shall be faculty members from Missouri public institutions of higher education, and participating independent institutions.
3. Committee Responsibilities include:
division core curriculum of at least forty-two (42) semester credit hours, including a state- 6 CSR 10-3
ment of the content, component areas, and objectives of the core curriculum (CORE 42).
numbering equivalency matrix for the fortytwo (42) semester credit hours (Missouri Transfer Number or “MOTR”) at all institutions of higher education in the state to facilitate the transfer of those courses among institutions of higher education by promoting consistency in course designation and course identification.
for oversight of the framework and review of courses.
sider issues involved in the interpretation of the core curriculum framework.
Develop processes and procedures for the establishment of the initial set of MOTR courses, identification of additional MOTR courses, MOTR course updates, and MOTR course removals. Develop processes and procedures for mapping and removing mappings of institutional courses to MOTR courses.
as the chair of their respective faculty discipline group and the CCAC will provide general oversight over all faculty discipline groups.
cy issues and provide assistance to COTA and the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (MDHEWD) as necessary to resolve transfer appeals.
AUTHORITY: sections 178.785-178.789, RSMo 2016, and section 173.005.2(6), RSMo Supp. 2019.* Original rule filed July 15, 1987, effective Oct. 12, 1987. Amended: Filed July 19, 2019, effective Jan. 30, 2020. *Original authority: 173.005.2(6), RSMo 1973, amended 1983, 1985, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018 and 178.785-178.789, see Revised Statutes of Missouri.