M State College announced that it will offer two new Z-Degree programs, enabling students to complete their Associate of Applied Science in Business and Psychology Transfer Pathway degrees without incurring any textbook costs.
Supported by a $100,000 grant from the Minnesota State Educational Development and Technology Unit, these programs will be among the first Z-Degree options in the state to go beyond a basic Associate of Arts degree.
Z-Degree programs, which use open educational resources available at no cost to students, save an estimated $2,000 per year for participating college students.
M State President Carrie Brimhall commented on the expansion, stating, “Z-Degree programs save our students thousands of dollars and potentially years of debt, and in some circumstances mean the difference between finishing their degree or not.”
M State is one of nine colleges within the Minnesota State system that currently offer Z-Degrees, with eight more in the process of developing Z-Degree courses.
The college already has over 70 Z-Degree courses within almost 20 different degree programs, including many in the psychology and business disciplines.
The new grant follows a previous $100,000 award received by M State in 2020, which led to the implementation of numerous Z-Degree courses and the Associate of Arts-Liberal Arts and Sciences Z-Degree program in fall 2022.
Marsha Weber, Dean for the School of Business and Information Technology, and Alicia Carley, Interim Dean of Liberal Arts and Humanities, submitted the grant application and praised the benefits of Z-Degree programs for students facing financial challenges.
In addition to the cost savings from Z-Degrees, many M State students also benefit from the college’s scholarship programs and sponsored degree options.
Currently, 52% of M State’s degree-seeking students attend tuition-free, and the college continues to partner with regional communities and businesses to maintain this percentage.
M State, a member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities, serves over 6,500 students in credit courses annually, offering more than 70 career and liberal arts programs online and in-person across its four campuses.
The college also partners with communities to provide workforce development services and other responsive training programs to 500 businesses and 9,000 participants.