If you're planning to transfer to another North Dakota state college or university, it's now a lot easier to select courses. With the recent approval of the General Education Requirement Transfer Agreement (GERTA), you can know ahead of time exactly what will and what won't be accepted as general education courses at another institution.

A guide, also known as the "Gold and Silver Guide" is prepared annually by NDUS registrars. The guide summarizes the general education requirements at the 11 ND campuses. Click on the following link to learn how your general education courses will transfer.

If you select general education courses from the GERTA approved list, you have a guarantee from the North Dakota Board of Higher Education that the courses will transfer and that they will meet a general education requirement at the college or university where you're heading. Be aware that many courses which meet BSC graduation requirements are not GERTA approved and may not meet general education requirements at other institutions. Two options should help your decisions about curriculum choices:

1. If you complete general education requirements for an Associate in Arts (AA) or an Associate in Science (AS) degree at BSC, and if you have a minimum of 36 credits from the four areas of communications, arts/humanities, social and behavioral sciences, sciences, and mathematics/science/technology, you will have met the general education requirements at all of the North Dakota University System institutions. If you are planning to graduate from BSC and then transfer, consider your educational goal, and then select courses which will meet requirements at both institutions.
   
   
2. If you do not complete BSC general education requirements for an AA or AS degree, you will be required to meet the general education requirements of the college to which you transfer, so it is extremely important that you select general education transfer courses from the GERTA approved list only. General education requirements vary greatly between institutions. Most courses from BSC transfer, but only those on the GERTA list will transfer and meet general education requirements at other NDUS colleges.

Keep in mind that you should choose your general education courses from the four areas listed above. Your adviser is well-qualified to help. Remember, GERTA applies only to courses taken at North Dakota University System institutions, not to CLEPS, challenge tests, other non-traditional types of credits, or credits from non-system institutions. Grades are important. It's up to the transfer institution to decide whether it will accept courses with grades below a "C".