Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA)

The Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) was designed to facilitate the transfer of general education requirements from one institution to another. WMU is a participating institution in this agreement. The MTA is effective for students who started at a community college in fall 2014 or later. If you fulfill the requirements of the MTA and the endorsement is noted on your official transcript, your lower-level General Education requirements at WMU will be satisfied. Each course will also be individually evaluated as transfer credit that could fulfill major/minor or other graduation requirements.

The MTA requires a minimum of 30 hours of course work completed in certain categories. The classes you select in each category are specified by your community college. WMU encourages students to maximize their time and effort by working with their community college and WMU advisors to select courses within the MTA that can be utilized for major/minor requirements when possible. 

Categories for MTA completion:

• 1 course in English Composition
• 1 course in Communications or a second course in English Composition
• 1 course in Mathematics
• 2 courses in Natural Sciences (from two disciplines) including one with laboratory experience 
• 2 courses in Social Sciences (from two disciplines)
• 2 courses in Humanities and Fine Arts (from two disciplines and excluding studio and performance classes)
• If the total hours for these courses do not equal at least 30 semester credit hours, you must take an additional course from one of the areas.

MTA applied to WMU requirements

Lower-level general education satisfied
Transfer students should note on their application for admission that they plan to complete the MTA. Those who have fulfilled the requirements will have satisfied WMU’s lower-level General Education requirements.

Additional requirements
In addition to MTA, students must complete:

• Six hours of 3000-4000 level General Education course work from the distribution areas
• One baccalaureate-level writing course (Proficiency 2)

Transfer guides and equivalencies

All Michigan community college transfer students, regardless of whether they plan to follow MTA requirements, are encouraged to utilize the WMU transfer guide information available for their intended major.

MTA Pathways

Western Michigan University is pleased to be participating in the MiTransfer Pathways statewide transfer initiative! The MiTransfer Pathways is a statewide multi-institutional degree pathway agreement that identifies courses that a student should take as a part of an associate degree that will transfer to the university of their choice toward a bachelor's degree. Completion of the MTA along with the identified pathway courses is recommended. Additional courses may be taken to apply toward the bachelor's degree. All Michigan community college transfer students may participate in the following established pathways:

• Art Pathway
• Business Pathway
• Communication Pathway
• Mechanical Engineering Pathway
• Public Health Pathway
• Social Work Pathway

Visit the WMU MiTransfer Pathways website for details.