Students
18%
of students who transferred credits to a Wisconsin technical college had already earned a bachelor's degree or higher
Credits
189560
credits were transferred into a Wisconsin technical college in 2021-22
College is a big decision with a big investment.
Depending on how far you want to go with your education, the end goal may seem more approachable if you start with a short-term or two-year program and continue from there. Wisconsin technical colleges offer a variety of certificates and degrees designed to build on each other, or help you transfer to a four-year college, for a bachelor's degree or more. This provides several options for completing your degree(s) and advancing in your career.
Many people who have earned a bachelor's degree return to one of our colleges to learn new or different skills, or to prepare for a technical occupation with more in-demand and high-paying job opportunities.
Transfer Credits to Wisconsin Technical Colleges
If you previously attended another college or university, you may be able to transfer credits or be granted credit for skills and knowledge you gained at that college. Wisconsin technical colleges also grant college credit for career-related learning, work experience and military service.
Transfer-in Contacts
Transfer Credits from Wisconsin Technical Colleges
All of our colleges have program-specific transfer agreements with four-year private colleges and universities and the University of Wisconsin System as well as some colleges and universities in other states. These agreements may contain course-to-course equivalencies, while others provide for a total program transfer.
Universal Credit Transfer Agreement
Students can transfer at least 30 credits from a core set of 11 courses, such as Psychology, Sociology and Algebra/Trigonometry, directly into the four-year University of Wisconsin institutions. The Universal Credit Transfer Agreement between the Wisconsin Technical College System and the University of Wisconsin System allows for roughly a year's worth of credits to be seamlessly applied toward a bachelor's degree.
Explore Credit Transfer
You can explore credit transfer between the our colleges and the UW System with Transferology at the Transfer Wisconsin website. Transfer Wisconsin also includes agreements from the College of Menominee Nation and the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College.
Private Colleges and Universities
An agreement with Wisconsin's private colleges includes more than a dozen popular introductory courses such as chemistry, psychology, and speech. Under the agreement, specified technical college credits will count toward requirements for a bachelor’s degree at a private college, provided the student earned a grade of “C” or better within the last ten years. Technical college students must also meet the admissions requirements of the private college. For more information, see the transfer contacts at Wisconsin's private colleges (external link).
A Sample of Available Transfer Opportunities
MSOE Bachelor of Business - Technical and Business Management
The Bachelor of Business Administration with an emphasis on technical and business management program at Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) prepares students to expand on their technical expertise to become effective problem solvers and industry leaders. The technical and business management program is for individuals who have an associate degree and enjoy building relationships and solving business problems with their technical knowledge. They will enter MSOE as a junior and seamlessly transition to the BBA program.
Sample career opportunities include:
- Sales Engineer
- Account Manager
- Product Manager
- Sales Manager
- Industrial Distribution Specialist
Your technical knowledge will help you translate technical subjects into a language others can understand. Visit MSOE for more information.
UW-Stout
In addition to many agreements with individual technical colleges, UW-Stout offers these agreements with all 16:
- All AAS Degrees or Two-Year Diplomas transfer into UW-Stout's B.S. Management
- All AAS Degrees in technical areas related to information and communication technologies transfer into UW-Stout's B.S. Information and Communication Technologies
- All AAS Degrees or One/Two Year Diplomas transfer into UW-Stout's B.S. Career, Technical Education and Training
- AAS Early Childhood Education transfers to UW-Stout's B.S. Human Development and Family Studies
Visit UW-Stout's website for more details on all transfer agreements.
UW-Milwaukee
UW-Milwaukee offers WTCS students many opportunities to transfer into a number of Bachelor degree programs. In addition to the Associate to Bachelor's Degree Enrollment Program, where Associate degree holders from Gateway, MATC, Moraine Park or WCTC have guaranteed admission to UWM, there are many ways to transfer credits and continue your education at UWM.
Visit UWM's website for more information.
Transfer-out Contacts
Credit Transfer Report
For a variety of reasons, college students now routinely attend multiple higher education institutions to achieve their academic and career goals. Nationally, more than one-third of college students transfer at least once, with most staying within the same state.
Wisconsin’s 16 technical colleges often serve as an entry point for students with four-year degree aspirations. Lesser known is that they also provide valuable options for four-year students seeking to transfer to a technical college.
Because receiving institutions maintain student records, this report’s primary focus is on students who transferred credits to one of Wisconsin’s 16 technical colleges.
Read the report online here or download using the links below.