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College in Prison Program

Program Contact

Travis Sands, PhD
Director, College in Prison
Center for Educational Innovation
travis.sands@metrostate.edu
651-793-1775

We believe that everyone has a right to quality higher education no matter their socioeconomic circumstances. Higher education is proven to be a key factor in breaking cycles of incarceration while strengthening students’ self-confidence and connections to their families, communities, and the world at large.

Continuing Metropolitan State University’s 50-year history of meeting students where they are as they work toward their educational goals, the College in Prison Program enrolls students at MCF-Stillwater in a full-time bachelor of arts (BA) degree pathway in Individualized Studies. In September 2021, the inaugural two student cohorts (40 students) began a full slate of courses that meet Minnesota Transfer Curriculum requirements.

What We Do

The College in Prison (CIP) Program extends Metro State’s inclusive, anti-racist, innovative education to students incarcerated at MCF-Stillwater. With a foundation in praxis-based liberal education and a core commitment to exploring with students what it means to be an educated person, the CIP creates learning spaces where faculty and students support and challenge one another in rigorous academic inquiry. CIP students are held to the same academic standards as all Metro State students and will graduate with Metro State Individualized Studies degrees. The CIP also partners with the University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts to offer cocurricular opportunities including study groups, academic skills workshops, and guest lectures.

Courses Offered in Spring 2022