Missouri Southern State University and Metropolitan Community College forge partnership to increase access to higher education

Metropolitan Community College (Kansas City) and Missouri Southern State University (Joplin) will sign an articulation agreement at on Wednesday, April 23, creating high-quality, low-cost avenues to obtaining a bachelor’s degree. 

Embracing the principle that transfer students should not be required to repeat competencies and coursework already achieved, the agreement allows students to transfer credits seamlessly between MCC and MSSU to obtain a bachelor’s degree in as few credit hours as possible.

“MCC strives to establish partnerships and pathways to make the transfer process easier, meaning students need fewer courses to graduate and can get there carrying little or no debt,” MCC Chancellor Kimberly Beatty said. “We are proud to partner with Missouri Southern, which — like MCC — has a longstanding tradition of extending higher-education access to first-generation college students and other underserved populations.”

“Missouri Southern is grateful for our expanded partnership with MCC,” MSSU President Dr. Dean Van Galen said. “Both institutions prioritize student success and are committed to providing a supportive learning environment — we look forward to welcoming more MCC students to our campus in Joplin.”

In most cases, students who bring an associate degree from MCC will enter MSSU as juniors, and the first 60 MCC credit hours will be applied toward an MSSU bachelor’s degree. Other features of the agreement include:

• MCC graduates with a GPA of at least a 2.0 will be guaranteed admission to MSSU upon submission of an official transcript.
• MSSU will provide a dedicated admissions counselor to help MCC graduates with the transfer process.
• Most students admitted under the agreement will qualify for one or more MSSU scholarships, including merit-based scholarships worth up to $6,000 based on students’ transfer GPA, and a $1,000 ($250/semester) Community College Transfer Scholarship requiring maintenance of a 2.75 GPA.

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