Online Master’s Degree Programs at the University of Missouri-Kansas City
University of Missouri-Kansas City appears in our ranking of the Top 35 Most Affordable Accelerated Master’s in Higher Education Online.
The University of Missouri-Kansas City offers two online Master’s degree programs and a post-graduate certificate program. Through the School of Nursing and Health Studies, students can earn a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) online. This program has reciprocity agreements with 48 states that allow students from those states to get their degrees in Missouri and transfer their credits to a new job or position. Students who start in the summer can choose the neonatal nurse practitioner track that includes 45 credits of work or the pediatric nurse practitioner track that has 46 credits of work.
Students who start in the spring or summer can choose from four different tracks: family nurse practitioner, adult-gerontology practitioner, women’s health nurse practitioner, or psychiatric mental health practitioner. Each of these tracks includes 46 credits. The university offers a nurse educator track for students who start online in the fall or spring that features only 41 credits. It also features a course called Advanced Health Assessment Skills that students need to complete on-campus. Other tracks have a residency requirement that asks students to either do residency work in Missouri or complete the on-campus orientation.
The School of Dentistry at the University of Missouri-Kansas City offers an online Master of Science (MS) in Dental Hygiene Education. It features 36 credits of online work that help students continue working as they attend college. Online information sessions are available that let students learn more about the program. Students take classes such as Foundations of Teaching, Special Issues in Higher Education for Health Professionals, Introduction to Research Methodology, Introduction to Biostatistics, and Clinical Instruction and Conference. They will also take a class on research and writing before doing a thesis. The end of the program features a capstone course where students put together and present their portfolios.
Also offered is a post-master’s nurse education certificate program. Students who want to work as nursing teachers and professors can enroll in this program and gain the experience needed in academic positions. The program includes three courses that ask students to do 45 to 180 hours of clinical fieldwork, including Clinical for Nurse Educators and Advanced Health Assessment Skills. Majors have up to three years to complete all their required work and courses, which include Evaluation Methods, Teaching Strategies, Role of the Nurse Educator and Curriculum Development.
About the University of Missouri-Kansas City
The University of Missouri-Kansas City is a public university named after Kansas City, Missouri, which is home to its main campus. Lincoln and Lee University opened in the 1920s and was affiliated with the Methodist Church. This university would become the University of Kansas City after acquiring the Kansas City Dental School and moving to Kansas City in 1930. It officially became the University of Missouri-Kansas City or UMKC in 1963 after joining the University of Missouri System. UMKC now ranks as a Best Value University by The Princeton Review and one of the nation’s best schools by Forbes and U.S. News and World Report.
University of Missouri-Kansas City Accreditation Details
UKMC has both accreditation and approval from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), which is why the university can offer both residential and online education programs. With HLC accreditation, graduate students can apply for unsubsidized loans and other help from the government with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
University of Missouri-Kansas City Application Requirements
The application deadlines for the MSN program are February 14 for those starting in the summer and June 12 for those who want to start in the fall or spring. Students must have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from a college or university that has accreditation for its nursing programs. They need a grade point average of 3.2 or higher in the last 60 credits they took in a BSN program or a GPA of 3.2 or higher in a current MSN program. UMKC also asks for a transcript to make sure that students took a health assessment course and a statistics class and that they received a B or higher in each one. Students need to present copies of their valid/current nursing licenses and pay the UMKC application fee.
Both the post-graduate nurse education certificate program accepts students who have an MSN or a DNP. Students need transcripts that show they have a GPA of 3.2 or higher and proof of their nursing licenses. UMKC asks that students take prerequisites, including Health Promotion, Advanced Pharmacology and related courses. Both the certificate and degree programs require an interview with a faculty member too.
The dental hygiene education program requires that incoming students have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and that they apply by the first of February for the spring semester. UMKC has a deadline of July 15 for the fall semester and April 15 for the summer semester. The application includes a reference form that students can print and send to their references. Those references will need to fill out the papers and send them to the university.
Tuition and Financial Aid
UMKC offers a resident and a non-resident rate for graduate students in its degree and certificate programs. Those who live in Missouri pay $384.90 per credit hour. Nonresidents pay $993.70 per credit hour. All students also pay a $45 per credit hour online course fee that applies to all the credits they take on the web. There is another $14.10 information and technology fee that students pay when they for each credit that they take. With the School of Dentistry Non-Resident Award, students receive a grant that reduces their rate to the amount that residents pay. The university gives this award to five students every year. UMKC also has a Heartland Rate that allows students of neighboring states to get discounts and save around $10,000 a year. This program is open to residents of Ohio, North Dakota, Alabama and 12 other states.
Graduate students should submit the FAFSA to get some of the loans offered by the federal government. With unsubsidized loans, they can borrow a maximum of $20,500 each year as long as they do not borrow more than the total amount allowed. Students who qualify for grants, scholarships and discounts can also use federal loans to pay for the online master’s degree programs at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
