KCU-Joplin FAQs
What type of Fellowship Opportunities will be available in Joplin?
Will there be a chance for students to be involved in Research opportunities?
What type of Specialty Tracks will be offered?
Will I be able to pursue a dual degree program (MBA or Bioethics)?
What are the current clerkship locations for 3rd and 4th year students?
What type of housing is available in the Joplin area?
Will there be the same clubs and organizations available in Joplin that there are in Kansas City?
What scholarships are Joplin candidates eligible for?
Will Joplin have early clinical experiences similar to those in Kansas City?
Are there any additional academic or extracurricular requirements for the Joplin Campus?
Can I be considered for admission to both campus locations?
Will students matriculating at the Joplin campus also receive iPads?
Will students participating in the Partner Affiliations with KCU be able to choose between Joplin and Kansas City?
When will I be able to physically visit the Joplin campus?
Will some lectures be presented remotely to students from Kansas City and/or Joplin?
Will lectures be recorded and posted to Mediasite?
Will students be required to travel between the Kansas City and Joplin locations for lectures?
Can students participating in the Advanced Medical School Application Program with Missouri Southern State University elect to attend the Kansas City location over Joplin?
Is there a Big Sibling program or other mentorship opportunities?
How will exams work?
How will tutoring work?
What is the nightlife like in Joplin?
What is within walking distance of campus?
Does Joplin offer public transit options?
With only one lecture hall, what will second-year classes look like?
What is the cost of living like in Joplin?
What is the airport like?
Are most of the faculty new to teaching?
Will Joplin students’ participation in international medical mission trips increase competition for the limited number of available spots?
Will the Joplin campus push the primary care field more heavily?
What job opportunities could the Joplin community offer for students’ spouses?
What are the hospitals in Joplin like? Are they Level I Trauma Centers?
What type of Fellowship Opportunities will be available in Joplin?
After their third year, Joplin students have the opportunity to apply to become OMM fellows. Students can also apply to be Anatomy fellows after their second year or third year.
Will there be a chance for students to be involved in Research opportunities?
Yes, there are research opportunities in the Joplin community for KCU students.
What type of Specialty Tracks will be offered?
The Joplin campus offers the Military Track for HPSP students. The Global Health Track is also available to Joplin students and they are eligible to apply for the international medical mission trips organized by the Kansas City campus. Although rural clerkships may be available, there are no specific rural tracks available at this time for either campus.
Will I be able to pursue a dual-degree program (MBA or Bioethics)?
The Joplin campus offers two dual degree programs that begin the second semester of Year 1. The Bioethics program is taught on the KCU-Joplin campus while the MBA in Healthcare Leadership is taught at Rockhurst University in Kansas City.
What are the current clerkship locations for third- and fourth-year students?
While some sites have been established, clerkship sites for the Joplin campus are still under development. KCU anticipates that there will be opportunities in Joplin and other areas of southwest Missouri. See a current list of sites.
Will there be the same clubs and organizations available in Joplin that there are in Kansas City?
The Joplin campus has a selection of core student groups. We expect that extracurricular offerings will continue to grow based on student interest and offerings will be similar to the KC campus.
What scholarships are Joplin candidates eligible for?
Both Joplin and Kansas City campus students are eligible for the same scholarships. View scholarships.
Will Joplin also have early clinical service opportunities, similar to those in Kansas City?
Students located at the Joplin campus have multiple early clinical experience opportunities available. Opportunities will vary depending on the achieved level of skill of each student.
Are there any additional academic or extracurricular requirements for the Joplin Campus?
No. The Joplin campus has the same admissions requirements as the Kansas City location.
Can I be considered for admission to both campus locations?
On the primary application to KCU through AACOMAS, applicants will have the opportunity to select a campus preference of Kansas City, Joplin, or both. Applicants will only receive one decision. If you have selected both, the decision of campus location, if offered admission, will be determined by the University in the best interest of the applicant and the University.
Will students matriculating at the Joplin campus also receive iPads?
Yes. Students attending either location will be given new iPads during their orientation week.
Will students participating in the Partner Affiliations with KCU be able to choose between Joplin and Kansas City?
Partner Program students can indicate which campus they prefer, however the final decision will be made by KCU, in the best interest of the student and the University.
When will I be able to physically visit the Joplin campus?
The campus is open to prospective students to come and visit. To attend one of our visit days, please register your party here.
Will some lectures be presented remotely from Kansas City?
Some presentations including special guest speakers will be shown via live stream between the Joplin and Kansas City campuses. Recorded lectures and Blackboard content will be unique to each campus but available to students on both campus locations. Some lectures will be simulcast and would be available for live viewing by both campuses.
Will lectures be recorded and posted to Mediasite?
Yes. Lectures will be recorded by IT and released to students after class.
Will students be required to travel between the Kansas City and Joplin locations for lectures?
No. Students will not need to travel between the two campus locations.
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Can students participating in the Advanced Medical School Application Program with Missouri Southern State University elect to attend the Kansas City location instead of Joplin?
No. The AMSAP affiliation is only with the KCU-Joplin campus.
Is there a Big Sibling program or other mentorship opportunities?
KCU pairs first-year students with second-year students who are willing to mentor them during the first year. This is to help foster community and engagement between the classes and assist new students with the transition to medical school.
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How will exams work?
Kansas City and Joplin faculty will work together to write test questions. Both campuses will take the exact same exam at the exact same time. A few lectures may be simulcast, but for the most part, lectures will be delivered in person on each campus. The Kansas City and Joplin course directors will work together closely to ensure that the same content is delivered to both classes.
KCU realizes the importance of tutoring and is working on creative solutions for our new medical students in Joplin. Tutoring is offered in distance formats and for large and small groups.
What is the nightlife like in Joplin?
There is a vibrant live music scene and several bar options. Joplin hosts monthly art walks, called Third Thursdays, in the downtown district.
What is within walking distance of campus?
While Joplin is not a primarily pedestrian community, the area around campus is safe and quiet. Within walking distance are Mercy Park, Freeman Hospital and the YMCA. Students looking for walking, running or hiking trails might consider a short drive (4 miles) to the Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center. KCU is working with the community in exploring bike rental stations.
Does Joplin offer public transit options?
Joplin offers a number of public transportation options including the Joplin Sunshine Lamp Trolley, Uber, Lyft and private cab service. More information can be found here.
With only one lecture hall, what will second-year classes look like?
Second-year classes will take place in the Learning Studio. The curriculum will include and incorporate group learning opportunities to enhance overall learning.
What is the cost of living like in Joplin?
The cost of living allowance (COLA) will remain the same between Joplin and Kansas City for financial aid purposes.
Joplin Regional Airport currently offers American Eagle with daily nonstop flights between Joplin (JLN) and Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), which is a hub for American Airlines. The Springfield-Branson National Airport is located one hour from the Joplin campus and the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport is located 1.5 hours from campus, both offering a wide variety of carrier options.
Are most of the faculty new to teaching?
The faculty makeup is much like the Kansas City campus. Some faculty members are new to teaching while others are seasoned professors.
Will Joplin students’ participation in international medical mission trips increase competition for the limited number of available spots?
It has not yet been determined if KCU will provide additional trips or additional spots on current trips. This will be determined after demand is established and would depend heavily on faculty availability.
Will the Joplin campus push the primary care field more heavily?
The Joplin campus will emphasize primary care to the same degree as the Kansas City campus. Currently, about 60 percent of KCU students go into primary care upon graduation.
What job opportunities could the Joplin community offer for students’ spouses?
The job market in Joplin is growing, particularly in the health care and manufacturing fields. The community has a strong chamber of commerce, and the addition of the new KCU campus is driving new businesses to Joplin.
What are the hospitals in Joplin like? Are they Level I Trauma Centers?
Joplin is serviced by two main hospitals, Freeman and Mercy.
Freeman Hospital is a Level II Trauma Center. Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital and Ozark Center – the area’s largest provider of behavioral health services – as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics and a variety of specialty services.
With more than 300 physicians on staff representing more than 60 specialties, Freeman provides cancer care, heart and vascular care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, children’s services and women’s services.
Mercy Hospital is a brand-new facility that is currently designated at a Level II Trauma Center. The Joplin facility features a state-of-the-art emergency department next to imaging and operating rooms for faster diagnostics and treatment; an accredited cancer center; large combined labor, delivery and recovery rooms; and telemedicine to provide life-saving care for patients who suffer from stroke and dangerous complications from infection.
The Mercy Health System operates acute care, specialty care and critical access hospitals in communities across Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma. Across four states, a team of more than 2,100 Mercy primary and specialty care physicians, 600 advanced practitioners and supporting staff deliver health care services through more than 300 offices.