Kansas Independent College Association (KICA)
McPherson College is a member of the Kansas Independent College Association (KICA). KICA strengthens the competitive standing of the 19-member independent, nonprofit, regionally accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities in Kansas through professional development and collaboration, governmental advocacy, and public engagement collectively aimed at supporting the ability of students to choose and afford an independent college education that fits their goals.
Through McPherson College’s affiliation with KICA, students can benefit from special programs and expanded course offerings. Currently, KICA offers an Adaptive Special Education program. Students who participate in this program will graduate with licensure in High Incidence Special Education (intellectual disability, learning disabilities, behavior disorders, and other health impairments) at the K-6 and 6-12 levels. In the future, participating KICA members may also make synchronous distance classes available to McPherson College students. Please see the registrar for additional information.
Member institutions of KICA include McPherson College and Baker University (Baldwin City), Barclay College (Haviland), Benedictine College (Atchison), Bethany College (Lindsborg), Bethel College (North Newton), Central Christian College of Kansas (McPherson), Cleveland University-Kansas City (Overland Park), Donnelly College (Kansas City), Friends University (Wichita), Hesston College (Hesston), Kansas Christian College (Overland Park), Kansas Wesleyan University (Salina), Manhattan Christian College (Manhattan), McPherson College (McPherson), MidAmerica Nazarene University (Olathe), Newman University (Wichita), Ottawa University (Ottawa), Southwestern College (Winfield), Sterling College (Sterling), Tabor College (Hillsboro), and the University of Saint Mary (Leavenworth).
Acadeum Courses
By arrangement with KICA, McPherson College students may also enroll in pre-approved online courses offered through the Acadeum platform. Students can explore the available online courses at https://students.acadeum.com/institutions/mcpherson-college?collegeConsortiumIsNowAcadeum=%E2%9C%93. All Acadeum courses must be approved by both the academic department and the registrar. Only those online Acadeum courses which are accredited will be considered for approval. During the fall and spring semesters, an Acadeum course will only be taken on an as-needed basis and included in the student’s tuition. Summer classes are not included in a full-time student’s financial aid package. Summer Acadeum courses must be paid for prior to enrolling in the course. Acadeum courses are billed at the part-time, per-credit-hour rate as published in the current academic catalog. Any exceptions to this policy must be approved by both the Chief Academic Officer and the Chief Financial Officer.
The Acadeum course sharing platform offers additional courses outside of the KICA consortium. Students are able to explore these courses as well, and follow the same guidelines as listed above.
StraighterLine Courses
McPherson College will accept up to six credits of coursework from StraighterLine, as long as the credit recommendation comes on an official transcript from the American Council on Education (ACE) or their designee, and the grade received is C or better. The credit earned will be accepted as elective credit. Current students wishing to enroll in a StraighterLine course must do so in coordination and with a monitoring plan from the Academic Athletic Advising office and the Academic Affairs office, prior to enrolling in the course.
Courses from Other Colleges
Students can transfer courses from institutions that are regionally accredited or hold accreditation from other, non‐regional accreditors recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Coursework from non‐regionally accredited institutions will be reviewed on a case‐by-case basis subject to review by the VPAA and Department Chair governing the course discipline, if applicable, or simply accepted for free‐elective credit. All off‐campus study will be judged by the Registrar and the appropriate program (in the case of courses for a major/minor) to be high quality, and are consistent with the mission and program goals of McPherson College. McPherson College transfers credits – but not grades or quality points. The course must be letter‐graded with an earned grade of C or better.
- Transfer Credit for college courses taken during high school. The practice of a student being enrolled at two schools simultaneously (high school and post-secondary) is known as Dual Enrollment. Please remember to have an official transcript, from the credit-granting institution, sent directly to the Office of Registration and Records at McPherson College. A student will not receive duplicate credit through examination, or any other college courses taken before or after enrolling at McPherson College.
- Currently enrolled students who wish to transfer credits to McPherson College must obtain permission in advance from the Registrar’s Office. If a student elects to take a course without obtaining prior written permission, the College is not obligated to accept the course for transfer.
For more information regarding transcripts and course transfer, contact the Registrar’s Office at (620-242-0440) or [email protected].