Courses Outside of McPherson College

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), 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 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.