TOPEKA, Kan. — On January 17, Neosho County Community College (NCCC) President Dr. Brian Inbody joined Fort Hays State University (FHSU) President Tisa Mason, Kansas Association of Community Colleges (KACC) Director Heather Morgan, and representatives from the other 18 Kansas community colleges to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to create a new guaranteed admission pathway between NCCC and FHSU.
“Partnerships such as this are mutually beneficial for all institutions involved,” Dr. Inbody said. “It is especially beneficial for our students, as this will create opportunities and remove barriers to entry for students looking to enter the field of psychology.”
The new pathway will allow NCCC students who graduate with an Associate of Arts in Psychology degree to transfer to FHSU’s bachelor’s degree programs in either clinical or school psychology.
“NCCC is happy to support partnerships of this nature with our four-year partners in education,” said Dr. Sarah Robb, NCCC Vice President for Student Learning. “Our students deserve these opportunities to meet their goals, and we are excited to help provide those opportunities.”
A unique feature of this pathway program is guaranteed acceptance extends through the master’s degree level in both the clinical psychology and school psychology programs, provided the student meets specific grade point average requirements.
This pathway will help NCCC and FHSU address a critical shortage of clinical and school psychologists in Kansas. This shortfall is especially acute in rural areas of the state, such as NCCC’s service area in Southeast Kansas.
This academic pathway program follows a similar pathway created in January 2024 which created a guaranteed admission opportunity for nursing students to transition from NCCC’s Mary Grimes School of Nursing to FHSU’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.
