The University of Missouri-Kansas City and Cottey College, a women's college in Nevada, Missouri, have partnered together to offer Cottey students an easy transfer into the UMKC School of Computing and Engineering. 

Cottey, a private liberal arts college, offers associate degrees and a handful of bachelor’s degrees. 

Marjory Eisenman, the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs for the School of Computing and Engineering, said Cottey reached out years ago about the opportunity for a transfer program for students who have completed their Associate of Science at Cottey and want to continue their education. 

“Cottey students can now follow transfer guides to ensure they’re taking the right classes at Cottey to prepare for transfer to UMKC. Cottey students who complete the Associate of Science degree, or Associate of Arts degree, at Cottey now meet the general education requirements for a UMKC degree,” Eisenman said. “This partnership also creates the opportunity for students to qualify for the Chancellor’s Transfer Scholarship or Dean’s International Scholar Award.” 

Peter Hyland, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Cottey and one of the partnership's organizers, said the partnership will allow Cottey students, "even more options for where their education and careers can take them."

"This offers Cottey students an opportunity to take advantage of the impressive resources and knowledge that UMKC has, while they create their own incredible futures. The high contact at UMKC that students have with future employers via internships is particularly exciting," Hyland said.

Eisenman said the partnership will help UMKC in recruiting more women students in “male-dominated fields.” 

“Kansas City is a great place to earn an engineering or computing science degree, so this is the best of both worlds for Cottey students –to start their education at a small, women’s college and graduate from a strong engineering or computer science program in an urban location,” Eisenman said.  

The partnership went into effect at the beginning of the Spring 2022 semester.