Types of College Credit

• General Education or Gen Ed credit

• Major Credit aka Major Requirements/Major Reqs

• Elective &/or Minor Credit

• Elective "Remedial" credit

• AP/IB/Transfer Credit

Information about Credits

• Students at RPHS are given information regarding their progress towards meeting the ACT benchmarks beginning their Freshman year in high school to keep them informed about their progress towards college and career readiness.  Meeting the benchmarks enables students to enroll directly into credit bearing college coursework that counts towards graduation credits.  Not meeting the ACT, or Accuplacer (Placement test used at MCC), benchmarks prolongs a student's progress towards college graduation.  This prolongs not only the time a student spends on campus in classes which costs money, but it also prolongs the time towards employment where the student is not able to earn career high wages.  

• Performance on the ACT or EOC math exams benefits a student by helping them meet the A+ Eligibility requirements.  Students must score EITHER proficient on a math EOC OR a 17 on the Math ACT subtest as a condition of eligibility for A+ benefits.

• Not all college level elective credits count towards the graduation requirements.

• Some elective credits must be selected from a specific list of options.

• Elective "remedial" credits are required to progress towards a course that is required for graduation.  For example, Intermediate Algebra may be required based on your ACT or placement scores to enroll in College Algebra but it does not count as a credit towards your degree.  Remedial courses make college more expensive and cost you time away from progress towards your degree.  Ask if there is time to take the placement test again or if there is time to take the ACT.  Work hard in high school so you don't have to take remedial coursework.  Avoiding remedial coursework is an easy way to make college more affordable and it also helps you earn                                                                                                                                                                     your degree quicker.

• When you find out that a course will be counted as an elective credit be sure to ask if it counts as a "required" elective credit that counts towards your degree.  If not, question whether or not you should enroll in the course and pay tuition for that class.

• AP & IB courses can be used with a qualifying score.  Check this link for score requirements to see if your AP/IB score qualifies for college credit: http://mcckc.edu/admissions/creditbyexam.aspx

Types of College Degrees

• Certificates/Diploma Programs

• Applied Associate of Science/Associate of Science/Associate of Arts

• Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Arts

• Masters of Science/Masters of Arts

• EdD/PhD

College Credit Hours

• 1 hour in class (typically 50 minutes per week) equates to 1 credit

• Most college courses are 3 credits and are referred to as a 3 hour which means you get 3 credits for that course for the semester.

• A full-time college student is enrolled in at least 12 credits but it is recommended to take 15 credits/semester to ensure graduation in 4 years. Most degrees are around 120 total credits.

• Typically a student is enrolled in 4-5 courses/semester.

• An Associate of Applied Science degree will be approximately 18 credits or 6 classes of general education versus an Associate of Science degree which requires approximately 30 credits or 10 classes of general education courses.  

• It takes approximately 20 courses to earn an Associate's Degree and 40 courses to earn a Bachelor's degree.

• If you receive financial aid be careful not to drop below 12 credits, or full-time status, for the semester.  Dropping a class can jeopardize your financial aid if you fall below full-time status even if it is just for a semester.  Contact the financial aid office before you drop any courses.

Transfer Credit

• Associate of Science credits typically transfer.  Associate of Science degrees can be the end of a program but they can also be transferred to meet the Gen Ed requirements of a Bachelor's.

• Applied Associate of Science, or technical education credits, are typically "job ready" credit courses that provide you with a certification or specific training and skills.  These programs typically have less Gen Ed courses and are designed to teach skills.

• Know how to look up courses to know specifically how they will transfer.  Each school has an "Equivalency Calculator" that you can use to find this information. Verify the transferability of classes and what financial aid/scholarships are available for transfer students.

Student Assistance

• College instructors/professors have office hours in which students make appointments to talk to the instructor/professor.  

• Students may have a smaller lab or discussion group that may be led by someone other than the instructor/professor of the actual lecture class. At larger schools, these groups are typically led by TAs (teaching assistants who are usually graduate students). These TAs or other instructors also have office hours for students to make appointments and get extra help.  

• Most, if not all colleges, have some kind of a tutoring center to get assistance with coursework. These centers may have walk-in hours or more extended assistance available by appointment.  

Information about MCCKC & A+

• 20,000 students are enrolled in the five MCCKC campuses making MCCKC the largest college in KC.

• MCCKC is the 4th largest college in Missouri.

• Each credit hour costs $198.  A+ pays $181 per credit hour up to 60 hours.  RPHS A+ eligible students pay $17/credit hour plus books. 

• With A+ benefits, a full-time student living at home while enrolled in 15 credits should budget approximately $590/semester.  This budget includes $255 for tuition for the semester plus $250 for books and $75 for student activity and technology fees plus $10 incidentals fee.   

• Without A+, a student should budget $3,505/semester to attend MCCKC.  Tuition and fees for 15 credits at MCC would cost $2,970 in tuition plus $250 for books and $75 for technology and incidental fees.

• What size classroom would you as a student be successful in?  Think about this before you enroll in a college.  A General Biology class size at MCCKC is typically 20-25 students per class whereas the same course at Mizzou is typically a class size of approximately 500+ students in the class.

• Marion Ewing Kauffman, Walt Disney, and Sly James are a few notable alumni of MCC.  

• The tuition amount eligible for reimbursement is capped at the published standard per credit hour tuition rate charged by State Technical College of Missouri. The reimbursement cap is subject to change annually as tuition rates change. The maximum reimbursement rate is announced in late spring or early summer each year. For the 2020-2021 academic year, the maximum rate is $181.00 per credit hour or $4.80 per clock-hour.

• Source:  https://dhewd.mo.gov/ppc/grants/aplusscholarship.php