Missouri Community Colleges (2-Yr Colleges)

Missouri Junior Colleges, Technical Schools, and Institutes

The State of Missouri administers its own system of higher education which operate at least two tiers of public colleges. One being the community colleges in Missouri, sometimes called Missouri junior colleges, or Missouri technical institutes, and so-called "four-year" Missouri colleges which award bachelor's and master's degrees. The "two-year" community educational institutions provide post-secondary education and lower-level tertiary education, granting certificates, diplomas, and associate's degrees in Missouri. The name, "community colleges" derives from the fact that "two-year" colleges primarily accept, and attract, students from the Missouri local community

Missouri has a long history of junior colleges with the first institution, Kansas City Polytechnic Institute, opening its doors in 1915. In 1927, the Missouri General Assembly passed authorizing legislation that allowed secondary schools to offer college-level courses under the direction of the State Board of Education. In 1960, the Committee on Education Beyond High School drafted a proposal calling for the establishment of a junior college district system with the power to levy local taxes. Legislation based on the proposal passed in 1961, and soon communities across the state were creating community college districts.

In 1972, the Missouri Commission on Higher Education recommended that the administrative jurisdiction be transferred from the State Department of Education, and in 1974, following passage of legislation, the community colleges moved under the newly formed Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education. Currently, there are 13 autonomous community college districts with a total of 16 campuses. Districts in metropolitan St. Louis and Kansas City are multicampus institutions.

Missouri College Degrees, Certificates, and Diplomas

Missouri Cities Colleges:

Missouri Community Colleges and Two Year Colleges

• Cottey College (Nevada, MO)
• Crowder College (Neosho, MO)
• East Central College (Union, MO)
• Jefferson College (Arnold, MO)
• Metropolitan Community College District
  • Blue River Community College
  • Business & Technology Center
  • Longview Community College
  • Maple Woods Community College
  • Penn Valley Community College
• Mineral Area College (Park Hills, MO)
• Moberly Area College (Moberly, MO)
• North Central Missouri College (Trenton, MO)
• Ozarks Technical Community College (Springfield, MO)
• Ranken Technical College (Saint Louis, MO)
• St. Charles Community College (Cottleville, MO)
• St. Louis Community College (Saint Louis, MO)
• Southwest Missouri State University-West Plains (2-year campus) (West Plains, MO)
• State Fair Community College (Sedalia, MO)
• Three Rivers Community College (Poplar Bluff, MO)
• Wentworth Military Academy & Junior College (Lexington, MO)