Southwest Baptist University has agreed to provide online courses to employees of the Kansas City Police Department at a discounted rate.
The private campus headquartered in Bolivar announced Aug. 19 that the agreement will allow graduates of the KCPD police academy to receive 45 transfer credits toward a bachelor's degree in criminal justice at SBU, which is focused on organizational leadership.
KCPD employees will also be eligible for discounted tuition of $250 per credit hour for online undergraduate programs and $100 for online master's and doctoral degrees.
“The discounted program will be of big help to KCPD employees who strive to further their education,” said Major Jon Patton, supervisor over the Regional Police Academy, in a news release.
“SBU offers an extensive list of degree programs and disciplines. We are thankful for the university’s support of law enforcement.”
The new agreement with KCPD, which starts this fall, is patterned after a pact SBU has with the Missouri State Highway Patrol. SBU is open to working with other interested law enforcement agencies.
The university recently extended its offer to transfer 45 credits toward the 120-credit hour bachelor's degree in criminal justice to qualified police academy graduates, even if the agency does not have an existing agreement with the university.
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SBU President Rick Melson said, in the release: “At SBU, we hold public servants and those in law enforcement in the highest regard. It is our privilege to make our Worldwide Campus programs available to them at a price point that makes achieving their educational goals more accessible than ever."
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Southwest Baptist University offers tuition discount to KCPD employees
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