Graduate programs growing at MSSU
Graduate programs are growing in demand at Missouri Southern State University.
In addition, the university will widen its statewide mission to include health and life sciences and immersive learning, President Dean Van Galen said at a Monday night meeting of the Joplin City Council.
While the focus of the university to provide a well-rounded undergraduate program continues, the university is also seeing increased interest in graduate programs. Graduate enrollment has increased 52% in the past year, Van Galen said.
Master's degrees in business administration, data analytics, health care administration and arts in teaching have been added to the master's program in recent years.
'So the university is intentionally adding these graduate programs to serve the citizens of our region and to provide opportunities, especially in an area of higher course demand in our region,' Van Galen said.
In addition, the university is working to expand its statewide mission. 'This is a way to say, 'This is a strength of the university, something we're focusing on, something we're proud of and we want to grow into the future,'' Van Galen said.
For a number of years, global education has been the university's mission.
'That will continue,' he said. 'We have sent over 3,400 students to study-abroad opportunities, and those are truly life changing, so that will continue.'
The university will add two elements to its statewide mission — health and life sciences and immersive or hands-on learning experiences.
'This idea of immersive learning really is playing out across the campus. We're committed to engaging our students more,' he said.
'The days are over that lectures are the primary way to deliver education. We think this is a growing hallmark of Missouri Southern.'
The university now has 15 health and sciences programs. That is the same number as the University of Missouri, bringing the two universities to the top in that field among state institutions, Van Galen said. They are high-quality programs that have produced a graduation rate of 100%, he added.
'Nursing is doing extraordinarily well. Recently, we gained approval by the State Board of Nursing to increase the size of our nursing cohort,' he said. The university is currently permitted 30 students per class, but the state board has approved a second group of 20 students starting in spring 2026.
'This will help us serve more students and certainly help us address the workforce needs for nursing in our region,' the university president explained.
Another plus is that MSSU has received a grant to start a master in science degree program that will likely start in fall 2026.
Coming up March 28, the university will host the Willcoxon Innovation in Health Sciences Summit. It is free and open to the public. This year's summit will focus on precision health, artificial intelligence, immunotherapy to prevent cancer and 3D printing.
In addition, the work of the Joplin Regional Alliance for Health Sciences will be advanced with the recent appointment of a new director, Lori Worthington, the council was told.
Van Galen also celebrated MSSU Lion athletics success last weekend when student-athlete Joy Udo-Gabriel competed in Indianapolis and won the women's 60-meter dash with a time of 7.11 seconds, setting an NCAA Division II record. She is among the fastest two or three women runners in that event in the nation, Van Galen said.
Lions Forward is in its third year of fundraising. The goal is to reach $42.7 million in contributions and so far donations have reached $36.5 million. The president also commended the Humphreys Scholars, who are supported with scholarships from David and Debra Humphreys.
A topping-off ceremony was recently held for the Roy Blunt Health Science Innovation Center on campus. It will offer immersive learning classrooms, an expanded cadaver lab and other educational facilities. Construction is expected to finish in July 2026.
'I think we all understand that the future of the university and the city in terms of economic development, community development and quality of life are connected,' Van Galen said.
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