Academic Affairs Policies

University of Missouri System Licensure Programs Policy

In order to comply with U.S. Department of Education and Office of Veteran’s Affairs regulations^[1], all programs in any of the University of Missouri System universities – MU, UMKC, S&T, and UMSL – (University) designed to meet the educational requirements for a specific professional license or certification that is required for employment in an occupation, or is advertised as meeting such requirements, must provide information regarding whether completion of that program would be sufficient to meet the educational requirements making a graduate eligible for licensure for employment in an occupation for which the program prepares students, in the state in which the student is located. In addition, U.S. Department of Education regulations state that Distance Education Students may only enroll in Licensure Programs where it has been determined by the University that license requirements are met in the state where the student is located or where the student attests they will seek employment.

Click here to download the University of Missouri System Licensure Programs Policy

Definitions

For the purposes of this policy, the following terms apply:

1. Distance Education Student is a student enrolled in at least one distance or correspondence course in their first semester of a Licensure Program who does not live on-campus or in Missouri.
2. Licensure Program is a program designed or advertised to meet the educational requirements making a graduate eligible for a specific professional licensure or certification that is required for employment in an occupation, as determined by each university. 
3. The time of enrollment is the time in which a student has been admitted into a Licensure Program, has completed the registration requirements (except for the payment of tuition and fees), and not more than one class meeting has occurred. 

Disclosures

All Licensure Programs must: 

1. Create a list, inclusive of all states in which the program enrolls students, indicating where the program does and does not meet the educational requirements that make a graduate eligible for licensure or certification; and
2. Identify the conditions or additional requirements, including training, experience, or examinations, required to obtain the license, certification, or approval in Missouri. 

Information collected pursuant to this policy must be disclosed in a prominent manner to prospective and current students, including displaying on the program’s website, with references in the catalog and acceptance notices to students. If a program determines it does not meet the requirements or has not determined whether it meets or does not meet the requirements making a graduate eligible for licensure in the State in which a prospective student is located, the University must inform the student of this status directly. Similarly, if the University determines that a program does not meet educational requirements making the graduate eligible for licensure or certification in a State in which a current student is located after the time of enrollment, the University must provide notice directly to the current student within 14 calendar days of making that determination. 

Student Location 

The University must make an official determination regarding the State in which a Distance Education Student is located at the time of the student’s enrollment in a Licensure Program.

Location Determination for Licensure Program Disclosures:

1. Students taking all in-person courses in their first semester of a Licensure Program are located in Missouri.
2. Distance Education Students are located in the state the Student indicates in the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system (e.g., Slate) they will reside in while taking classes during their first term of enrollment in the Licensure Program. Distance Education Students for which the University does not have said information in the CRM are located in the state of the most current local address provided by the student. Distance Education Students who do not provide a local address at the time of enrollment are located in the state of the most current permanent address provided by the student. Distance Students who do not provide a local or permanent address at the time of admission are assumed to be located in the state of Missouri, unless the Student updates this information with the Office of the University Registrar. In the event of any discrepancies in the University’s record of a Student’s location, the most recently updated information will be utilized to make the determination. Any direct disclosures related to educational programs and professional licensure/certification education requirements will be based on the student’s location as set forth above.
3. Students that do not reside in any state, the District of Columbia, or U.S. Territory are located outside of the United States.

Nothing in this policy is intended to affect the University’s assessment of residency for any other purpose. 

Enrollment

Licensure Programs may enroll any student located: in the state of Missouri, a state for which it meets the educational requirements for eligibility for licensure, or outside the United States. Licensure Programs may not enroll Distance Education Students located in a state that the University has determined it does not meet such requirements or it has not determined whether the program will meet such requirements without an attestation that the Distance Education Student intends to seek licensure and employment in a specific state for which the Licensure Program meets the educational requirements for eligibility for licensure.

Attestation

The attestation process should document a comprehensive process of education and advisement relating to a student’s intent moving from the state they currently reside to another state for the purposes of seeking employment. Whether the attestation is maintained as a hardcopy or in electronic format, it must be accessible at the request from a University auditor or Department of Education compliance official.