Missouri Innovation Campus Program Wraps Up Recruitment for 2023-27 Cohort

Students pictured (from left) are Alex Tripp, Tyson Whelan, Malachi Diehl and Blake Morris, all in the MIC program’s Software Development 2022 cohort.

The nationally recognized Missouri Innovation Campus program recently concluded recruitment for its 2023-27 MIC cohort, a group of talented sophomores from qualifying metro-area high schools. Students selected will attend the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District’s Summit Technology Academy for a half day during their junior year, returning to their home schools for the remainder of the day.

Students in the 2023-27 cohort  also will be taking two college courses in both the fall and spring semesters and will begin preparation for their internship interviews with the MIC business partners in February 2024. Pending selection by the business partners, MIC program students start their three-year, paid, year-round internship in June 2024.

The MIC program began in 2012 and is a collaboration of the University of Central Missouri, Lee’s Summit R-7 School District, Metropolitan Community College and more than 70 business and civic partners. Through the groundbreaking initiative, students enter the program just before their junior year in high school. Successful students graduate from college with a bachelor’s degree just two years after high-school graduation. A total of 33 sending high schools are eligible to send students to Summit Technology Academy and the Missouri Innovation Campus program.

The six MIC programs available to these students are Software Development, Software Engineering, Cybersecurity, Design and Drafting, Big Data/Business Analytics and Computer Information Systems.

A critical component is the internship programs with 91 percent of graduates going on to work for the MIC business partner where they completed their internship. This allows the students to gain on-the-job experience with industry-leading businesses while keeping IT and engineering talent in the metropolitan area. Also, since the students receive their first two years of tuition free, most MIC program students graduate with little to no debt.

The recruitment process for the MIC program’s 2023-27 cohort recently concluded with the last of three open house events held in early February. A program enrollment night for the new cohort will be held March 9 at the Missouri Innovation Campus.

To be eligible to apply for the MIC program, high-school sophomores must first apply and be accepted to Summit Technology Academy, have a minimum 3.0 GPA, 95 percent attendance and test into College Algebra and College English either on the ACT or Accuplacer exam.

For more information, visit the MIC program webpage.