Southwestern College and Kansas Health Science Center-Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (KHSC-KansasCOM) have announced an admissions partnership agreement, with the goal of addressing Kansas’ physician shortage.

The agreement will allow a select number of Southwestern students to accelerate their career path with a 3+4 program. Qualified students who meet KHSC-KansasCOM admission requirements will have the opportunity to begin their first year of medical school in their senior year of undergraduate studies at Southwestern. After completing their first year at KHSC-KansasCOM, they will receive their bachelor’s degree from Southwestern, thereby completing both undergraduate work and a medical degree in seven years.

(BACK ROW (left to right): Dr. Daniel Miller ‘01, member of the Southwestern College Board of Trustees; Dr. Tamara McEwen, professor of biology; chair, Division of Natural Sciences, Southwestern; Dr. Richard Winslow, associate dean of student affairs and services, KHSC-KansasCOM; Molly Fox, vice president of advancement, KHSC-KansasCOM. ​FRONT (left to right): Tiffany Masson, Psy.D., president of KHSC-KansasCOM; Dr. Elizabeth Frombgen, president of Southwestern.)

Southwestern has a long tradition of producing graduates who excel in the natural sciences. The college offers focused pre-professional pathways, including premedical, that boast an outsized placement rate of students in medical schools. 

“The partnership between Southwestern and KHSC-KansasCOM creates an excellent opportunity for our students and it deepens their connection to south-central Kansas – where many regional communities are in need of service-minded physicians,” said Liz Frombgen, Southwestern president. 

KansasCOM is the first private, nonprofit osteopathic medical school in Kansas. Partnerships like this support KHSC-KansasCOM’s mission to address the severe physician shortage across the state.

“Ninety-two of the 105 counties in Kansas are considered partially or wholly underserved. This partnership with Southwestern will allow us to help reverse this trend by getting well-qualified, Kansas-based students into the workforce at an expedited pace. It’s a win-win for our students and the health of all Kansans,” said Tiffany Masson, Psy.D., president of KHSC-KansasCOM. 

Well-qualified students at Southwestern who meet admissions criteria will have the opportunity to transition to KHSC-KansasCOM in pursuit of their medical degree beginning in the summer of 2024.

About Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (KansasCOM)
Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine welcomed its inaugural class in August 2022. Implementing a curriculum that is student-focused, patient-centered and community-based, the mission of the nonprofit institution is to train the osteopathic physician to provide effective, empathetic and innovative care to optimize the health of patients and their communities. Located in downtown Wichita, KansasCOM is the first osteopathic medical school in the state of Kansas. Learn more at KansasCOM.org.

About Southwestern College
Southwestern College is a private liberal arts college, founded in 1885 by Methodists in south-central Kansas. Today its Winfield campus is the residential hub that guides students to lives of meaning and service, with well-rounded academic and extra-curricular offerings attracting traditional-aged students from throughout the nation and world. Southwestern College Professional Studies provides options for online students in any location and has been named a top provider for persons serving in the military. The college continues to be affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission to offer bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. Learn more at sckans.edu