Campus Updates

First-rate facilities support world-class academics and research, and UMKC is paving the way for excellence. The university has announced and begun construction on major projects, all of which will help meet key strategic goals. By the 2026 Fall Semester, six key developments will be complete, setting UMKC up for success for decades to come.

Health Sciences Updates

Healthcare Delivery and Innovation Building

In October 2024, UMKC marked the start of construction on its new Healthcare Delivery and Innovation Building (HDIB) with a celebration on the corner of 25th and Charlotte streets, where this five-story, 160,000-square-foot signature building will soon rise from the ground. UMKC envisions that the new building will catalyze growth in the UMKC Health Sciences District, a collective entity that includes four UMKC health professions schools, University Health, Children’s Mercy and numerous other healthcare organizations in an 18-block area on Hospital Hill.

  • The project was first unveiled to the public in October 2023 as the largest capital improvement project in UMKC history.
  • Set to be completed in 2026, the $145 million building will be home to combined space for medical and dental programs, including the School of Dentistry Clinic, which provides up to $750,000 annually in uncompensated dental care for the community.
  • The Health Equity Institute, a biomedical engineering program and the Data Science and Analytics Innovation Center are other key UMKC endeavors that will also be housed in the building.

School of Medicine, St. Joseph Campus

Construction on the new, two story, 22,000-square-foot medical education building began in April 2024, with the project on track to be completed in June 2025. The $14.5 million medical building in St. Joseph, Missouri, will sit within 600 feet of Mosaic Life Care Hospital, where School of Medicine operations are currently housed.

  • The first floor of the building is dedicated to simulation learning. This includes four patient simulation exam rooms and a fifth that is slightly larger. Also included are a standardized patient staging area, debrief room, and a high-fidelity training room and simulation office space.
  • The second floor of the building is dedicated to classroom learning. Students will have access to six large group study rooms, six small student study rooms, open area for student studying, a clinical research data analytics room, prayer room, mother’s room, wellness room and kitchen areas.

Missouri is facing a severe physician shortage, with nearly half of the rural counties in the state lacking adequate access to hospital healthcare. Research shows medical students who have experience in rural medicine during their training programs are more likely to practice medicine in rural settings. This new facility will transform healthcare access for millions of Missourians by training future healthcare providers who are committed to rural medicine, supporting research and providing care to people in St. Joseph and the surrounding area.

Volker Campus Updates

Foodiverse

A new campus dining concept called the Foodiverse brings a food-parlor environment to the first floor of the Student Union on the Volker Campus. Foodiverse opened in 2025 and replaces the previous dining options, adding new amenities to the UMKC campus and surrounding community.

  • The Foodiverse is closer to residence halls and a short distance from the future Volker Campus Kansas City Streetcar stop.
  • The Foodiverse features eight food concepts, including a full-service Starbucks, full-service Chick-fil-A and other food options from vegetarian to pizza.

Student Success Complex Phase One

Opening for the Fall 2025 Semester, the fourth floor of the Miller Nichols Library will now house student-success programs focused on academic support.

  • Additions will include a new First Gen Den, where First Gen Roo Scholars can meet with their mentors, as well as open study spaces for all students, meeting rooms and laptop stations.
  • Student-success programs such as Supplemental Instruction, Academic Support and Mentoring, Peer Academic Leadership and First Gen Roo will gain areas to meet with students in their programs and updated classroom space.
  • The updated space will also be home to offices for Undergraduate Research, Bloch Scholars, KC Scholars and the Men of Color Academy.

Student Success Complex Phase Two

Scheduled to start in May 2025 and open for Fall 2026 Semester, the Atterbury Student Success Center will be renovated to concentrate key support services for students that will help them complete their degree.

  • The renovated space will continue to include Admissions, the Center for Transfer Students and Adult Learners, Roo Advising, Career Services, Professional Career Escalators, University College and International Student Affairs Office.
  • An inviting Welcome Center will be created with a two-story atrium to host prospective students and their families.
  • The Professional Wardrobe Studio, which helps outfit students who are preparing for their careers, will be co-located with Career Services. It will be set up for students to browse professional clothing options and will include fitting rooms and a headshot photobooth.
  • UMKC Central, a one-stop shop for students, and the Financial Wellness Center, will move from their current location at the Administrative Center to Atterbury.

Roo Plaza

Opened during the Fall 2024 Semester, the pedestrian plaza closes 51st St. from Cherry to Rockhill to provide a walkable area for campus and community use.

  • UMKC administrators are engaging with various constituent groups to gather feedback about amenities to be added to the walkway. Enhancements, including furniture and lighting, will continue through the Spring 2025 Semester.
  • Several design features have been proposed, including integrated planters and street art, yard games and sport courts, and café-style tables and chairs.

New Programs, New Opportunities

New doctorate, master’s and bachelor's programs bring in new students and career possibilities

UMKC has added 11 new programs to its catalog, creating new opportunities for students based on needs in the Kansas City community.

Beginning in Fall 2025, eight new Ph.D. programs will bring in new grant opportunities to university faculty and students. The programs are in:

  • electrical and computer engineering
  • mechanical engineering
  • civil engineering
  • computer science
  • economics
  • education
  • humanities
  • natural sciences

The School of Law has added a new Master of Legal Studies degree. The program, aimed at working adults, is entirely online. The degree allows individuals from a variety of backgrounds, including healthcare, human resources and corporate industry, to further their legal knowledge.

UMKC has become the first public university in Missouri to offer a Bachelor of Architecture degree. With numerous internationally renowned architectural and design firms in Kansas City, students receive real-world knowledge and experience during their time at the university. The architecture program, part of the School of Science and Engineering, includes the Innovation Studio, located inside the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise and Research Center, where community firms work on design prototyping and fabrication.

The Henry W. Bloch School of Management has added a Master of Business Administration in Business Analytics degree. This degree will help meet significant industry demand as technological tools, including artificial intelligence and data availability, continue to advance. In the next decade, job demand in business analytics is expected to grow 26% in Missouri and 36% nationwide.

For more information on our new programs, visit our graduate admissions page.