Missouri State University's FY 2027 MoExcels Funding

Missouri State University’s FY 2027 MoExcels project will help address Missouri’s critical shortage of psychologists and the state's rising mental health needs. Missouri State seeks to expand its PsyD program, explore the opportunity to establish a PhD program in psychology and strengthen its undergraduate psychology program.

The funding will support renovations to repurpose a currently underutilized building to provide modernized classrooms, research labs and clinical spaces. These will expand capacity and ensure high-quality training at every level, creating a comprehensive pathway to meet Missouri’s urgent mental health workforce needs.

Missouri State University offers the only doctoral program in psychology in southwest Missouri. Our program partners with Burrell Behavioral Health, the Alliance for Healthcare Education, Mercy health system, CoxHealth and the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, all of which are supportive of this proposal. Students earn clinical hours as part of their program and have other educational opportunities across the region.

This funding will enable long-term, sustainable growth in the high-demand fields of study in mental health, while simultaneously increasing access to all students in associated disciplines on the Springfield campus.

Missouri State has made recent investments in the building that houses these psychology degree programs. Specifically, in FY 2025, the university dedicated $2,500,000 towards renovations of the first and second floors of the building for the psychology program, including new ceilings, lights, paint and flooring. A classroom wall was removed to create an open student area; two student study rooms and two new offices were added; and a restroom was updated for ADA compliance. Additionally, the heating system and mechanical, electrical and plumbing were modified.

If awarded, the MoExcels funding would further elevate the program and increase capacity by more than 150%. This helps ensure more students could be served, increasing the mental health profession pipeline in southwest Missouri and across the state.