Metropolitan Community College, founded in 1915 as the Kansas City Polytechnic Institute, is the oldest public institution of higher learning in Kansas City, Mo., and was the first community college established in Missouri. The Junior College of Kansas City, as it was known starting in 1919, was one of the first schools in the country to award an associate degree. Today, MCC offers 125 associate degree and certificate programs.

Metropolitan Community College comprises five campuses on the Missouri side of the Greater Kansas City area — 47 major buildings and about 550 acres in all.

MCC-Blue River | 20301 E. 78 Highway, Independence, MO 64057 
So named because it’s in the heart of “Blue River country,” includes the Public Safety Institute, which houses police and fire academies. The nearby Precision Driving Center is a 54-acre complex complete with an urban driving course and skid pad that trains public safety and transportation professionals as well as student drivers. Cyber security is one of many Blue River degree programs. Readers of the Examiner newspaper voted Blue River “Best Trade School” in 2015. Each spring, the campus holds All for the Children, a resource fair offering fun activities (including a 5K run) and child abuse prevention education for parents and kids. MCC-Blue River is also home to the Metropolitan Chorale of Kansas City. MCC Wolves sports programs housed at Blue River: men’s and women’s soccer.
 

MCC-Business & Technology | 1775 Universal Ave., Kansas City, MO 64120 
Home to a long list of technical and career programs. Campus features include the prototype lab (with three 3D printers and a $50,000 FARO scanner), the Fab Lab (with all kinds of equipment and tools), a line yard for linemen students, an HVAC lab (featuring dozens of air conditioners and freezers), a machine shop with 20 mill and lathe machines, and labs dedicated to welding, Cisco and industrial technology (including several robots). MCC-Business & Technology hosts the KC FIRST Robotics Competition each year. The campus boasts a large exhibition hall that is available for public use.
 

MCC-Longview | 500 S.W. Longview Road, Lee’s Summit, MO 64081
Overlooks Longview Lake and is on land donated by the family of lumber baron R.A. Long. The campus includes a nationally prominent automotive technology program and the Longview Cultural Arts Center (home to the Summit Theatre Group and the Kansas City Chorus of Sweet Adelines). Hundreds attend MCC-Longview’s Flights of Fancy kite festival each spring, and the Common Read program encourages the campus and community to read and discuss one noteworthy book. The community education program includes College for Kids each summer. The Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce named MCC-Longview business of the year in 2013. Longview was a Time magazine/Princeton Review “College of the Year” in 2001. MCC Wolves sports programs housed at Longview: men's and women’s cross country, women's volleyball, men's and women's golf.
 

MCC-Maple Woods | 2601 N.E. Barry Road, Kansas City, MO 64156
A St. Joseph site at Hillyard Technical Center, 3434 Faraon St., is managed through the Maple Woods campus.
In Kansas City’s Northland gets its name from a nearby stand of sugar maple trees. The campus boasts an outstanding veterinary technology program, a geographic information systems (GIS) program and a foreign language interpreting program. Maple Woods’ annual Storytelling Celebration attracts thousands each fall to locations throughout the Kansas City area. Its community education program includes motorcycle training and College for Kids. The Northland Human Services Center on campus houses area social service agencies as well as the Maple Woods fitness center. MCC Wolves sports programs housed at Maple Woods: baseball and softball. The campus includes the Sports Training Center.
 

MCC-Penn Valley | 3201 Southwest Trafficway, Kansas City, MO 64111
Penn Valley’s campus also includes the Health Science Institute, 3444 Broadway.
Near Penn Valley Park in midtown Kansas City, is made up of connected buildings. The campus includes the Francis Institute for Child and Youth Development, the Carter Center for Visual Arts and Imaging Technology, the English as a Second Language (ESL) and the Brooks Institute (named for KC justice advocate Alvin Brooks). The Metropolitan Jazz Workshop is a Penn Valley community education program for middle school and high school musicians. A few blocks south of the main campus is the Health Science Institute, a state-of-the-art facility that houses more than a dozen health-care programs and the Virtual Hospital. MCC Wolves sports programs housed at Penn Valley: men’s and women’s basketball.