KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) – Metropolitan Community College (MCC) in Kansas City, Missouri is helping students prepare for a career in the cannabis industry, a lucrative one with nearly $2.8 billion in cumulative sales since 2020 according to state data. Not only that, but the industry also added roughly 4,000 jobs in the last year with more than 19,500 people currently working in the field.

The college started offering the following cannabis certificate courses in 2023:

• Cannabis Cultivation Specialist Certificate
• Cannabis Retail Specialist Certificate
• Cannabis Extraction & Product Development Specialist Certificate

In the year since the courses started being offered, roughly 100 students have successfully obtained a certificate, which is made possible through MCC’s Workforce and Economic Development Division and Green Flower, a marijuana education provider.

“The cannabis industry is very competitive. It’s not a requirement to have this, but all of our students find it helps differentiate them,” said Green Flower founder and CEO, Max Simon. He adds that those who complete the program typically get higher-level positions and quicker promotions.

As of now, MCC is the only higher education institution in the Kansas City metropolitan area offering cannabis certificates.

“These programs were built to be industry standards for what someone needs to know and understand to enter the cannabis industry,” said Simon.

James Colbert, a 62-year-old Marine veteran, successfully completed two of the online courses after seeing Nexstar’s FOX4’s original story from July 2023.

“Age did factor into this in a good way. As the old cliché says, ‘If I can do it, anybody can do it’,” said Colbert.

While he doesn’t actively work in the industry due to health issues, he’s hopeful to soon land a job at a local dispensary.

Tuition for each course is $750. Each program lasts nine weeks and can be completed fully online. Prospective students can enroll and begin courses at any time. 

MCC’s cannabis programs are not eligible for federal student aid, but a payment plan is available. You can find more information about MCC’s cannabis programs here.