Jayhawk Flex: Competency-Based Online Master’s Degrees
Jayhawk Flex offers competency-based, fully online master’s degrees for working professionals. Demonstrate what you know and progress at your own pace.
What is a competency-based master’s degree?
A competency-based master’s degree lets you progress by demonstrating mastery of specific skills and knowledge rather than by spending a set amount of time in class. Jayhawk Flex is KU’s fully online competency-based education model, designed for working professionals who want to build on their existing experience.
Instead of following a fixed course schedule, you advance when you’re ready. You can move more quickly through material you already know and focus your time on areas where you need to grow.
The result is a more flexible, efficient path to earning your KU degree.
Explore Jayhawk Flex Competency-Based Master’s Programs
Jayhawk Flex currently offers fully online master's degrees. Each is built on the same competency-based model – with curriculum, faculty, and outcomes specific to your field.
| Project Management | Advance your ability to lead complex projects, programs, and teams across industries. Build practical skills in planning, execution, and stakeholder management through applied work. |
| Human and Organization Performance Effectiveness (HOPE) | Improve performance across teams, systems, and organizations. Build organizational capability by aligning people, processes, and strategy to drive measurable results. |
Learn More about Jayhawk Flex
Fill out the form to receive details about KU’s Flex programs, including admissions requirements, tuition, and upcoming start dates.
How competency-based education works
Each Jayhawk Flex program is built around competencies: specific skills and knowledge areas in your field. You demonstrate mastery through real-world assessments and applied projects. Once you’ve demonstrated mastery, you move on.
You set your own pace. Already know the material? Move through it quickly. Encountering something new? Take the time you need. There’s no waiting on others and no pressure to move faster than you’re ready. The pace is yours to set.
You learn on your schedule. All Jayhawk Flex programs are fully online with no required live class sessions. Course materials are available whenever you are — early mornings, late nights, between meetings, on weekends. You're in control of when and where learning happens.
Faculty are with you throughout. Self-paced doesn't mean unsupported. KU faculty guide you through each competency, provide feedback on your assessments, and are available to help you succeed. You're in the driver's seat — but you're never navigating alone.
Earn a KU degree with a flexible, competency-based format
When you choose Jayhawk Flex, you earn a degree from the University of Kansas—one of the nation’s leading public research universities and a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU). KU’s Carnegie R1 classification reflects the highest level of research activity and academic excellence.
You earn the same KU degree as on-campus students, taught by the same faculty and held to the same academic standards. The difference is how you move through the program.
Jayhawk Flex is designed to give you more flexibility without changing the quality, rigor, or value of your degree. You're not trading quality for flexibility. You're getting both.
How does tuition work?
You pay one flat rate per term, not per class or credit hour.
- $4,165 per 16-week term (Fall and Spring)
- $2,083 per 8-week term (Summer)
Because tuition isn’t tied to individual courses, your total cost depends on how quickly you move through competencies. Make more progress in a term, and you may need fewer terms overall.
Flex programs are designed for full-time enrollment, but the amount you complete each term depends on your pace and progress.
How to pay for your degree
Jayhawk Flex is designed for working professionals, and many students use employer tuition assistance to support their education—especially given the program’s direct connection to real-world work.
Military-connected students may be eligible for VA education benefits and military tuition assistance through KU's Military-Affiliated Student Center. Program-specific scholarships are available for students in Johnson County, Kansas, and KU financial aid counselors are available to help you explore your options.
Federal financial aid may be available for qualifying students. Financial aid counselors are available to help you understand your options.