UM-Flint prioritizes innovative degree options

from College Guide 2023

Spring Arbor University ranks among the top colleges and universities in Midwest

Jamee Taylor has a lot on her plate – she’s a mother to three kids and a full-time chemist at BASF. She has big goals and to achieve them she needs a bachelor’s degree. ankfully, the University of MichiganFlint has a program that puts earning a world-renowned degree within reach for the working mother.

Every aspect of UM-Flint’s Accelerated Online Degree Completion program was built with accessibility in mind. e accelerated, seven-week courses are o ered in a totally online, asynchronous format. e faculty and sta of the program cater to nontraditional students as well, from academic advisors who went back to college while raising a family to faculty who design curriculum that acknowledge the life experiences of working adults.

“Being a mother of three kids, being a full-time chemist, I heard about the AODC program and said ‘this is perfect for me,’” said Taylor. “Being able to nish my degree on my own time, in the evenings a er dinner and the kids are in bed, is perfect. Listening to some audiobooks for classes during my commute is actually really e cient.”

AODC students like Taylor are also eligible for an $8,000 scholarship that makes earning a college degree even more achievable – a commitment to educational accessibility that can be found throughout the UM-Flint campus.

Scholarships And Grants Available For Every Kind Of Learner

While the AODC scholarship is intended for working adults and transfer students, many scholarship opportunities at UM-Flint require nothing more than admission to the university.

First-year and transfer undergraduate students are automatically considered for merit scholarships upon admission, awards which range from $1,000 to full tuition and fees. Award amounts are determined based on GPA and standardized test scores. In addition, the Go Blue Guarantee o ers free tuition for high achieving, in-state students with family incomes of $65,000 or less and assets below $50,000. Undergraduate students are automatically considered for the Go Blue Guarantee a er gaining admission to UM-Flint and by ling the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

UM-Flint’s dedicated team of nancial aid experts work with every student to ensure they have the best possible plan for funding their education. More information can be found at um int.edu/ naid/.

Innovative Degree Options

e AODC program is a perfect t for Taylor to earn her degree without sacri cing the other important aspects of her life.

e program’s six start dates throughout the academic year mean that students are never more than a few weeks away from starting a program with the rigor and excellence necessary for career success a er graduation.

e program is one of more than 30 degree options available for totally online learners at the university, with options at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels.

To prepare students for in-demand careers and to meet employer needs in a quickly growing health care industry, UM-Flint’s College of Health Sciences is adding four new degree options for fall 2023: Exercise Science, Health Information Technology (online), Occupational erapy Accelerated Pathway and the Physical erapy Accelerated Pathway. Both the OT and PT pathways will allow students to complete the requirements for a bachelor’s degree in health sciences in three years instead of four and apply to begin the doctorate degree one year sooner than the traditional path, saving signi cant time and money.

For students interested in STEM elds, UM-Flint’s College of Innovation & Technolog o ers a wide range of degree programs designed in partnership with industry partners to meet employer needs. Also new for 2023, CIT has added a Bachelor of Science in So ware Engineering, which consists of core courses in data structures, operating systems, and so ware engineering for AI systems. e program will be o ered in several formats including face-to-face, mixed-mode and online to meet the needs of UM-Flint students in every life circumstance.

Students Level Up With Research

To better prepare students to stand out in an increasingly competitive job market, UM-Flint o ers a host of research opportunities at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. ese unique opportunities to work alongside professors on real-world projects can make the di erence when entering the workforce or applying to professional schools.

Holly Attebury, a 2020 graduate of UMFlint’s molecular biology and biotechnology program, walked away from a successful career in advertising following her father’s passing from pancreatic cancer. She made much and more. I cannot say enough about the instructors at UM-Flint,” Attebury said. “ ey were there for me. ey were there to help me achieve my dream.”

Students can even be paid while gaining research experience through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program and Summer Undergraduate Research Experience programs. Graduate students can gain employment as research assistants as part of their education.

CUTTING-EDGE CAMPUS FACILITIES

For students studying on campus, UM-Flint o ers a world-class educational environment in the heart of vibrant downtown Flint. e university’s newest academic space, the Murchie Science Building Expansion, opened its doors in 2021 and has quickly become a model for innovative learning spaces and sustainable construction.

Many instructional spaces in the expansion can be used in both lecture and lab formats, allowing a class to transition seamlessly from talking about a topic to working on that issue in real time. e space abandons conventional formats in favor of student-centered design that removes barriers to learning. More than $2 million in industry-standard equipment out t the expansion’s laboratories, including a wind tunnel in the uids lab, multiple 3D printers in the workshop and many opportunities for hands-on study in the robotics/mechatronics lab. e design of the expansion itself mirrors the concepts taught within it, as the building was awarded LEED Silver status, the most widely used green building rating system in the world and an international symbol of excellence. e MSB Expansion achieved LEED certi cation through sustainable site development, water savings, energy e ciency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

Applications Are Being Accepted

it her goal to research the disease – a mission made possible in part due to her undergraduate research. A er investigating environmental factors that may trigger metastasis in cancer with her UM-Flint professors, Attebury was accepted to the Cancer Biology PhD program at UM-Ann Arbor, where she is continuing her mission to make a di erence.

“As much as I put into each one of my courses, the professors gave me back that

UM-Flint accepts undergraduate applications on a rolling basis, meaning applications can be submitted any time throughout the year. Graduate programs have particular application dates to consider.

No matter a prospective student’s program of interest or career goals, UMFlint admissions professionals are available to guide applicants through every step of the enrollment process. ose interested can take the next step at um int.edu/ admissions.