Michigan Technological University

College Detail


Michigan Technological University

School Summary
Type: Public Higher Education Institution
Total campus enrollment: No Data Available
Religious affiliation: Non-denominational
Setting: Small Town Setting
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In-Depth Description
Michigan Technological University

The University

Michigan Technological University students create the future in arts, humanities, and social sciences; business and economics; computing; engineering; forestry and environmental science; sciences; and technology. More than 6,700 students from all fifty states and more than eighty nations enjoy beautiful Upper Michigan while pursuing associate, bachelors, masters, and Ph.D. degrees. Michigan Tech is rated among the nations best universities and as a tech powerhouse by the Princeton Review. In addition, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Michigan Tech in the top tier of national universities, and its mechanical and environmental engineering departments are ranked in the top twenty-five. Students from many majors work together on real-world industry projects as part of the Enterprise program, from video games to wireless and from homeland security to hybrid SUVs. Michigan Tech has one of the nations largest programs in scientific and technical communication and has top-ten enrollments in environmental, mechanical, and geological engineering programs.

The latest improvements on campus include a new computer science hall with numerous high-tech classrooms, a library with meeting rooms and media wall, and a tech center with plenty of laboratory space (for Enterprise and other programs) to better connect industries with faculty/student research.

More than 55 percent of students are enrolled in the College of Engineering. The College of Sciences and Arts (CSA) accounts for 23percent; Graduate School, 13percent; the School of Business and Economics, 7.3percent; the School of Technology, 7percent; and the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, 3.8percent. Michigan Techs graduate programs continue to grow in stature. Enrollment is increasing while students gain access to the latest theories, equipment, and scholarship while working closely with faculty members who are acknowledged leaders in their fields.

Michigan Tech is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Engineering programs are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), Inc.; technology programs are accredited by the Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET; and the surveying program is accredited by the Related Accreditation Commission of ABET. The forestry program is accredited by the Society of American Foresters, the chemistry program offers American Chemical Societyapproved options, and the secondary teacher certification programs are approved by the Michigan Board of Education. The School of Business and Economics is accredited by AACSB InternationalThe Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the premier business accrediting organization in the U.S. Only about 400 U.S. business programs have earned this distinction.

Residence halls are close to classrooms and well connected. They feature ultrafast Ethernet lines, and wireless zones abound all across the campus. Residence halls also feature Finnish saunas, their own cable TV system, lounges, and weight-lifting and laundry facilities. First-year students must live in the residence halls, and they can choose from meal plans and numerous food options and eat at the cafeterias in Wadsworth, McNair, or Douglass Houghton Halls. Some cafeterias are open later, especially during exam weeks, and students can also eat, relax, and study at the Memorial Union, the center of campus life and home to many student organization offices, the bookstore, billiards, and a bowling alley. Guides to off-campus housing are available.

In athletics, the hockey Huskies have been national champions three times and compete in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, which has produced five of the last six NCAA Division I National Champions. Football, mens and womens basketball, tennis, cross-country, track, and womens volleyball teams compete in the Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference against teams from Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Illinois. The mens basketball team has been rated numberone in NCAA Division II, the womens basketball team has finished as high as third in the nation, and the football team hosted an NCAA Division II playoff game in 2004. Most Michigan Tech students compete in intramural sports in everything from Ultimate Frisbee to wrestling and from water polo to floor hockey. Club sports include lacrosse, womens hockey, and paintball. The biggest game on campus, however, is broomball, where students slide around on ice and hit a volleyball with brooms. The Student Development Complex includes a health center, swimming and diving pools, gyms (one with a running track), a rifle range, an ice arena, a weight room, and more. A community health center and new child-care center are located nearby.

Traditions include K-Day, which is an afternoon to enjoy McLain State Park on the shores of Lake Superior, the worlds largest freshwater lake. The Parade of Nations is a celebration (including food) of the eighty nations of the world that have students and faculty and staff members at Michigan Tech. At Homecoming, students dress in their worst attire and parade through the campus in autos that barely run. During homecoming weekend, students enjoy a football game, a Hobo Mixer, and various special events. The biggest event is Winter Carnival, when massive snow statues emerge on campus and in the towns. Skits, queen competitions, first-class entertainment, ice hockey, and tourists everywhere make this a great experience. Before finals, students take a break on the campus mall for Spring Fling and celebrate with games, food booths, music, and more.

Location

Michigan Tech is situated on the Keweenaw Waterway in the hills of Houghton in a safe, friendly environment. The local area offers abundant opportunities for outdoor recreation, including the Universitys own ski hill; cross-country skiing, running, and biking trails; and golf course. A waterfront jogging and biking trail cuts through the campus. Houghton is located about 4 hours drive from Green Bay, 7 hours from Minneapolis, and 10 hours from Detroit. The Houghton County Memorial Airport has daily flights to Minneapolis that connect to other major cities; bus service to Houghton is also available.

Majors and Degrees

The School of Technology awards Bachelor of Science degrees in computer network and system administration, construction management, electrical engineering technology, industrial technology, mechanical engineering technology, and surveying engineering.

The College of Engineering offers Bachelor of Science degrees in applied geophysics, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, engineering (mechanical design or manufacturing), environmental engineering, geological engineering, geology, materials science and engineering, and mechanical engineering.

The School of Business and Economics awards Bachelor of Science degrees in business administration, with concentrations in accounting, finance, management, management information systems, marketing, and operations and systems management, and economics.

The School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science awards Bachelor of Science degrees in applied ecology and environmental sciences, forestry, and wildlife ecology and management.

The College of Sciences and Arts awards Bachelor of Science degrees in anthropology, applied physics, audio production and technology, biochemistry and molecular biology, bioinformatics, biological sciences, cheminformatics, chemistry, clinical laboratory science, communication and cultural studies, computer science, computer systems science, exercise science, mathematics, pharmaceutical chemistry, physics, preprofessional programs (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and law), psychology, scientific and technical communication, social sciences, software engineering, and theater and entertainment technology. The CSA awards the Bachelor of Arts degree in communication and culture studies, liberal arts, scientific and technical communication, sound design, and theater and entertainment technology. The College of Sciences and Arts also awards a two-year associate degree in humanities.

The secondary education program offers certification in biology, business education, chemistry, computer science, earth science, economics, English, mathematics, physics, social studies, and technology and design.

Michigan Tech offers certificate programs in design engineering, industrial forestry, international business, media, mine environmental engineering, modern language and area study, and writing. An advanced certificate in modern language and area study and a graduate certificate in sustainability are also offered.

Michigan Techs minors are aerospace studies, American studies, applied geophysics, art, astrophysics, biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, communication studies, computer science, earth sciences, ecology, economics, electronic materials, engineered wood products, enterprise, environmental studies, ethics and philosophy, geological engineering, historical studies, international modern languages (French, German, or Spanish), international studies, journalism, manufacturing, mathematical sciences, microbiology, military arts and science, mineral processing, mining, modern languages (French, German, or Spanish), municipal engineering, music, physics, plant biotechnology, plant sciences, polymer science and engineering, product design, psychology, remote sensing, social and behavioral studies, state of Michigan secondary teacher certification (see options above), structural materials, technical theater, and theater arts.

Academic Program

Michigan Tech operates on a fifteen-week fall and spring semester system, and there are three options available for summer: two 7-week tracks and one 14-week track. Typically, it takes 130 credits to graduate, but the amount varies by department. Students must also complete the general education requirements, which seek to develop in each student fundamental scholastic habits of careful reading, communication, critical reasoning, and balanced analysis and argument; the habit of applying multiple disciplinary perspectives in interpretation, analysis, and creative problem solving; respect for diversity and awareness of complex contexts of their study and their work; and knowledge of a broad range of topics and disciplines complementary to the major. Some graduate courses are open to undergraduates with faculty approval. The International Programs and Services Office helps international students adjust to life in Houghton. Nearly 600 students come from approximately eighty other nations to study at Michigan Tech. Students may also study abroad in one of thirty nations, improving their global perspective.

Off-Campus Programs

The Career Center works with more than 200 industries, businesses, and organizations to help students find cooperative, internship, and summer employment opportunities. Job fairs are held on campus and elsewhere in the region. Co-op assignments earn academic credits; internships do not. Michigan Tech students average seven job interviews before they graduate.

Academic Facilities

The J.R. Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library contains more than 800,000 volumes and regularly receives approximately 10,000 serials and periodicals. The library is a designated depository for official international, U.S. government, and Michigan state documents and for the U.S. Army Map Service. The archives maintain a collection of original materials concerning the history of the Keweenaw region, including the records of various copper-mining companies. The Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts is within walking distance of all residence halls and features nationally known lecturers, musicians, comedians, and theatrical performers as well as Michigan Techs own productions. The student-run newspaper, the Lode, has won national and state awards, and the campus radio station, WMTU, allows students to be disc jockeys. The A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum, the official Mineralogical Museum of Michigan, is the home of one of the nations premier collections of crystals, minerals, and ores. The collection contains more than 30,000 specimens, including the worlds finest display from Michigans copper- and iron-mining districts.

Costs

Annual tuition is $9180 for Michigan residents and $20,940 for out-of-state students for an academic year; room and board are $7315. Required fees and computer fees total approximately $1100, and books and supplies total approximately $1000.

Financial Aid

Currently, 87percent of Michigan Techs students receive financial aid, totaling nearly $50million annually. Four kinds of assistance are available to Michigan Tech students, including scholarships, which are awarded on the basis of student potential and, in some cases, financial need; grants, which are provided by the federal or state government or by Michigan Tech and do not need to be repaid; student loans, in which the interest charged is below regular interest rates (payment of the interest and principal on need-based loans does not begin until after students leave Michigan Tech); and part-time employment, which consists of on-campus student employment opportunities. The financial aid process begins with filing an application for admission. Students should apply for admission by January15 of the year in which they plan to enroll. Michigan Tech students rank in the top twenty-five nationally in the least amount of debt owed when they gqraduate, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Faculty

Most of the 412 faculty members possess terminal degrees. Ninety-five percent of undergraduate classes are taught by faculty members, and the student-faculty ratio is 12:1. Faculty members at Michigan Tech balance teaching and research and have long been known for their student guidance.

Student Government

Undergraduate Student Government and the Graduate Student Council are the two agencies of student involvement in University governance. Fraternities and sororities maintain a strong presence on campus, and there are more than 180 student organizations to choose from, including academic/professional, ethnic/cultural, service, religious, sporting, governmental, media, and honor societies. It is a great way for students to get involved and gain teamwork and leadership experience.

Admission Requirements

Michigan Tech has a selective admissions policy. The University admits only those applicants who give definite evidence that they are qualified through education, academic capability, aptitudes, interests, and character to complete the Universitys requirements. Once students are accepted for admission, every effort is made by the faculty and staff members to help students realize their potential.

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