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The University

Western Michigan University (WMU) is one of the countrys top public universities and enjoys global recognition for its outstanding programs in aviation, fine arts, communications, and business marketing. WMU is also home to Lee Honors College, which has been in continuous operation longer than almost any other honors program in the country. Nearly 1,100 undergraduates are currently enrolled in Lee Honors College. With an increasing student demand for honors programs, the University plans to continue to enlarge Lee Honors College over the next three years.

Western Michigan University is focused on preparing its graduates for the competitive world of work as well as graduate and professional school. WMU is one of only ninety-seven public universities in the United States to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nations premier honor society. In addition, U.S. News & World Report has ranked WMU among Americas top 100 public universities for the past eight years.

With 24,433 students, WMU is Michigans fourth-largest university and one of the nations fifty largest public universities in the country. Even though it is a large university with a broad range of program offerings at both the undergraduate and graduate level, WMU maintains a comfortable student-faculty ratio of 19:1, although some lectures in general education courses can be larger. Despite its size, complexity, and variety of offerings, WMU is one of the most affordable of Michigans fifteen public universities.

Founded in 1903, WMU has seven degree-granting colleges: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, the Haworth College of Business, Education, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Fine Arts, and Health and Human Services as well as the Graduate College, to assist students pursuing advanced degrees, and the Lee Honors College. Students have 237 academic programs from which to choose, 140 of them at the undergraduate level. Because it has a vibrant graduate component that includes twenty-nine doctoral programs, the University attracts faculty members who not only enjoy teaching at the undergraduate level but have distinguished themselves nationally through their research.

WMU has focused on enhancing its out-of-class opportunities by expanding its internship opportunities and student engagement in research and service. The Haenicke Institute for Global Education provides access to study-abroad programs all over the world and supports international students coming to study at WMU.

The University is home to a diverse student body that includes students from nearly every state across the United States as well as some 967 international students from eighty-four countries. Minority students also are well represented and make up 11percent of the student population. The Universitys main campus enrollment of over 24,000 includes approximately 5,000 students who live in twenty-two campus residence halls that offer a variety of living arrangements.

There are more than 300 registered student organizations, including a wide range of Greek, academic honorary, and professional organizations. In addition, the University has nationally recognized arts programs, a lively cultural calendar, and NCAA Division I-A Mid-American and Central Collegiate Hockey Association sports teams. Its six mens and ten womens varsity sports, intramural teams, and club sports add vitality to campus life.

Location

For more than 100 years, Kalamazoo has been home to WMU. From the dedication of East Hallthe first building on campusthe community has supported Westerns growth. Kalamazoo is an ideal college town, where business leaders recognize Western as their second-largest employer and where students and employees contribute more than $500million annually to the economy of the region. Located just 40miles from the beautiful eastern shoreline of Lake Michigan, the area embraces all four seasons with cool, sunny summers and moderate winters. Outdoor recreation abounds, from downhill skiing in winter months to every imaginable water sport available from late spring through early fall. Unlike much of eastern Michigan, southwest Michigan is composed of gently rolling hills, small recreational lakes, and dense woodlands. Fall is a particularly beautiful time to enjoy the variety of color while hiking or riding a bike on the Kal-Haven trail that connects Kalamazoo to the Lake Michigan resort town of South Haven. Nearly every weekend throughout the year Kalamazoo has something to offer its students and local residents. It is not unusual on a Saturday afternoon to find faculty members rubbing elbows with students at the annual Art Hop, Blues Festival, or Taste of Kalamazoo.

Kalamazoo, a city of more than 75,000, offers a wide array of lively entertainment including sports, such as professional baseball, hockey, and soccer; music, from jazz to heavy metal; intimate coffee houses and comedy clubs; and dining, from fast food to international cuisine. West Michigan is also home to numerous prosperous businesses, industries, and Fortune500 companies including Haworth Inc., the Whirlpool Corporation, and the Kellogg Company. Many of these companies offer internships to WMU students.

Majors and Degrees

WMU offers a range of academic majors and programs to meet nearly everyones needs. The College of Arts and Sciences offers undergraduate degrees in Africana studies; anthropology; biochemistry; biology; biomedical sciences; business-oriented chemistry; chemistry; communication studies; criminal justice; earth science; economics; English; film, video, and media studies; French; geochemistry; geography; geology; geophysics; German; global and international studies; history; hydrogeology; interpersonal communication; journalism; Latin; mathematics; organizational communication; philosophy; physics; political science; psychology; public history; public relations; religion; sociology; Spanish; statistics; student-planned major; telecommunications and information management; tourism and travel; preprofessional programs (dentistry, law, medicine); and coordinate majors (environmental studies, womens studies).

The College of Aviation offers programs in aviation flight science, aviation maintenance technology, and aviation science and administration.

The Haworth College of Business offers programs in accountancy, advertising and promotion, computer information systems, electronic business design, finance, food and consumer package goods marketing, human resource management, integrated supply matrix management, management, marketing, personal financial planning, sales and business marketing, and telecommunications and information management.

The College of Education offers programs in elementary education that emphasize language arts, mathematics, science, and social science. Secondary education students may major in art, biology, business, chemistry, earth science, English, family and consumer science, French, geography, German, health education, history, industrial technology, Latin, marketing, mathematics, music, physical education, physics, political science, school health education, Spanish, and technology and design. Other programs include athletic training, community health education, dietetics, exercise science, family studies, food service administration, industrial technology, interior design, recreation, special education, and textile and apparel studies.

The College of Engineering and Applied Sciences offers programs in aeronautical engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, computer science, construction engineering, electrical engineering, engineering graphics and design technology, engineering management technology, imaging, industrial design, industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, manufacturing engineering technology, mechanical engineering, paper engineering, and paper science.

The College of Fine Arts offers programs in art, art education, art history, dance, graphic design, jazz studies, music, music composition, music education, music history, music performance, music theater performance, music therapy, theater design, theater performance, and theater technology.

The College of Health and Human Services offers programs in interdisciplinary health services, occupational therapy, nursing, nursing (RN), social work, speech pathology and audiology, and travel instruction.

Academic Programs

WMU is committed to student academic success, beginning with the new First-Year Experience program, which utilizes small-group seminars led by senior faculty members and upperclass student mentors. The Universitys college advisers help students plan their courses of study and consider program options, while advisers in University Curriculum assist undecided students in exploring academic programs and their relationships to various careers and professions. A comprehensive general education program provides the foundation for all fields of study. The Lee Honors College provides an atmosphere of small seminar classes, opportunities for research alongside faculty members, and the chance to explore new horizons through independent study. Student academic success is recognized through University, college, and department honor societies and through the prestigious Presidential Scholar Award given to outstanding graduating seniors.

Off-Campus Programs

A host of U.S. business-industry partnerships and exchange agreements with universities and other organizations around the world provide training, research, and study-abroad opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students. In addition, the University actively assists students seeking internships in their chosen fields of study.

Academic Facilities

Western Michigan University is on Intels list of the nations 100 most wireless college campuses. WMUs network provides access to the University libraries, the Internet, and extensive campus information services. Computer labs are available across the campus, including many residence halls. Specialized labs support the work of students in engineering, graphic arts, teacher education, business, and other fields. Western Michigan Universitys new chemistry building opened in January 2007, and the new James W. and Lois I. Richmond Center for Visual Arts opened in April 2007. New construction is continuously transforming the campus while giving students access to acclaimed fine arts performance spaces, world-class aviation facilities, a leading-edge building for the College of Health and Human Services, and an innovative College of Engineering and Applied Sciences building that is located in a thriving business and research park.

Costs

A college education is one of the best investments a person can make, and, best of all, it never depreciates over time. Over a lifetime of work, WMUs graduates can expect to earn nearly $2millionmore than twice that of someone with a high school diploma. WMU is committed to keeping costs as low as possible to ensure that all qualified students have access to the University. WMUs tuition and fees are among the lowest in the state. For 200708, tuition and fee costs were $7260, and room and board costs were $7042. Books and supplies and personal and travel expenses vary based on individual factors.

Financial Aid

The University annually awards more than $200million in financial assistance to undergraduate students. Students who are qualified for need-based aid usually receive assistance through a combination of gift-aid (grants and scholarships), self-help (student loans), and employment (work-study).

A variety of academic achievement scholarships are available to students who have demonstrated academic success while in high school. These awards vary from $1000 to full tuition, and, in some instances, a combination of awards can be sufficient to cover nearly all direct costs of attendance at WMU. Most merit awards are renewable by enrolling full-time and earning a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average while at WMU. The two most recognized awards are the Medallion Scholarship and the Deans Scholarship. The Deans Scholarship is awarded to the top academic students (based on high school grades and standardized test scores) who apply for admission in early December, compete in the Medallion competition in January, and enroll the following fall semester as new, first-time students. Medallion recipients receive $10,000 annually, and the scholarship is renewable for up to four years of full-time enrollment.

There are also scholarships for students who have earned associate degrees from state and regional community colleges and who have earned high grade point averages while completing degree requirements.

Faculty

WMUs commitment to academic excellence means that many of its 913 full-time and 441 part-time faculty members conduct research. Tenured professors teach freshman-level courses, and full-time faculty members teach the majority of all courses. Plus, hundreds of these scholars have academic or research experience outside of the United States, bringing a global perspective into the classroom.

Student Government

Governance structures include the Western Student Association and its Student Senate and the Residence Hall Association. Each provides students with a wide variety of opportunities for leadership.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the University is based primarily on a combination of high school cumulative grade point average and standardized test scores (either ACT or SAT). When admission is not conclusive or admission is sought to selective or highly competitive programs, consideration is given to academic rigor of courses taken and counselor/principal recommendations, in addition to grade point averages and test scores.

To ensure academic success at WMU, all students should have completed a minimum of 4 years of English, 3 years of mathematics (through intermediate algebra), 3 years of social sciences, 2 years of natural sciences, and 2 years of the same foreign language.

Offers of admission made to students still in high school are conditional, pending graduation from high school and the Universitys review of final senior-year grades.

Transfer students with a minimum of 26 transferable hours (39 quarter hours) at the time of application and a grade point average of at least 2.0 (Caverage) are considered for admission. The trend of the most recent grades is also taken into account. Applicants with fewer than 26 transferable hours (39 quarter hours) at the time of application also must submit a high school transcript. In such cases, admission is based on both college and high school records.

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