Western Michigan University is a dynamic, globally engaged institution that combines the resources of a national research university with the support and personal attention often found at a smaller college. Taking full advantage of that combination gives students an edge in graduate school, the workplace and life.WMU is among just 100 public U.S. colleges and universities to be granted a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, America's premier honor society. Two-thirds of all classes have fewer than 30 students and most are taught by full-time professors. Advisors, career specialists, mentors and tutors are close at hand, as are dedicated offices to assist groups such as first-year and transfer students, military veterans, and students who have aged out of foster care. WMU also is among the most affordable of Michigan's 15 public universities, ranking ninth from the top in tuition and required fees. Courses are taught by well-established faculty members who bring a global perspective to the classroom. Further bolstering WMU's robust educational environment are some of the best academic and cultural facilities in the Midwest.Located in the college town of Kalamazoo, WMU is in a region of rolling hills, small lakes and dense woodlands, where outdoor recreation abounds. Students often rub elbows with faculty members at Kalamazoo's Art Hops, Mixers on the Mall and annual festivals. The city also offers a variety of museums, theatres, music, minor league sports teams, eateries, brew pubs and coffee houses. The Kalamazoo area is home to a strong businesses community that includes such international firms as Haworth, Kellogg, Stryker and Whirlpool. And more than 30 companies have chosen to locate in WMU's Business Technology and Research Park. Many area companies offer internships to WMU students. A full 68 percent of WMU students complete an internship as an undergraduate, with many of those experiences leading to offers of employment. In recent years, the University has carefully tracked the post-graduate success of its alumni and has found that within three months of graduation, 89 percent are actively engaged through employment, continuing education or military service.Diversity and sustainability are two areas of focus that set the tone on campus. Minority and international students make up 25 percent of the University's diverse student body, and graduate students make up 21 percent. The population of international students on campus represents 63 different nations. For more than three decades, the University has been a national leader in campus conservation and sustainability. Recently, its efforts and facilities in that arena have been lauded by such organizations as Second Nature and the U.S. Green Building Council. WMU offers more than 250 degree programs encompassing arts and sciences, aviation, business, education, engineering, fine arts, and health and human services. Academically talented students may join the Lee Honors College, which is among the oldest honors programs in the nation and has a student profile rivaling that of the most elite private colleges. WMU places equal emphasis on undergraduate and graduate education, and with 148 bachelor's degree programs, offers the second largest choice of majors in Michigan. Many offerings rank among the top programs of their kind in the country, giving WMU a national or international reputation in such varied fields as aviation, atomic physics, creative writing, fine arts, graph theory, jazz studies, medieval studies, paper engineering and occupational therapy. The most recent additions to WMU's roster of academic programs come from two private professional school affiliations that have created the WMU Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine and the WMU Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

Academic Grad Slug