University of Michigan-Flint

The Office of Graduate Programs will host two general open houses for all UM-Flint graduate programs Winter 2012.  The Winter Open Houses will be held February 15 and February 21 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. each night.  The open houses feature faculty and staff from each graduate program meeting one-on-one or in small groups for anyone interested in any program offered at UM-Flint.  A Financial Aid representative and graduate admissions staff are also available.

The School of Management will be hosting several MBA 101 Info Sessions from January through July 2012 for people who wish to learn more about UM-Flint's MBA programs. 

Rackham Fellowship applications are being accepted for the Winter 2012 term.  They are due in Graduate Programs by 5:00 p.m. on 12/1/11.  Students in Rackham programs (MLS, MPA, MA in Arts Administration) are eligible to apply.  Please see http://www.umflint.edu/graduateprograms/rackham_fellowship.htm for more information.

Current and future public health professionals have a new opportunity to further their chosen careers with a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree now offered by the University of Michigan-Flint.

The UM-Flint Department of Public Health and Health Services (PHHS) is collaborating with the University of Michigan School of Public Health to offer the MPH by combining the Ann Arbor Certificate in Foundations of Public Health (CFPH) program with additional UM-Flint coursework. The successful candidate will also earn the CFPH.

A significant portion of the courses may be completed online, including 100% of the Ann Arbor CFPH. The online courses are offered through high quality course management systems, and are taught by the same faculty who teach on-campus courses. University of Michigan faculty are true “leaders and best”-experienced, tested, and respected experts in their fields.

“The UM Flint MPH program offers a new and unique option for individuals living in Michigan to pursue an advanced degree in public health,” says Nancy Janz, associate dean and professor of health behavior and health education, of the University of Michigan School of Public Health.  “We are very excited to partner with Flint, providing our on-line core public health curriculum as part of the program. We hope this new collaboration will capture the interest of individuals wanting to make a difference in the public health of residents in our State and worldwide.”

“Students who enter the Masters of Public Health program will learn from nationally known scholars of public health from both the Flint and the Ann Arbor campuses of the University of Michigan,” said  SHPS Interim Dean Donna Fry. “This unique educational opportunity will prepare students to provide leadership to public health organizations and agencies to navigate through the changing world of health care reform.”

A 2009 comprehensive needs assessment of national public health trends, and health status indicators of the Flint population document the need for this graduate degree. The MPH degree  is experiencing increased demand throughout the world as the need and expectation for high quality public health services continue to grow. With the passage of national health care reform, the demand for research and development of health programs is expected to dramatically increase.

The demographics of the current public health workforce are also driving the demand for the MPH degree. Statistics from the Association of Schools of Public Health indicate that there were 50,000 fewer public health employees in 2000 than in 1980. The need is expected to grow as the current workforce nears retirement, and that created an increased demand for the Master of Health degree around the world.

At its April 19 meeting, CAPTE approved a ten-year accreditation of the professional Doctor of Physical Therapy degree with no citations. This is the maximum length of accreditation a DPT program can receive.

The University of Michigan-Flint was selected by the U.S. News Media Group to be included in its recently released “Best Nursing School Rankings.” The UM-Flint master’s nursing program ranked in the top 23% of 467 schools included in the survey.

As part of the U.S.News & World Report 2012 Best Graduate Schools rankings, master’s degree programs in nursing were assessed based on a peer survey of deans, other administrators, and/or faculty at accredited degree programs or schools in each discipline. This is U.S. News’s first ranking of graduate nursing programs in four years. Only fully accredited programs in good standing during the survey period were ranked.

“UM-Flint is proud to have the master’s nursing program nationally ranked. With more than four times as many RNs in the United States as physicians, nursing delivers an extended array of health care services, including primary and preventive care by advanced, independent, board certified nurse practitioners,” said UM-Flint’s Director of Nursing Margaret Andrews, Ph.D.  “UM-Flint prepares family, adult, and psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioners with master’s and doctoral degrees.”

UM-Flint currently has a federal grant that provides a $22,000 stipend for five nurses each year, for the next five years, who study in the accelerated 16-month program to prepare Adult Nurse Practitioners. Upon completion of the program, graduates will provide primary care services for adults and the elderly.

“Based on federal government forecasts, the demand for jobs in the healthcare industry is expected to grow in the coming decade,” said Brian Kelly, editor of U.S. News & World Report. “The new and updated Best Nursing Schools rankings guide will serve as an essential resource for anyone considering professional development in this arena.”

The University of Michigan-Flint School of Management is an outstanding business school, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company features the school in the new 2011 edition of its book, The Best 300 Business Schools (Random House/Princeton Review).

According to Robert Franek, Princeton Review senior vice president-publishing, "We are pleased to recommend UM-Flint to readers of our books as one of the best institutions they could attend to earn an MBA. We chose the 300 business schools in this book based on our high opinion of their academic programs and offerings, as well as our review of institutional data we collect from the schools. We also strongly consider the candid opinions of students attending the schools who rate and report on their campus experiences at their schools on our survey for the book."

"Our school is delighted with the prominent recognition provided by the Review", states School of Management Dean Helmuth. "The excellence of our program is a reflection of the high quality students, faculty, staff and business community that supports such external acclaim."

The Best 300 Business Schools: 2011 Edition has two-page profiles of the schools with write-ups on their academics, student life, and admissions, plus ratings for their academics, selectivity, and career placement services.

The Princeton Review does not rank the business schools in the book on a single hierarchical list from 1 to 300, or name one business school best overall. Instead, the book has 11 ranking lists of the top 10 business schools in various categories.

The University of Michigan-Flint is an AACSB accredited university at both the undergraduate and graduate level. UM-Flint is also ranked nationally as one of the top 50 schools for the part-time MBA program.

For additional information visit the Princeton Review website: www.PrincetonReview.com

The University of Michigan-Flint will receive $1,425,600 to help with expanding Advanced Nursing Education. U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin, both D-Mich., announced $13,322,537 in grants for nine projects across the state to train primary health care workers in Michigan. The funding was made available through the Prevention and Public Health Fund under the Affordable Care Act.

UM-Flint is one of just 26 schools of nursing to be selected for the grant to increase full-time enrollment in primary care nurse practitioner (NP) and nurse midwife (NMW) programs.  It is projected that over 1,300 primary care nursing stipends will be supported through this five-year program.

"This award will directly support 30-60 graduate students who wish to become Primary Care Nurse Practitioners (NPs).  NP's are cost-effective, and part of the solution to the shortage of primary care providers," said Director of the Graduate Nursing Program Constance Creech.

"This funding will support students who want to study full time, but could not afford it previously."

According to Creech, the average Nurse Practitioner student leaves the UM-Flint graduate program with nearly $42,000 in student loans.

"By providing a stipend of $22,000 per student per year for up to two years, this funding will reduce the financial burden of attending school full-time, and help to accelerate graduation rates to increase the number of advanced practice nurses," said Barbara Kornblau, dean of the School of Health Professions and Studies.

"The Affordable Care Act will give more families access to quality, affordable health care. These funds will help make sure there are enough doctors and nurses available to treat those new patients," Stabenow said. "These investments in our health care workforce will create new, good-paying jobs and will ensure that Michigan families continue to have access to the medical care they need."

"Six months after the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, Michiganians are starting to see the very real improvements that health care reform will bring to their lives," Levin said. "These funds are just a beginning in the investments we will be making in Michigan's health care, training new primary care doctors and nurses to help Michigan families."

Find out more about the accelerated MSN program.