The University of Michigan-Dearborn serves the community through a distinctive approach to higher education that merges the highest traditional values in teaching, research, and professional service with a strong and steadfast commitment to advancing prosperity and quality of life in metropolitan Detroit.

The University of Michigan-Dearborn was established in 1959 through a gift of land and $6.5 million from Ford Motor Company to the University of Michigan. Ford sought to create an intensive work-study environment for students in order to supply the industry with top entry-level talent in business and engineering. The University saw an opportunity to begin to address the specific needs of metropolitan Detroit and its environs by applying theoretical knowledge to the problems of business and manufacturing.

The campus now serves the needs of a complex region by providing the academically excellent education of the University of Michigan and a wide variety of applied research and community engagement projects. The Institute for Local Government, the Environmental Interpretive Center, the Institute for Advanced Vehicle Systems, the Center for Arab American Studies, and other programs are creating new knowledge focused on specific business, educational, civic, and environmental priorities in the region.

A vibrant campus located in the center of the state's economic engine, the University of Michigan-Dearborn offers excellent opportunities for students to take part in applied research, co-operative education, and internship programs at a wide variety of locally and internationally based businesses and organizations. These experiences reinforce and augment a challenging academic environment, including a curriculum based in the liberal arts and sciences. Together they provide a solid base for success beyond the classroom.

The University of Michigan-Dearborn successfully addresses the broad spectrum of educational needs of individuals in a diverse metropolitan community. We offer undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs not only at traditional times and places, but also in ways that make higher education accessible to non-traditional students and working professionals.

Much of the growth the campus has experienced in the last decade is attributable to increases in master's degree and professional programs. In a growing number of fields, the master's degree is now the first professional degree needed for entry. Master's level programs are in demand by those preparing for a first job and by those working in their field but in need of an advanced degree to fulfill their career aspirations. Our College of Engineering and Computer Science graduate programs, for example, with 815 students currently enrolled, allow practicing professionals to acquire advanced knowledge while working.

But top quality undergraduate education remains the base, tradition, and primary focus of the University of Michigan-Dearborn. We are committed to providing our undergraduate students with a strong foundation in the liberal arts and sciences and to helping them develop the knowledge and skills needed for personal and workplace success.

By combining the primary task of higher education -- the generation and transfer of knowledge -- with a commitment to meeting the evolving needs of the community, the University makes a unique contribution to southeastern Michigan.

The University of Michigan-Dearborn is a student-centered institution of higher learning. The campus has had great success in attracting and retaining an exceptional faculty with a genuine commitment to both education and research. Our faculty members are noted for both their individual contributions to theoretical and applied research and their skill at working across disciplines to find answers to new questions. They are also committed to teaching and to providing students with opportunities to participate in valuable research projects that add substantially to the student educational experience.

Our faculty is highly accessible. The quantity and quality of interactions among faculty and students, both inside and outside our classrooms and laboratories, set this campus apart. Students benefit enormously from a faculty that is noted for its commitment to teaching.

The University of Michigan-Dearborn attracts talented and motivated students. Average ACT scores of incoming freshmen have been higher than their counterparts at Oakland University, UD-Mercy, and Wayne State University every year for the last 10 years.

Our student body reflects the broad diversity of the surrounding communities in terms of race, ethnicity and age. Most of our students work; many have responsibilities for managing households and for caring for children, siblings, or older relatives.

This diversity enhances and broadens students' learning experience. They are challenged by the variety of perspectives they encounter in their classrooms. They are encouraged to consider the validity of different viewpoints and to understand that in a global economy, disparate individuals and groups must work together towards sustainable, long-term, and mutually beneficial goals.

Our students are committed to reaching their educational goals, and they work hard to attain them. Forty percent of our undergraduates complete a co-operative or internship program before they graduate. Eighty-five percent of all students work while attending classes. These serious students attend the University of Michigan-Dearborn because it has a reputation for academic excellence, because they are confident that the education they receive here will prepare them for success, and it is accessible in terms of both cost and location.

Among the challenges we must face and the problems we must solve — as a region, a state, and a nation — are the creation of a sustainable urban environment, the assurance of economic competitiveness, heightened racial and ethnic understanding, and improvements to our K-12 education and health systems. We must begin to address those challenges locally by creating productive and synergistic relationships among the diverse populations and organizations that make up our metropolitan Detroit community. The University of Michigan-Dearborn is prepared to provide the community with the leadership to make that happen.

Making a Difference: The Campaign for UM-Dearborn

The Campaign for UM-Dearborn will give us the resources to build on our commitment to academic excellence, real-world applicability, and our productive engagement with metropolitan Detroit.

The Campaign will enable us to respond to the changing educational needs of our metropolitan community. It will increase student access to the best post-secondary education available in metropolitan Detroit. It will allow us to hire the best faculty and staff. And it will strengthen our partnerships with leaders in education, business, and government.

Our Vision

We aim to be a nationally recognized success as a "Metropolitan University" — a university that contributes to civic engagement, economic development, social health, and cultural vitality through teaching, research, and professional outreach.

We envision the University of Michigan-Dearborn as the intellectual hub of metropolitan Detroit — the place where advanced theoretical and applied knowledge is brought to bear on the problems of education, industry, race, and the environment.

We envision the University of Michigan-Dearborn as a totally inclusive campus — a campus that offers all those who possess the talent and motivation to thrive the opportunity to do so.

We envision a positive and productive social and economic future for the University of Michigan-Dearborn, the metropolitan Detroit region, the state of Michigan, and the nation.

We envision the University of Michigan-Dearborn as the premier institution of higher education in service to the metropolitan Detroit community.