Western begins course offerings at shared facilities with Cooley

Western Michigan University will begin offering master's level courses at WMU Cooley Law School campuses in Auburn Hills, Lansing, and Tampa Bay, Florida. A partner in an affiliation agreement that led to the naming of the Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2014, the University will begin full course offerings for programs on the law school's campuses this fall. On Sept. 5, the first cohorts will begin at the new locations with programs that will be offered using a hybrid format with no more than three face-to-face class meetings per month and the remaining course work completed online. Programs being offered include: - A Master of Arts in organizational change leadership at WMU Cooley in Auburn Hills - A Master of Public Administration at WMU Cooley in Lansing - A Master of Science in engineering management at WMU Cooley in Tampa Bay. "Our program offerings in Auburn Hills, Lansing and Tampa Bay have been developed for specific needs in each region," says WMU's Dr. Dawn Gaymer, associate provost for Extended University Programs. "WMU is committed to offering master's level programs for working professionals, and our hybrid format helps individuals achieve their educational goals while maintaining a career." Near major businesses and Fortune 500 company headquarters, WMU-Auburn Hills is sharing facilities with WMU Cooley's campus, located at 2630 Featherstone Road. WMU-Lansing will now be housed at the law school's 10-story downtown building, located at 300 South Capitol Ave. WMU-Tampa Bay is at the law school's campus located at 9445 Camden Field Pkwy in Riverview, just 15 minutes from downtown Tampa. "We are proud to deepen our affiliation with Western Michigan University by sharing educational facilities in these key regions," says WMU Cooley Associate Dean Nelson Miller. "A shared facilities plan was part of the original affiliation agreement and helps both WMU and WMU Cooley Law School become key educational partners in these communities." WMU's Master of Public Administration program being offered through WMU-Lansing provides a foundation in the principles of public administration, addresses the practical responsibilities of the public manager and reflects on the task of administrative leadership. The program's mission is to integrate research, teaching and service in a manner than enhances leadership skills, administrative capacities and management practices in local, state and national public-serving organizations. The MPA curriculum emphasizes evaluating the administrative environment and addresses the economic, cultural, historical and political environment in which a student's agency operates. WMU's School of Public Affairs and Administration is home to one of the nation's largest accredited MPA programs. WMU's program is accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration. WMU's Master of Arts in organizational change leadership is a human resource development program offered at WMU-Auburn Hills in an accelerated format. The 33-credit accelerated program format provides students with an opportunity to complete the program in five semesters while meeting only one Saturday per month each semester. The program's mission is to develop enterprising practitioners who have the ability to apply both scholarly and practice-based knowledge to lead effective change in diverse contexts, including domestic and cross-cultural settings. The Master of Science in engineering management is a 30-credit graduate hybrid program of regularly scheduled online instruction with face-to-face meetings three weekends per semester at WMU-Tampa Bay. Students can complete the degree in two years. The master's in engineering management has been developed to meet industry demands for professional leaders and decision-makers in manufacturing, process engineering and service operations. Some course offerings include concepts and principles of engineering management, capital budgeting, project management and production and quality management. Upon completion of the program, students will earn certifications from the American Society for Engineering Management, the Project Management Institute, and the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineering. WMU's Department of Industrial and Entrepreneurial Engineering and Engineering Management is a registered education provider for the Project Management Institute. More information regarding these programs and the nearly 350 online courses offered through WMU can be found online at wmich.edu/extended/academics. Published: Thu, Aug 10, 2017