Kettering University
Kettering University is a private university in Flint, Michigan. It offers bachelor of science and master’s degrees in STEM and business. Kettering University undergraduate students must complete at least five co-op terms to graduate.
Kettering University is named after inventor and former head of research for General Motors, Charles F. Kettering. He was a distinguished inventor, researcher, and proponent of cooperative education.
History
Founded as The School of Automotive Trades by Albert Sobey under the direction of the Industrial Fellowship of Flint on October 20, 1919, Kettering University has a long legacy in the automotive industry. The university became known as the Flint Institute of Technology in 1923 before being acquired by General Motors in 1926. It was renamed as the General Motors Institute of Technology and eventually the General Motors Institute in 1932.Once referred to as the "West Point of the Automobile industry," GMI focused on a cooperative education model that combined classroom learning with real-world job experience . GMI also pioneered freshman-level manufacturing courses and automotive degree specialties. In 1945, the Institute added a fifth-year thesis requirement, granting the school the ability to award degrees. The school's first bachelor's degree was subsequently awarded on August 23, 1946.
During the 1950s, the co-op program required applicants to find a GM division to sponsor them. School and work were mixed in four- or eight-week rotations, dividing the student body into four groups.
Split from GM
After GM reduced operations in Flint, the company and the university separated on July 1, 1982. The institution became "GMI Engineering & Management Institute," keeping the initials "GMI" to maintain its connection with the old General Motors Institute. The university began charging full tuition as an independent private university. The university kept the cooperative education model, expanding the number of co-op employers for students. The university also began offering graduate programs for both on- and off-campus students.Name change and expansion of programs
The university's name was formally changed to Kettering University on January 1, 1998, in honor of Charles Kettering. The name change allowed the university to establish a separate identity from General Motors and to publicize their expansion of academic programs beyond automotive-related offerings.The university launched a physics program in 1995 and the first ABET-accredited applied physics program in the world in 2013. A chemical engineering program as well as a pre-med course of study were launched in 2008. The chemical engineering program received ABET accreditation in 2013. The computer science program received ABET accreditation in 2007. The university added an applied biology program in 2013.
Academics
Kettering University offers Bachelor of Science and masters degree programs. Some masters programs are available online following the school's launch of distance education programs in 2015. Most undergraduate programs require completion of 160 credit hours for graduation. Its most popular undergraduate majors, by 2021 graduates, were:Accreditation
Kettering University has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1962. Several of the university's academic programs have specific accreditation as well:| Program | Accreditor | Initial accreditation |
| Applied Physics | ABET | 2011 |
| Business Administration | ACBSP | 1995 |
| Chemical Engineering | ABET | 2011 |
| Computer Engineering | ABET | 1998 |
| Computer Science | ABET | 2007 |
| Electrical Engineering | ABET | 1977 |
| Engineering Physics | ABET | 2011 |
| Industrial Engineering | ABET | 1977 |
| Mechanical Engineering | ABET | 1977 |
Rankings
Kettering University ranked 13th nationally among non-Ph.D.-granting engineering universities and seventh nationally among mechanical engineering programs in the 2017 U.S. News & World Report "Best Colleges" edition. The university also received a "Best in the Midwest" designation from the Princeton Review.Kettering ranked 12th nationally and first in the Midwest and Michigan in Return on Investment in PayScale.com's 2015 Return on Investment Rankings. PayScale.com also ranked Kettering 15th nationally and first in Michigan in its 2014 Salary Potential rankings. A 2015 CNNMoney.com article examining the top private colleges in the country in return on investment ranked Kettering 10th, noting that Kettering's students graduated with skills employers were looking for.
An article in the 2014 issue of Automobile magazine listed Kettering University among five top universities for students aiming to enter the auto industry. The article noted Kettering University's unique program, which prepares students for work and immerses them in it—alternating three months of school with three months of on-the-job experience, repeated until graduation.
Research
Major Research Instrumentation grants have allowed Kettering to add equipment that includes an X-Ray diffractometer, an X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy instrument, a motion capture system, a High-Throughput and High-Resolution Three-Dimensional Tissue Scanner with Internet-Connected 3D Virtual Microscope for Large-Scale Automated Histology, and - at the time - the only 4G LTE Wireless system on a college campus in the country.Kettering University partners with the federal government's U.S. Ignite program, which brings super high-speed internet capabilities to Flint, Michigan. The technology will bring Flint new healthcare, crime prevention, and educational opportunities. Also, in partnership with the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, Kettering University received a $1 million neighborhood stabilization grant from the United States Department of Justice in 2014.
FIRST Robotics
Kettering University opened the FIRST Robotics Competition Community Center in 2014. College officials said it was the first integration of a robotics center into a college campus in the country. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder attended the grand opening.The facility provides work areas for eight FIRST teams, with space to accommodate up to 16 teams. There is also a regulation-size practice field and a machining lab. High school students on teams housed in the facility have access to Kettering University's faculty, staff, and students as mentors and the campus facilities. Approximately 25 percent of Kettering University's student body participated in FIRST Robotics in high school.
The facility intends to create more opportunities for pre-college students, particularly students from underserved or financially disadvantaged populations, to gain exposure to science and engineering education and career possibilities. Kettering University also received a National Science Foundation grant in 2014 to provide scholarship to academically talented financially disadvantaged students who participated in high school robotics programs.
Cooperative and experiential learning
All Kettering University undergraduate students must complete some form of experiential learning for every degree program. Cooperative education begins as early as a student's freshman year. Student schedules typically alternate between academic terms that include classes and labs and full-time employment with one of Kettering's more than 550 partner organizations. Usually, a student maintains employment with the same organization throughout the program.Cooperative experience is paid, with freshman students earning an average of $14.20 per hour on their co-op terms and upperclassmen earning an average of $18.44 per hour. Ninety-eight percent of Kettering University graduates are employed or accepted into graduate school within six months of graduation.
Campus
Kettering University's campus is situated on approximately 90 acres of land along the Flint River on the west side of Flint. In 2012, Kettering began purchasing distressed properties from the Genesee County Land Bank as part of its mission to play a leading role in the revitalization of Flint. The university demolished blighted structures and took over maintenance, mowing, and upkeep of the properties.Kettering has received neighborhood stabilization grants from the Department of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These grants aimed to support the revitalization of neighborhoods near campus and establish a safe University Avenue Corridor, a walkable connector from Kettering's campus to downtown Flint, the University of Michigan–Flint campus, McLaren Regional Medical Center, and Hurley Medical Center.
Campus Master Plan
In 2014, Kettering University unveiled a new Campus Master Plan.The plan's first phase of the master plan involved constructing a new mixed-use Learning Commons building to house some academic department functions, a modern library, new food service venues and options, and other resources, including increased access to flexible, technology-enabled, collaborative spaces. The building had space for visiting alums and other campus guests, integrating them into the campus community for the entirety of their visit. The $63 million learning commons facility opened in 2022.
Other phases of the campus master plan include the construction of a new residence hall, new research facilities, and a raised connector across Chevrolet Avenue that pays homage to a bridge that existed when the property was home to the General Motors Chevrolet Division. Additionally, the campus plan aimed to open the campus to better accommodate pre-college students by redeveloping the Academic Building with increased lab and community space.