An alliance between two institutions of higher learning has gotten a big boost.
St. Clair College has entered into a series of new articulation agreements with Detroit's Wayne State University, which will provide options to students on both sides of the border and in some cases, help Canadian students save money on tuition. Five programs offered by St. Clair College will have corresponding options with Wayne State. The agreement has been in the works for about a year and is focused on disciplines that are in high demand in the workforce.
Patti France, president of St. Clair College, said that in today's tendency to go toward non-linear education, a whole list of potential paths are unlocked.
"You can get your diploma right away, go to Wayne State, continue on for a year-and-a-half or two years and get your degree; or get your diploma, work for a while and go back and get your degree," said France. "It's all about lifelong learning and pathways."
Wayne State president Dr. M. Roy Wilson announced the inception of the Great Lakes Tuition Award, a special tuition rate for Ontario residents. The award now makes it possible for St. Clair students, and any in Ontario wanting a post-secondary education at Wayne State, to be able to lock in the same rate paid for Michigan residents plus 10 per cent. This is still half the regular tuition rate for international students. Canadian students are also eligible for Wayne State Merit Scholarships, based on academic performance in secondary school.
Wilson said Canadian students have always played a big role in the Midtown Detroit campus' diversity and energy.
"Part of what makes us diverse is the international students that we have from all over the world," said Wilson. "We have about 1,900 students from over 80 countries. So we love having diversity and we love having international students, to have Canadian students."
The programs affected by the agreements include:
- St. Clair students with a two-year Business diploma can attend Wayne State for another two years for a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. A master's degree is available upon the completion of another 36 credit hours or one year.
- A Business Marketing diploma from St. Clair can be transferred to Wayne State for a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, marketing major, with two years of additional coursework. An MBA is also available.
- The Business Accounting diploma from St. Clair College can go toward a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, accounting major, for two more years. An MBA is also available.
- The Computer Systems Technician two-year diploma from St. Clair, along with the third-year Networking Advanced certificate will correspond with the Bachelor of Science in Computer Technology at Wayne State for two more years. An MBA is also available.
- St. Clair students with a three-year Interior Design advanced certificate will articulate to Wayne State's Bachelor of the Arts, interior design major, with an additional one year of study.
Wayne State University president Dr M. Roy Wilson and St. Clair College president Patti France chat at the St. Clair Centre for the Arts, Windsor, July 10, 2019. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.