Northwestern Michigan College will be the first community college in Michigan to offer a fully accredited bachelor's degree, in maritime technology. It received notice from the Higher Learning Commission's Institutional Actions Council recently that its application to be accredited to offer the program was approved.
The degree will be offered by NMC's Great Lakes Maritime Academy, and comes after the state Legislature approved a bill in 2012 that allowed Michigan's community colleges to offer bachelor's degrees in specific programs: maritime technology, energy production, culinary, and cement technology.
"This accreditation is important for a number of reasons to a number of our stakeholders," says NMC President Timothy J. Nelson. "For our students in the Northwestern Michigan College Great Lakes Maritime Academy it means they can graduate earlier, join the workforce earlier and accumulate a more traditional number of credit hours in pursuit of their bachelor's degree."
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Northwestern Michigan College
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