OT: Degrees earned at UM-Flint or UM-Dearborn

Submitted by Har-Boner on

Since crootin' news seems to be pretty silent for the better half of today, I figured I'd throw a question out there.

 

I'm considering going back to school for a 2nd master's degree since my employer will pay for it. I already have an MBA from the University of West Georgia, but am considering getting the online MA in Applied Communications from UM-Flint as a resume kicker. My question is - will this degree be the same one that is printed for graduates of the main campus? Will it carry the same value on a resume, etc.? As always, appreciate the feedback!

DrMantisToboggan

January 31st, 2017 at 11:21 AM ^

1. Insults without an actual response to someone's point is a great way of letting them know that you are conceding this argument.

2. I come from a family of farmers and immigrants. I'm the second person in my family history, after my father, to even attend college. It'd be pretty hard for me to actually become an "elitist snob".

3. I've actually always defended and been proud of the "Walmart Wolverines". Only the top programs attracted totally unaffiliated fans.

4. The OP asked about degree value. If you think that degrees from the University of Michigan and UM Dearborn carry the same value then you are simply incorrect. It's not subjective. You should know, you have degrees from both schools. It doesn't mean people that attended one or the other are lesser people.

ijohnb

January 31st, 2017 at 10:51 AM ^

is not the same diploma.  It is almost identical, but it specifies University of Michigan at Flint.  UM-Flint has a really good Communications department and has good graduate programs in general.  It will bolster your resume.  It is certainly not the same as having a graduate degree from UM Ann Arbor.

MGJS SuperKick Party

January 31st, 2017 at 11:05 AM ^

I went to UM-Flint. I graduated with honors, and I've been with two companies that are extremely well regarded in the state of Michigan.

It's not a degree from U of M Ann Arbor, but if you put in the hard work, you will get a good job. Degrees look very similar, and my degree says School of Management as opposed to Ross School of Business.

Elmer

January 31st, 2017 at 11:47 AM ^

Well said.  More prestigious schools help with landing the first job, but after that it's what God gave you between your ears and your attitude.  Successful people come from many different schools or have even skipped college all together.

I look at work experience after someone has been in the industry for a while.

In reply to by ijohnb

Brodie

January 31st, 2017 at 11:06 AM ^

Eh. It's pretty much the same boilerplate diploma. The difference is that a UM-AA diploma is granted "on the recommendation of the college of Literature, Sciences and the Arts" whereas a UM-F/D diploma is granted "on the recommendation of the University of Michigan-Flint" or whatever. This is because the branch campuses, while functionally independent, are still legally colleges of the university like LSA or Nursing or Ross.

KO Stradivarius

January 31st, 2017 at 10:53 AM ^

I am a UMD grad (BSME).  It's not the same, but still carries a lot of weight.  My diploma from the late 80's says Univ of Michigan at the top but Dearborn campus in smaller print.

kdhoffma

January 31st, 2017 at 10:55 AM ^

Anyone looking through your resume will probably spend their time wondering what the University fo West Georgia is and not catch which Michigan campus you attended.

UM Fan from Sydney

January 31st, 2017 at 10:55 AM ^

It drives me crazy when people call a major "communications." It's simply "communication (and that is a very broad major, anyway)."

scparksDPT

January 31st, 2017 at 11:07 AM ^

It says "Univeristy of Michigan" at the top. The only mention of Flint is in the small writing where it states the location you were given the Diploma. At least that is the case with my DPT degree.

jmblue

January 31st, 2017 at 11:32 AM ^

U-M Flint admitted 78% of applicants in the most recent recorded year.  Its ACT range (25th to 75th percentile) was 18-24.

U-M Dearborn admitted 63% of applicants.  Its ACT range was 21-27.

U-M Ann Arbor admitted 32% of applicants.  Its ACT range was 29-33.

 

gbdub

January 31st, 2017 at 11:56 AM ^

That's actually a bigger ACT difference than I would have expected.

FWIW, at Michigan State the range is 23-28, with a 66% acceptance rate.

Eastern Michigan: ACT range 19-25, 75% acceptance.

So on "student academic quality" at least, UM Flint is just a little lower than Eastern, and UN Dearborn is just a little lower than Sparty.

Thus saying "There's no difference between Flint and Ann Arbor" is basically saying "There's no difference between Michigan and Eastern", which seems, well, objectively false.

That said I've known very successful and unsuccessful people from every one of those schools, and 10 years into your career it doesn't matter that much anyway.



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MGoMagee

January 31st, 2017 at 11:15 AM ^

I've also wondered at this, specifically in regards to programs that are only offered at Flint or Dearborn. I was enrolled and admitted into the Doctorate of Physical Therapy program in Flint when my wife got a job at St. Jude in Memphis so we had to promptly move. I have always wanted a UofM degree and am still thinking about getting my MBA from there. But in regards to the OP I always wondered if my completing my DPT from UofM-Flint would have been in high standings because it was the only PT program in the UofM system, or would it be tarnished because it was in Flint.

LSAClassOf2000

January 31st, 2017 at 11:16 AM ^

I know we pull a lot of interns from the engineering programs at UM-Flint and UM-Dearborn as well as the Ann Arbor campus and many of them go on to great careers here and at other Detroit-based companies. There's certainly nothing wrong with advancing your education further and as you can see in thread, it isn't stopping or holding back anyone regardless of the Michigan campus they took classes at. 

sadeto

January 31st, 2017 at 11:20 AM ^

If you like your job/employer, they're paying for it, it will help you advance and the online program works much better for you, those factors seem to seal the deal for you. You have to ask yourself whether the prestige of an AA degree really matters at this point in your career, and consider the tradeoffs, assuming you can get accepted. For most people mid-career I suspect the answer is no. 

Brodie

January 31st, 2017 at 11:23 AM ^

This is a hugely annoying topic that comes up every offseason. Here's the basic gist:

The University of Michigan, as an institution, has decided to keep these branch campuses. They have invested time and money in branding them identically with the Ann Arbor campus and they offer a number of perks to students (like football season tickets, use of university facilities, etc.). UM-Dearborn even holds their spring commencement at Crisler now. Dearborn in particular has ridden this branding (along with a close relationship with Ford) to all time enrollment highs and ever increasing academic prestige. The university doesn't differentiate which alumni went to which campus, either. In short, the branch campuses are hugely invested in the idea that there is one, big Michigan family to which their students can claim to belong. Ann Arbor alumni are understandably proud of their achievements and the work they put into getting into an elite school. It can be very annoying when you are extremely proud of something and someone tries to bogart that pride without having accomplished as much. UM-Dearborn students don't need near perfect SAT and ACT scores. Some of them may be smarter or better workers than their AA counterparts, but the kids who go to Ann Arbor are proud of the fact that they did what it took to be there. To them, Dearborn and Flint alumni are annoyingly trying to conflate their experiences, the community they were sold is not always reciprocal. This can lead to a lot of mudslinging and accusations of being "fake Michigan alumni" being lobbed at people who are proud of where they went to college, too. It's an emotional hotbutton. So here's the thing: don't be a dick. Don't tell people who went to Dearborn or Flint that they have nothing to do with U-M, their tuition went to the same place as yours and their donations do, too. If you went to Dearborn or Flint, do not ever try to obfuscate that fact or pretend that you went to Ann Arbor (honestly, as others have said, unless you are in a field like law or investment banking nobody cares... my boss dropped out of EMU). Try to be nice to each other and remember that we all ultimately support the University of Michigan in one way or another.