Academic Partnerships

From Traverse City to Dowagiac to our main campus in Big Rapids, Ferris has partnered with community colleges around the state to provide learning opportunities close to where you live and work. Plus, we offer online classes and programs that allow you to advance your career from the convenience of your computer.

We offer education and training for the real world, with career-focused associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees, professional development certificates, and customized training courses. Whether you know exactly what you want to study or need help determining your goals and objectives, Ferris makes it easy and convenient to get started—and get your career off the ground.

WSCC-FSU Connections Program link
Business Administration link
Early Childhood Education link
Elementary Education link
Nursing RN to BSN link

Note: Ferris off-campus programs partner with the local community college to offer various degree programs. Students should plan to take a combination of classes from both their community college and their local Ferris location to complete the degree.

Are you pursuing the Associate of Arts, Marketing/Management or Criminal Justice degree at West Shore Community College? Do you then plan to continue on for a bachelor’s degree in Business or Criminal Justice?

Central Michigan University and West Shore have partnered to provide articulation agreements that will allow for you to reach your long-term educational goal in a smooth and transparent way.

After completing your Associate of Arts or the Marketing/Management Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences degree, you can ensure that all your West Shore credits directly transfer into CMU’s Business Administration Degree. In addition, if you are looking to earn a bachelor’s in Criminal Justice after completing West Shore’s CJ program, CMU has the perfect opportunity for you as well.

Check out how your training and courses at West Shore translate into a bachelor’s degree at CMU.

Did you ever think you could earn a bachelor’s degree without needing to relocate or travel to another institution? Well, you can!

Davenport University and West Shore Community College have partnered to provide an opportunity for students to obtain a bachelor’s degree online. The partnership is a 3 plus 1 program allowing WSCC students to take three years of classes at WSCC and one year of on-line courses from Davenport. Thus, allowing WSCC students a chance to earn a bachelor’s degree from Davenport University without requiring travel.

It is recommended that you contact a WSCC counselor for specific details of each degree.

West Shore Community College and Michigan State University have partnered to offer Agricultural Certification programs to West Michigan. This partnership was created to support the local West Michigan Agriculture Businesses that are in need of skilled employees.

Students who enroll in the programs will earn an Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences Degree from WSCC and a Certificate from MSU’s Institute of Agricultural Technology in Agricultural Operations or Fruit and Vegetable Crop Management. The WSCC & MSU programs include professional workplace internships, plant science education, industry seminars, independent study options, and individual advising and program planning.

Follow the links below to find out more:

• Agricultural Operations
• Fruit and Vegetable Crop Management
• Jobs and Internships
• Scholarships

For more information, please contact:

Mark Garrison
Michigan State University at West Shore Community College
(231) 845-3336
mgarrison@westshore.edu

Walsh College and West Shore Community College have partnered to create an opportunity for West Shore students to complete a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration online.

West Shore students can complete either the Marketing/Management Applied Arts and Sciences degree or the Associate of Arts. Those courses will then apply toward the bachelor’s degree and the remainder of the degree can be taken online through Walsh College.

If your desire is to earn a bachelor’s in business administration, without relocating, this is a great opportunity for you to explore. Learn more about this partnership here.

This collaborative allows current Michigan community college students to take courses from other Michigan community colleges and still receive full support services from their home college. Visit MCO.

The Business Opportunity Center (BOC) is helping prospective entrepreneurs launch new ventures and assisting established businesses strengthen their managerial and business skills to grow their business. It connects business to resources whereby any business, large or small, new or existing, can receive training and support to help them thrive.

The BOC is a gateway for entrepreneurs to find resources through a single entity, saving time, frustration and start-up costs. We are also a communication vehicle by providing information about other entrepreneurial organizations and their programs and, by creating referrals; we avoid duplication of services thus creating a cohesive and efficient “continuum of care” for entrepreneurs.

The BOC is also a catalyst for ensuring the next generation of entrepreneurs is being introduced to the concept of business ownership at an early age and our existence lends credibility to the community’s claim to be entrepreneur-driven.

WSCC works in regional partnership on our virtual business incubator. The “e-merge Entrepreneur Network” is a community-based initiative to support entrepreneurs, focused on, but not limited to, the West Michigan lakeshore region.

As a collaborative group, we promote the region’s resources to entrepreneurs, give entrepreneurial support organizations a way to share ideas and coordinate activities, help identify and fill gaps in services, make sure students know entrepreneurism is a career choice, and promote a “pro-entrepreneur” culture throughout the region.

WSCC is a proud partner in “e-merge” and we continue to work to promote this one-stop virtual business incubator.

West Shore Educational Service District offers ten Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs; Allied Health, Automotive Technologies, Construction Trades, Criminal Justice, Culinary Arts, Digital Media, Graphic Communications, Marketing, Mechatronics and Welding.

These courses are offered to grades 11 and 12 students in Mason, Lake, Manistee and Oceana counties and most articulate college credit to WSCC and Ferris State University.

To sign-up for a CTE program, contact your school counselor and for additional information visit the CTE website.

Michigan Works! West Central has Workforce Service Centers with free services to help you find the job you’re looking for. The agency serves five counties from Service Centers in Baldwin (Lake County), Big Rapids (Mecosta County), Fremont (Newaygo County), Ludington (Mason County), and Reed City (Osceola County).

The Workforce Service Centers are where job seekers come to find work and employers come to find workers. The offices are a partnership of several non-profit, governmental and educational agencies, where you have access to learn about and apply for many publicly-funded programs.

Each office has:

Listings of the fastest growing occupations and those with the largest number of annual opening

Job seekers and employers can learn what WorkKeys and KeyTrain can do for you

General Equivalency Diploma (GED) preparation and testing information

Over 200 job-related and information web sites

Michigan Works! waivers

For more information about Michigan Works! West Central, contact Connie Shoemaker at 231-796-4891 or cshoemaker@michworkswc.org.