University of Detroit Mercy adding Novi campus

Move to offer additional graduate, health classes

The University of Detroit Mercy will be adding a 40,000-square-foot campus in Novi to offer additional graduate level and health education programs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The university has acquired the former South University building, located at 41555 W. 12 Mile Road, as community demand for health care graduates increases during the pandemic. The new location will provide access to the institution’s nationally ranked programs for students who wish to stay close to home and their employer.

President Antoine M. Garibaldi said the new campus offers another example of the institution’s bright future as the state and country continue to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Detroit Mercy’s acquisition of this new campus will allow the university to expand academic programs in the health professions and other fields in which we are strong and that are in demand,” he said. “In addition to this campus’s proximity to several medical centers, Detroit Mercy will now be able to expand its 14 decades- long and Detroit- based Jesuit and Mercy education to a larger population in the metropolitan area while simultaneously building on our three campuses in the city of Detroit.”

The university is also in discussions with healthcare partners regarding prospective new graduate programs. At the new campus, the university also expects to offer professional development programs, including continuing dental education.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in health care occupations is projected to grow 15 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations, adding about 2.4 million new jobs. Healthcare occupations are projected to add more jobs than any of the other occupational groups.

This projected growth is mainly due to an aging population, leading to greater demand for healthcare services.

The median annual wage for healthcare practitioners and technical occupations (such as registered nurses, physicians and surgeons, and dental hygienists) was $68,190 in May 2019, while the median annual wage for healthcare support occupations (such as home health aides, occupational therapy assistants, and medical transcriptionists) was $28,470 in May 2019.

Detroit Mercy offers more than 100 undergraduate, graduate and professional academic degrees and programs through seven schools and colleges.