Madonna University

Madonna University is a Roman Catholic institution on the western outskirts of Detroit, Michigan influenced by the teachings of Saint Francis of Assisi. A coeducational Catholic and Franciscan university, it now offers over 100 programmes, including more than 30 at postgraduate level.

Although roots can be traced back to Warsaw, Poland, where Felician Sisters created a religious order in 1855, it was in Michigan that the group began to run educational institutions formally. Founded by Mother Mary DeSales Tocka in 1937, it gained university status in 1991. Madonna introduced master’s degrees in 1982 and its first doctorate, in nursing practice, in 2009.

Madonna has relatively low student-staff ratios. Its suburban campus comprises 85 acres, but Madonna also has a presence in the small town of Macomb, 40 miles north east, and Gaylord, in northern Michigan. The university also runs a business and leadership course in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Business, management, marketing, firefighting, law enforcement and public administration are among Madonna’s courses taken by the highest number of students. Madonna’s varied list of available programmes also includes chemistry, music management, child development, paralegal studies, piano performance, film music scoring, hospice and palliative studies, humane studies, nutritional sciences and broadcast & cinema arts.

Sometimes viewed as a “comeback city”, Detroit enjoys a low cost of living, a vibrant arts scene, several nationally-acclaimed museums and galleries, and an abundance of shopping options. Many put the Motor City’s revival down to the growth of small businesses, with billions invested in the city in recent years.