As such, we incorporate discovery, investigation and high intellectual standards into a wide variety of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. Nearly 3,700 graduate students are part of the University's total enrollment of about 18,000. We are nationally recognized and internationally engaged--large enough to offer top-notch faculty and facilities, but not so large that we lose sight of individual students and their needs. Our faculty are engaged in advanced studies of atoms and molecules, nuclei, materials and the cosmos. Active since 1971, our versatile tandem Van de Graaff accelerator laboratory has been continually upgraded to remain state of the art.

We have also recently acquired a Physical Properties Measurement System (PPMS) which serves as the anchor for a new condensed matter/materials physics research facility in our department, enhancing interdisciplinary research opportunities with engineering, chemistry, and other departments across campus. Faculty regularly conduct research at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University, Argonne National Laboratory, and other facilities in the United States and abroad.

Kalamazoo, Michigan is located exactly halfway between Detroit and Chicago and offers many advantages for graduate students and young families. WMU's main campus is less than one mile from vibrant downtown Kalamazoo, alive with restaurants, coffee shops, brew pubs, boutique shopping and cultural venues. The city supports rich offerings in music, theatre and the visual arts. A temperate climate allows residents to enjoy four distinct seasons, with year-round access to parks, trails and preserved natural areas. Beaches, sand dunes and resort areas on the shore of Lake Michigan are less than an hour's drive from campus. Best of all, Kalamazoo is a friendly, affordable place to live.