Ferris State University and North Central Michigan College are collaborating to create a new pathway for transfer students studying pharmacy or optometry.
The partnership allows students from North Central who have earned their associate in science biology degree to transfer into Ferris State’s Doctor of Pharmacy or Optometry programs.
David Murray, associate vice president of marketing and communications at Ferris State, said that North Central reached out to form the partnership after seeing the demand for more pharmacists and optometrists in northern Michigan.
“They recognized that these were areas of need up in northern Michigan and that we can help create or develop the talent for people to work in those fields,” he said. “That’s great for those communities because they need people with these skills to serve that population.”
The partnership aims to provide students with the skills needed to fill job openings in northern Michigan and become pharmacists and optometrists in an area where coverage is lacking.
Murray said that the new program is aiming to help northern Michigan students stay in the area and understand that there are job opportunities there.
“People sometimes feel they have to leave to get jobs or… they aren’t able to come back and stay where they want to live,” he said. “We are blessed to be able to have the programs to develop the skills and have people serve in those areas.”
Ferris State has a history with these academic programs, as their pharmacy program is one of only three in Michigan and their optometry program was the only one in the state prior to 2025.
This is not the only partnership that Ferris State has with Michigan community colleges. One of their biggest partnerships is with Grand Rapids Community College, where students have been transferring from GRCC to Ferris State since 1986.
The current agreement between Ferris State and North Central is valid for the next three years, but there is potential for the agreement to be renewed in the future.
