Academics
Miles College is a private HBCU liberal arts college in Fairfield, Alabama, with a student population of around 1,400. The mission of the institution is to 鈥済row tomorrow鈥檚 leaders.鈥 To that end, the college created a leading-edge STEM program鈥攐ne of only 37 HBCUs with such an emphasis鈥 to nurture minority talent. As a small institution, the college promises that every student has an opportunity for hands-on experience with the latest technologies. Students can earn close to 30 distinct undergraduate degrees, concentrated into 19 majors within 15 broad fields of study. Majors range from more traditional choices such as Biology and Business Administration to contemporary options such as Digital Journalism and Environmental Science. Thanks to a partnership with Apple鈥檚 Community Education initiative and Tennessee State University鈥檚 HBCU C2 initiative, Miles College has become a Community Center for Coding from which students can apply their skills to an important and growing profession. The school also offers a five-semester Associate of Science in Nursing degree and an accelerated Master of Science in Health Informatics program in partnership with the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Career
Miles College wants its students not only to find themselves academically, but to find their people and have fun, whether that鈥檚 in student-run activities and clubs, giving back to the community, participating in student government, or engaging with Greek life. Many of the clubs and organizations here are professionally orientated, including chapters of national associations, like the Divine Nine鈥攖he historically Black Greek letter organizations that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council鈥攚ith its focus on ethics, uplift, and social causes. There is also The Milean, the campus newspaper, open to contributions from all students. The Norton Student Center serves as a hub for it all, a place where faculty, staff, students, and alumni gather whether to play pool and chill in the lounge or organize a campaign. The college also supports the arts with its annual Spring Arts Festival, which showcases the talents of painters, photographers, poets, videographers, dancers, and musicians. And since Miles College has its roots in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, there are plenty of opportunities not just to join in prayer or Bible readings but to start new prayer groups.
Culture
Miles College is always building on its history of activism and advocacy, and its new Center for Social and Economic Justice will bring faculty, students, and members of the wider community together to tackle the inequities that still prevail. Other specialized programs, like the Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence, help to provide a direct pathway to careers within various agencies (like Naval Intelligence or the FBI), providing opportunities to study abroad and get internships, and to further build vital skills for their major and the workplace. As Miles puts it, it鈥檚 about finding 鈥淓mpowerment for All,鈥 whether that鈥檚 in state-of-the-art tech entrepreneurships, enhancing classes with innovative cross-disciplinary courses, or offering honors workloads to those seeking further achievement. No matter what students are studying, Miles College seeks to support their aspirations and help them build a better future, with alumni paving the way with notable firsts, like Richard Arrington Jr., the first Black mayor of Birmingham; and U.W. Clemon, the first Black federal judge in Alabama.
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