[2][6] Once referred to as the "West Point of the Automobile industry,"[7] GMI focused on a cooperative education model that combined classroom learning with real-world job experience [8] (following the development of this program at the University of Cincinnati in 1907).

[citation needed] GMI also pioneered freshman-level manufacturing courses (Production Processes I & II) and automotive degree specialties.

In 1945, the Institute added a fifth-year thesis requirement, granting the school the ability to award degrees.

[9] The name change allowed the university to establish a separate identity from General Motors and to publicize their expansion of academic programs beyond automotive-related offerings.

[14] Kettering University offers Bachelor of Science (BS) and masters (MS, MBA, MBA/MSMO dual) degree programs.

[citation needed] Its most popular undergraduate majors, by 2021 graduates, were:[16] Kettering University has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1962.

"[30] National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grants have allowed Kettering to add equipment that includes an X-Ray diffractometer,[31] an X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) instrument,[32] a motion capture system,[33] a High-Throughput and High-Resolution Three-Dimensional Tissue Scanner with Internet-Connected 3D Virtual Microscope for Large-Scale Automated Histology,[34] and - at the time - the only 4G LTE Wireless system on a college campus in the country.

[35] Kettering University partners with the federal government's U.S. Ignite program, which brings super high-speed internet capabilities to Flint, Michigan.

[39] Approximately 25 percent of Kettering University's student body participated in FIRST Robotics in high school.

[39] Kettering University also received a National Science Foundation grant in 2014 to provide scholarship to academically talented financially disadvantaged students who participated in high school robotics programs.

[40] All Kettering University undergraduate students must complete some form of experiential learning for every degree program.

Student schedules typically alternate between academic terms that include classes and labs and full-time employment with one of Kettering's more than 550 partner organizations.

In 2012, Kettering began purchasing distressed properties from the Genesee County Land Bank as part of its mission to play a leading role in the revitalization of Flint.

[43] Kettering has received neighborhood stabilization grants from the Department of Justice[44] and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

[47] The plan's first phase of the master plan involved constructing a new mixed-use Learning Commons building to house some academic department functions, a modern library, new food service venues and options, and other resources, including increased access to flexible, technology-enabled, collaborative spaces.

[50] The facility was conceived to be an automotive proving ground on a piece of campus that is the former site of the Chevrolet Division, or Chevy in the Hole.

[51] The cost for the project was $4.5 million, and it included construction of the research area on a 19-acre proving ground and an 18-acre brownfield site.

[53] The MRC provides additional classroom and lab experiences for students and expands research opportunities for faculty and industry partners.

[55] The project converted a Flint-owned portion of Chevy in the Hole into an urban park that includes wetlands, woodlands, grasslands, green spaces, and paved recreation trails.

This front entrance is constructed with stonework and bears the insignia "General Motors Institute of Technology" in stone at the top of the archway.

The building also houses McKinnon Theater, the Humanities Art Center, a library, and departmental offices.

[59] The Campus Center also provides community space, including facilities for the Michigan Small Business Development Center I-69 Trade Corridor Regional Office, which supports local and regional businesses across multiple counties in Michigan,[60] and classrooms for Oxford Virtual Academy.

[62] The building also houses T-Space, a student-driven lab with activities encouraging an entrepreneurial mindset and access to tools such as 3D printing, laser cutting, and soldering for making electric and mechanical prototypes.

Completed in 2022 and featuring an open-air atrium at its center, the Learning Commons building is home to a new cafeteria, coffee shop, auditorium, IT service desks, outdoor terraces, rooftop gardens, and over a dozen multi-use spaces for students to use to study and collaborate.

The Innovation Center was the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building in Genesee County.

[citation needed] Kettering has made major repairs to the stadium, including fixing masonry work, restrooms, concessions areas, locker rooms, and lighting.

Exhibit themes include How Things Work, Performing Arts, Health and Fitness, Our Town, and Discovery Zone.

[74] In 1999, 31 graduating seniors committed to donating $10,000 each over 10 years to build up an endowment dedicated to student leadership development at Kettering University.

The low-power radio station WKUF-LP (94.3 FM) is run by Kettering University students and staff.

[90] Barra and former General Motors President Edward Nicholas Cole, a 1933 Kettering University graduate, who have appeared on the cover of Time.