DETROIT -- Officers from the Southfield Police Department will be able to get an education at a discount thanks to a scholarship program at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Officers who study an undergraduate or graduate degree program at UM-Dearborn are eligible for a scholarship that pays for 20 percent of their tuition costs and fees each semester.

"Formal education is one of the keys to success of any organization. The policing industry is not an exception," Southfield Police Chief Joseph E. Thomas Jr. said in a statement about the partnership. "We welcome this partnership with the University of Michigan-Dearborn and view it as a win-win situation."

The officers must still meet all admission criteria to the university and be admitted to the program of their choice.

The department said the UM-Dearborn scholarship can be used in conjunction with any tuition assistance they already offer their officers.

"We are elated to partner with the Southfield Police Department to provide their officers with an opportunity to earn bachelor's and master's degrees at UM-Dearborn," said Kathryn Anderson-Levitt, dean of the campus's College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters. "This partnership demonstrates the city's strong commitment to community policing, and will benefit everyone living and working in Southfield. It's a great way for UM-Dearborn to continue making metropolitan Detroit a better place to live and work."

To learn more about the programs offered at the UM-Dearborn, visit their Web site at www.umd.umich.edu.