A microactuated device and method of making the same in which an electromagnetic driver, overlapping a magnetically permeable diaphragm, is utilized to drive the microactuated device. Through the use of an electromagnetic driver to provide the motive force for a microactuated device, exceptional performance may be realized, e.g., with a substantially reduced drive voltage for micropumps, microvalves, and the like, and with stronger and more precise sensory outputs for microactuated sensors and the like. Moreover, by overlapping the electromagnetic driver over a diaphragm, a number of batch processing techniques, each of which is well suited for mass production, may be used in the fabrication of extremely compact and cost effective integrated devices.