Key Takeaways:
- University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) ranks highly in several academic areas, including nursing and public health.
- Healthcare degree programs at UIC are diverse, offering specializations in health informatics, community health, nursing, and more.
- UIC’s historical focus on health sciences dates back to its origins, with strong connections to medical training.
- Accredited by multiple bodies, UIC meets rigorous standards for its healthcare and other academic programs.
The U.S. News & World Report ranked Chicago the 145th best national university, 10th top nursing school, 17th best public health department, and sixth top pharmacy college. On Niche, UIC has America’s 93rd best location, 112th most diversity, and 170th best kinesiology program. Forbes placed the University of Illinois at Chicago 292nd overall with the 72nd top value.
Times Higher Education featured UIC as the globe’s best 300 universities. The CWUR recognized Chicago for the 169th highest research output. According to Sierra Club, the University of Illinois at Chicago is the country’s 75th coolest school. The Campus Pride Index included UIC among the 30 most LGBT-friendly universities. PayScale also reported the 227th highest mid-career median salary of $102,500 for Chicago graduates.
Healthcare Degrees From UIC
The University of Illinois at Chicago appears in our ranking of the Top 10 Best Master’s in Health Informatics Degrees
Founded in 1979, the College of Applied Health Sciences is the University of Illinois at Chicago’s fourth-largest division currently training 997 undergrads with 99 full-time faculty in eight majors. For example, the B.S. in Health Information Management follows a 63-credit, upper-division online plan for digitalizing patient records with 100 percent RHIA success. The 120-credit B.S. in Kinesiology offers the Exercise Science & Health Promotion track directed by Prof. Michelle Adams, the 2016 Silver Circle Award winner. Accredited in 2015, the junior-entry B.A. in Public Health strengthens students’ community welfare tactics with 90 practicum hours. The Nursing Division also confers a 120-credit Traditional BSN or 57-credit RN to BSN program to hone patient care skills with the $5 million Schwartz Simulation Lab.
Serving 7,915 total in America’s #1 best city in Time Out, the Graduate College boasts 91 percent six-month job placement for 19 health-related degrees. For instance, the 60-credit Master of Healthcare Administration integrates courses like Physician Relations with a 16-week preceptorship for managerial experience. Headed by Dr. Anthony Faiola, the 38-credit M.S. in Health Informatics utilizes Blackboard for CAHIIM-accredited online training on clinical tech solutions. At all six campuses, the M.S. in Nursing trains advanced generalist RNs in 34 credits and 405 clinical practicum hours. The 36-credit, non-thesis M.S. in Patient Safety Leadership blends online courses like Error Science with one three-day residency and capstone projects.
About the University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois at Chicago was initially founded in 1913 as the healthcare branch to the Champaign-Urbana campus called the Colleges of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy. In 1919, it acquired the former Chicago Cubs park to erect today’s 485-bed Level II trauma center. Fifty years later, an influx of returning WWII veterans caused the University to diversify while respecting its medical roots. Budgeting $2.09 billion, UIC now educates 30,539 Flames, including Healthcare majors, as an AAU and Horizon League member. The University of Illinois at Chicago has grown beyond the 311-acre Near West Side campus to Peoria, Rockford, Quad Cities, Springfield, and Urbana. Linked to 144,143 LinkedIn alumni, Chicago has trained medical greats like Sheila Tlou, Stanley Korsmeyer, David Sackett, and Mohan Nair.
The University of Illinois at Chicago Accreditation Details
In October 2017, the University of Illinois at Chicago successfully completed its 10-year institutional evaluation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (HLC-NCA) to retain Level VI accreditation under its 20th president, Dr. Timothy Killeen. Located just 1.1 miles away near Willis Tower, this 19-state regional accreditor has authority from the U.S. Department of Education to judge the quality of Chicago’s 86 baccalaureate, 99 master’s, and 65 doctoral majors. Other health-related programmatic accreditations at UIC include the following:
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
- Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
- Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)
- Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND)
- Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management (CAHIIM)
The University of Illinois at Chicago Application Requirements
Classified as “moderately difficult” by Peterson’s, the University of Illinois at Chicago only accepted 74 percent of the 17,931 applications in Fall 2016. First-year Flames should rank in the top half of their high school classes. Bachelor’s requisites include four years of English and Math. Freshmen present an average GPA of 3.25. The College of Applied Health Sciences accepts median ACT composite scores of 21-26 or equivalent. Transfers must hold 12 to 70 non-remedial undergrad credits from accredited sources. The RN-BSN Completion track specifically requires an associate degree in nursing and 2.75 average. Graduate applicants verify a four-year bachelor’s, minimum 3.0 GPA, and GRE scores with code 1851. Prerequisites vary; for example, the M.S. in Pathology needs Biology, Organic Chemistry, and Physics courses.
The University of Illinois at Chicago has an Early Action deadline of November 1st and Regular Decision deadline of January 15th for freshmen. Undergrad transfers apply freely until October 15th for Spring and April 2nd for Fall. The Graduate College has highly variable dates like January 15th for the M.S. in Bioinformatics and February 1st for the M.S. in Public Health Sciences. Either the UIC or Common Application can be submitted wholly online. If needed, mail extras to 1200 West Harrison Street Suite 1100 in Chicago, IL 60607. Please contact (312) 996-4350 or uicadmit@uic.edu for help. Healthcare programs generally seek these:
- $50 application fee ($70 for M.S./Ph.D.)
- Transcript requests for each institution
- Official test scores directly from agencies
- Two to three required recommendations
- Personal statement of intended goals
- Copies of valid RN licensure if applicable
- English language proficiency verification
Tuition and Financial Aid
For 2018-19, the University of Illinois at Chicago will guarantee undergrad in-state tuition of $5,292 per semester. Non-resident bachelor’s students will pay $11,900 each term. Budgets must include the $431 general fee, $350 service fee, $92 health service fee, and $570 insurance fee. Living at the “Windy City” campus’ dorms like Marie Robinson Hall adds $10,792. Annual full cost of attendance equals $30,662 in-state and $43,518. Undergrad online programs like the B.S. in Health Informatics bill $500 per credit though. The Graduate College has base tuition of $5,830 to $11,950 per semester. Tuition differentials range from $625 (M.S. in Nutrition) to $4,038 (M.S. in Biomedical Visualization).
According to the NCES College Navigator, 65 percent of full-time UIC Flames share $145.04 million total for median annual financial aid offers worth $12,463. Health-related institutional funds include the Alan W. Donaldson Award, Hamilton Research Scholarship, Estelle Goldstein Memorial Scholarship, Nursing Education Scholarship, Gertrude E. Skelly Emergency Grant, and Scrimshaw Family Latino Health Scholarship. Completing the FAFSA application with code 001776 opens Federal Pell and FSEOG Grant possibility. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission provides the Monetary Award Program, Veteran Grant, and Dependents of Correctional Offices Program. Federal Work-Study jobs offer at least $8.25/hour. Half-time graduate assistantship positions require 20 weekly hours. Ranked 96th, Chicago also leaves average student debt of $15,000 from Perkins, Nursing, Direct, and private loans.
Learn more about the University of Illinois at Chicago via the College of Applied Health Sciences website.
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