Master of Public Administration

at Shorelight Group - University of Illinois at Chicago USA

Political science is the systematic study of politics and its connection to human life as a whole. It focuses on the way people are governed and govern themselves in a wide variety of settings—including the state, the workplace, schools, and the family—and the way in which governance in those settings affects their life chances and shapes their sense of self. Students who elect this major examine, among other things, the relationships between law and political institutions, economic and political power, and culture and political identity. They develop the analytical, interpretive, and critical methods necessary to understand these relationships at local, national, regional, or international levels, and thus, to act as responsible citizens at those levels. They also learn to write well. In short, political science is central to a well-rounded liberal arts education.

Political science also provides excellent preparation for careers in law, government, teaching, journalism, business, and the nonprofit sector.

In addition to the BA with a Major in Political Science program, the department offers two concentrations: the Concentration in Law and Courts and the Concentration in Urban Politics.

Biological Sciences majors study living systems. Students and faculty pursue diverse programs of study, including, but not limited to, biochemistry, animal behavior, cell biology, development, ecology, environmental sciences, evolution, genetics, microbiology, molecular biology, neuroscience, paleontology, plant biology, physiology (cellular, organismal, and environmental), population biology, and urban ecology. Students completing a baccalaureate degree in Biological Sciences are prepared for a wide range of careers, including jobs in a variety of health professions, the veterinary or pharmaceutical sciences, public or private research, education, regulatory policy, conservation and wildlife biology, environmental professions, and agriculture.

The Department of Biological Sciences offers a program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts and Sciences with a Major in Biological Sciences.

The Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience is awarded by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to students who successfully complete the curriculum. It is a joint program sponsored by the Departments of Biological Sciences and Psychology with the support of Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience (LIN) faculty from the Departments of Chemistry and Philosophy. Students are advised by the Department of Biological Sciences.

The Bachelor of Science in Management from UIC Business will equip you with the necessary skills to successfully lead and manage people and organizations. With a varied curriculum encompassing management consulting, leadership and managerial skills and managerial logistics, you’ll gain the skills to excel in and lead teams, negotiate conflict and develop strategies to help a business succeed.

Management students can opt for a concentration in management consulting, leadership and managerial skills and managerial logistics.

Philosophy (from the Greek “love of wisdom”) originated as the search for understanding concerning the most basic features of reality, the natural world, and human life. The discipline prizes and develops the skill of engaging effectively with arguments on a tremendous range of subjects. In ancient times, philosophers pioneered the study of topics from the physical cosmos to the gods to human conduct. They debated not only the character of fundamental reality but also questions of how we can attain knowledge of it. To this day, philosophy engages with questions drawn from every part of our life and experience. For example: Is there such a thing as a purely objective observation? Am I identical with my brain? Is it ever permissible to break the law? Why is there evil in the world? Is death to be feared, and why?

Job candidates and applicants to professional schools can only be helped by being able to examine both sides of a question, think critically, write cogently, and solve very general abstract problems. Moreover, the powers of reflection, imagination, self-expression, and engagement with the ideas of others that philosophy cultivates are in themselves of fundamental value for human life.

The Department of English offers a Major in English and Minor in English, Minor in Professional Writing, and a Major in Teacher Education and Minor in Teacher Education.

The field of English focuses on the study and practice of various forms of writing in English. It includes:

• The study of written works in English—whether by writers from the United States, Britain, former colonies, the Commonwealth nations, or elsewhere—whose aesthetic achievement and cultural significance qualifies them as literature;
• The study of literary criticism and theory, of the relationship between literature and popular culture, and of allied narrative forms such as film, performance, electronic communications, and other new media;
• The study of the English language, its historical development, and its rhetorical dimensions;
• The theory and practice of writing, whether of poetry, fiction, nonfiction prose, or other expository forms;
• The theory and practice of teaching English language and literature, particularly at the secondary level.

Students who major in English develop broad reading and writing skills that make possible both an analytical engagement with, and a critical understanding of, diverse fields of cultural and aesthetic production. The English major offers excellent preparation for careers in writing, editing, publishing, teaching, government, law, and advertising.

The human-centered computing concentration prepares students to pursue areas such as user-interface design and development and computer graphics and animation. Applications of these skills might include video games, movie special effects, and visualization in science, engineering, and medicine. In addition to the fundamental areas of computer science—programming, data structures, discrete mathematics, algorithms, formal languages, computer architecture, and operating systems—the concentration educates students in user-interface design, computer graphics, visual media, and natural language processing.

The School of Architecture offers a three-year, NAAB-accredited* first professional Master of Architecture (MArch) degree to students with either an undergraduate degree in architectural studies or an undergraduate degree in any other field of study. The studio-centered curriculum is supported by required and elective coursework in architectural technology and theory. The typical three-year course of study proceeds roughly through the following stages:

1. Incorporate the knowledge, techniques, methods and manners of the discipline;
2. Apply disciplinary means to frame and respond to the given problems and requests of external situations;
3. Expand the discipline by conducting advanced design research that identifies and addresses concerns that have yet to be recognized.

The Information and Decision Sciences program at UIC Business is grounded in a research-based curriculum and corporate-sponsored project courses that give students the proven experience firms are looking for. IDS majors explore the potential of new technology to alter business operations, analysis and strategy. Students leave our program ready to meet the growing demand for business technologists.

IDS students are in top demand because of the skills they learn here at UIC Business. Bridging the gap between technology and business, IDS prepares students to analyze, design and implement information technology systems.

Students gain conceptual knowledge in how information is used effectively throughout all areas in the business cycle. They also gain practical experience in more technological based courses such as Business Database Technology, Advanced Spreadsheet Analysis, Business Data Mining and Business Systems Analysis and Design. IDS students are given the tools to become proficient professionals, capable of putting their technical, analytic and critical thinking skills to use in a real-world setting.

At UIC Business, we help students find their dream careers. Some students may choose a “specialization” for their studies that lead to certain career paths in IDS. These include Management Information Systems; Business Analytics; and Operations and Supply Chain Management.