Master of Science in Finance (STEM)

at Shorelight Group - University of Illinois at Chicago USA

The MSBA at the UIC Business Liautaud Graduate School prepares you for today’s hottest careers.

From sales figures and account balances to photos, customer reviews and social media comments, data is waiting to be collected, organized and analyzed. Every industry is using technology to generate new data and they need analysts to interpret that data to understand customers, develop new products and enhance revenue.

The MS in Business Analytics will provide you with a holistic approach to the field and develop expertise in data management, machine learning and predictive analytics, along with a strong business foundation. You will gain the skill set necessary to analyze large data sets and generate insights through techniques in data visualization, statistical modeling and data mining. The program curriculum emphasizes industry experience, exposure and collaboration across a variety of analytics projects.

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 Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship provides the business training needed to launch and grow a successful enterprise.

Chicago now ranks second in the nation in the number of fast-growing small businesses. To immerse our students in the city's vibrant entrepreneurial community, we partner with startup hubs and connect students with internships.

Chemistry is a central science that provides much of the fundamental understanding needed to deal with society’s needs. Students with a degree in chemistry find they are prepared for jobs in the chemical, health, and pharmaceutical industries and in many other settings, including teaching, environmental settings, energy research, biomedical labs, forensics, and occupational and public health.

The Bachelor of Science in Chemistry is recommended for anyone considering a professional career in chemistry. It prepares its graduates for admission to graduate schools in chemistry, to medical schools, and to professional positions in industry, the health field, and governmental agencies.

The Department of Communication highlights the role of communication, media, and technology in creating relationships within human societies. Courses range from the personal through the international level and build responsible citizenship.

A degree in communication focuses on social science research, leading to several career paths, including market research, corporate relations, human resources, event planning, advertising, media writing, teaching, and government.

The core courses introduce fundamental concepts, theories, issues, and statistical methods in a variety of settings and build skills in reasoned argument, research, and critical thinking.

Subsequent courses integrate analysis and research, emphasizing observation, production, and consumption as critical processes in which students continually engage, while also emphasizing systematic inquiry that involves students in research activities. The courses foster critical understanding of the ways that individuals, groups, and societies create meanings about their worlds through communication.

The Department of Communication offers work leading to degrees at the master’s and doctoral levels and participates in the interdepartmental concentrations in Black Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies, Latin American and Latino Studies, and Survey Research Methodology.

The department goal is to produce scholars and researchers who will be critical consumers and producers of research about communication, whether in academic or applied settings, and who will contribute to the growth of knowledge in those settings.

At the master’s level, study and research are available in two general areas, media studies and cultural diversity. Because the areas intertwine, program emphasis is on breadth and integration. Inquiry in media studies ranges, for example, from journalism ethics to electronic media and computer-mediated communication. Cultural inquiry includes language and symbolic representation, critical theory, social inequality and racism, and cross-cultural differences.

At the doctoral level, the program focuses on communication and technology. Students develop thorough understanding of the field, expertise in its theories, skills needed to conduct effective research, and experience teaching in a university setting. They also acquire a specialty from among those recognized in scholarly societies and reflected in current research emphases among department faculty.

A signature feature of department programs is their flexibility. Students pursue individual and professional aims with guidance from an advisor, designing a course of study to reach their own educational goals. Because the department strongly encourages interdisciplinary work, students may study with scholars in allied disciplines.

Chemical engineering answers the question of what chemistry can do to improve the world around us. Chemical engineers are problem-solvers who take raw materials and turn them into useful materials. Our undergraduate program includes a thorough immersion in the core concepts of chemistry—general, organic, physical, and analytical—followed by a series of upper-level chemical engineering courses that develop your ability to apply these concepts to develop new, innovative solutions to engineering problems.

The coursework in our program culminates in the Senior Design course, in which student teams, working with industry mentors, put their knowledge to work on a real-world issue that matters to them. Recent projects have focused on creating biofuels from wood chips, reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by using chemical solvents to capture carbon dioxide, and meeting an increasing global demand for the chemical propylene. Senior Design projects offer a true opportunity to pick a cause you are passionate about and spend two semesters working on it—and the experience often proves valuable when applying for full-time jobs.

UIC chemical engineering also is home to a concentration in biochemical engineering, which is of particular interest to students who love not only chemistry, but also biology. This concentration helps to position students for jobs or further study at the intersection of bioengineering and chemical engineering.

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.

The Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management will equip students with the necessary skills to successfully manage human capital within organizations. A focused curriculum will cover topics that include building effective teams, compensation, global human resources, personal leadership skills, diversity and inclusion, recruitment, training and development, labor laws, and consulting.