Master of Public Health at UIC
This school appears in our ranking of the Top 10 MPH Programs with No Out-of-State Tuition Fees.
Students with an interest in public health will find a number of programs available through the University of Illinois at Chicago. It offers a traditional Master of Public Health that requires students take classes on its Chicago campus. Students can pick a concentration in health policy and administration, environmental and occupational health sciences, community health sciences or epidemiology and biostatistics. In addition to required MPH courses, students will take at least six credits from within one of these concentrations.
The courses that students take will depend on the experience that they have. Those who already have some medical and public health experience can enroll in a version of the program called the professional enhancement program. The university designed this program to supplement the knowledge that students already have and to reduce the total number of credits they need to take. All other students will enroll in a comprehensive version of the program that requires they take more classes.
Students can also enroll in an online MPH program. This program does not offer the same concentrations that the traditional program does. It requires that students complete the requirements to earn a concentration in community health services. The university also offers a similar program that focuses on health policy and administration and public health informatics. Students typically spend between eight hours and 10 hours a week to complete their course requirements.
The university offers other programs that appeal to public health students like its Doctor of Public Health in Leadership, which is an online program. It also has a Master of Science in Public Health program that features the same concentrations as the MPH program does. This program is a little longer than the MPH program and requires that students take more classes. Students can also earn a certificate from the university in clinical research methods, emergency management and continuity planning, public health management, public health informatics or public health geographic informatics systems.
About The University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois at Chicago is a large university in Chicago that often goes by the abbreviation of UIC. Though only established in 1965, the roots of the university go back to the 19th century. Several other schools opened and operated in the city, including the Chicago College of Pharmacy and the College of Physicians and Surgeons. After the University of Illinois opened in Champaign-Urbana, it took over the operations of three schools in Chicago and created the Colleges of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy. As the curriculum of this new school changed, they became the Chicago Professional Colleges. The University of Illinois at Congress Circle opened in 1965 but later became the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle and then The University of Illinois at Chicago. This new university and the only Chicago Professional Colleges later merged to form one large school.
UIC is now home to one of the state’s largest medical schools, but its medical school also ranks as one of the largest in the country. Both Washington Monthly and U.S. News & World Report rank UIC on a national level. UIC also ranks as one of the top colleges in the world today.
The University of Illinois at Chicago Accreditation Details
The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accredited the UIC Master of Public Health degree program. This lets students know that the program meets all the standards of that organization and that they will gain the experience needed to succeed in the field after they graduate. UIC is home to one of the only graduate public health degree programs in Illinois with CEPH accreditation. The university also has regional accreditation, which comes from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS) of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
The University of Illinois at Chicago Application Requirements
All incoming UIC graduate students must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with regional accreditation. Though students can apply before finishing their degrees, they must provide the university with an official transcript that shows they have their degrees in hand before they start classes. This transcript must show the last 60 credit hours or the last 90 semester hours of courses that the student took, which usually shows the last two years they spent in a bachelor’s degree program. Students need to submit transcripts from any schools they attended. UIC asks for a $70 application fee and a completed online application too. Those who cannot afford to pay the application fee can apply for a waiver from the university.
The application includes a space for students to write an essay. Each department has its own essay prompts and will provide the prompt or question on the application. Students must submit at least one writing sample, a copy of his or her most recent resume and several letters of recommendation. They will use the application to list their references and the contact information for each one, and those references can then submit their letters to the university.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The base rate for full-time graduate students attending UIC who are Illinois residents is $5,830 per semester. Nonresidents pay $11,950 per semester. The university charges students who lived outside of Illinois for one year or longer the nonresident rate. Part-time students can take up to 11 credits of classes each semester and pay $3,887 as an Illinois resident or $7,967 as a nonresident. The university drops its tuition rate down even lower for those taking five or fewer credits in a semester. Students enrolled in an online program pay a flat rate per credit hour. The university charges $730 to $806 per credit hour for online students enrolled in its MPH or MS in Public Health programs.
Traditional students at UIC can apply for one of its assistantships positions. Those who qualify receive a waiver that covers their tuition costs and some of the miscellaneous fees charged by the university. In exchange for this waiver, students work on campus at least 91 days out of each semester. The university offers assistantships for students over the summer sessions too. Students can use the FAFSA to find out if they qualify for any grants or loans. The University of Illinois at Chicago will also accept PLUS loans that parents and guardians can get as well as private student loans.
