Master of Art in Communication

at Shorelight Group - University of Illinois at Chicago USA

The UIC Business Master of Science in Management Information Systems Program prepares you to use technology to improve business practices.

In today’s economy, managing information is critical to the success of a business. Supply-chain management, mass customization, business intelligence and data mining are all key drivers of a successful business, and all require the effective management of large volumes of information using technology systems. Taught by research faculty, the program is designed to train project managers, technology leaders and future CIOs.

The Master in Urban Planning and Policy (MUPP) program at UIC is the only professional planning program in the Chicago metropolitan area that is fully accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board. With a large and diverse faculty and student body, the MUPP program offers a comprehensive range of courses, including many specialized electives and studios. Class sizes are typically small, with multiple sections of required courses offered in both day and evening. Graduates can connect to a large network of alumni, both locally and across the region, country, and world.

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 Bachelor of Science in Disability and Human Development uniquely explores disability as a complex biological, social, cultural, political, historical, and economic experience. This approach to disability, in itself, constitutes a unique curriculum that asks students to see disability as a contextual and changing phenomena. Further, the Department of Disability and Human Development mobilizes its relationships with community partners and disability organizations as well as its leadership within the fields of disability and human development and disability studies to provide students with a broad, interdisciplinary degree that blends theory, research, and practice.

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.

There are very few areas in modern society that are untouched by computer science. It is present in communications, transportation, education, defense, entertainment, healthcare, and scores of other fields. It is in our homes, our schools, our workplaces, and probably also our pockets (if our phones are in there).

To keep pace with this extraordinary reach, today’s computer scientists must have a broad mastery of the field as well as the communication skills to develop connections with the people whom computing affects. UIC’s computer science major prepares you for all of this through a well-rounded degree that requires significant coursework inside and outside the computer science department, placing a strong emphasis on written and verbal communication.

The Bachelor of Science in Accounting offers a proven business education that prepares students for accounting careers across the public and private sectors.

As an accounting major, you’ll be exposed to the latest research and theory, with plenty of opportunity for classroom practice and real-world application. The program will prepare you for careers in financial, managerial, governmental, nonprofit and international accounting, as well as auditing and taxation.

The MCS curiculum fosters the development of logical and analytical thinking and is designed to provide a basic foundation for a career in the forefront of computing. Emphasis is given to the mathematical theory of computer science and computational methods. The program concentrates on both the practical and theoretical aspects of computer science such as numerical computing, super computing, programming languages, algorithms, complexity, coding theory, combinatorics and graph theory. The curriculum is intended for students who seek careers in systems and/or mathematical computing.

Note that while the major is “Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science” the MCS rubric for courses stands for “Mathematical Computer Science”.

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.