Reach your career goals at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Nestled among rolling hills and dense forests, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers a renowned education at one of the top public universities in the US.

This institution provides a top-class education in a global academic community. Over 80 countries are represented on-campus, all of which are celebrated through seven dedicated ‘culture houses’. Students are wholeheartedly encouraged to participate in cultural activities, including religious and cultural holidays, to try traditional foods, and to share stories and art.

The university is steeped in tradition, just last year celebrating its 150^th year of academic excellence. Studying here is considered more than an education – it’s also an unforgettable experience. You’ll be swept up in the traditions of Homecoming – rumored to have been started at the University of Illinois a century ago – as well as ‘Quad Day’, and Marching Band shows.

“Every member of the Illinois faculty, student body, and alumni system are dedicated to one thing: discovering what will make tomorrow better. This simple notion has propelled Illinois through 150 years of history,” says Jacob, a current advertising student at Illinois.

Living on-campus allows students to experience quintessential US college life, complete with onsite housing, and extracurricular fun. Despite there being almost 45,000 students on site, the university hosts a strong community atmosphere, fostered through the forward-thinking, Living-Learning Communities.

These dedicated spaces allow students to join a group that matches their interests, nurturing deep friendships and academic relationships through mutual passions and interests. Students can choose to live in career-focussed communities such as the Business LLC or the Health Professionals, on top of the Sustainability community or Intersections – a  society that encourages friendly discussion regarding race and culture.

If you’d rather live in non-specialized student accommodation but still want to be a part of the school’s community culture, you can join one of the many student associations. With over 1000 on site, there’s bound to be something that interests you whether it’s in sports, politics, or art.

“The belief that every student should explore their passion at a university that gives them the tools to succeed is what makes Illinois special,” Jacob explains.

Across 10 academic departments, students can choose between 150 programmes to reach their academic goals. Whatever you are field of interest, there’s bound to be a program to interest you within either the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, College of Applied Health Sciences, College of Education, College of Engineering, College of Fine and Applied Arts, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, College of Media, College of Nursing, Division of General Studies, Gies College of Business or School of Social Work. The university also offers a range of online courses , so those who can’t physically attend the program can still benefit from its world-class education.

Online courses are great for students with families, work commitments, or other complications that mean they can’t physically attend, but would still like to build up specialist knowledge. They also have the beauty of attracting netizens all over the world to create a truly global learning community.

The Illinois online Master’s in Business Administration (iMBA) allows students to study a world-leading postgraduate course, equipped with a sharp focus on career-related progression from anywhere with internet access.

The 26-36 month course allows you to work through compulsory modules in Strategic, Leadership & Management, Managerial Economics and Business Analysis, Value Chain Management and  Financial Management, as well as a choice of Global Challenges in Business, Innovation: From Creativity to Entrepreneurship and Digital Marketing; making it ideal for prospective students with busy family or work lives alongside their studies.

The online platform creates a global community of students around the world who can collaborate to achieve the qualification. The growing iMBA currently has students enrolled in 17 countries – including Japan, Australia, Papua New Guinea and Germany.

The Illinois online Master’s of Science in Accounting (iMSA) is ideal for students who want to deepen their knowledge in accounting, as well as gain interdisciplinary experience remotely. The course allows for complete flexibility of when students complete the compulsory 32-hours of graduate coursework material, in which at least 20-hours comprise of accountancy courses, and at least four-hours are in a non-accountancy course.

Students are required to study Accounting Analysis I and Accounting Analysis II, Managerial Accounting, Audit and Federal Taxation, in order to pass the course. You can then take accounting electives or non-accounting electives in topics including business, global Strategy and Strategic Management.

The first segment of the course is taught through recorded video lectures before students come together in live ‘global classrooms’ in the second part of the course. This double approach ensures a well-rounded learning experience that appeals to different learning habits.

The course takes between 18 and 24 months depending on whether you start in August or January, respectively, but students can adjust the teaching schedule to fit alongside their commitments.

The iMSA is aimed at students with a background in accounting who want to become leaders in their field.

So, whether you’re looking for that typical US college experience, or would suit an online course, the University of Illinois has something for you.

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