University of Illinois at Chicago

The University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, near the Chicago Loop. As the second campus established under the University of Illinois system, it is also the largest university in the Chicago area with approximately 28,000 students enrolled in 15 colleges. UIC operates the nation's largest medical school, with research expenditures exceeding $412 million and consistently in the top 50 U.S. institutions for research expenditures

Piecing Together the UIC History

UIC's rich history can be traced back to several private, Chicago-based health colleges founded during the late nineteenth century.

In 1913, these colleges incorporated with the University of Illinois (in Champaign-Urbana), as the Colleges of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy. By 1961, these colleges and several others became the University of Illinois at the Medical Center (UIMC).

In 1946, U of I created a temporary, two-year branch campus on Navy Pier, to accommodate student veterans on the G.I. Bill. Students who successfully completed the first two years of requirements could go on to Urbana and finish their degree. After the first wave of veterans passed, demand for a public university education remained high. In 1961, Mayor Richard J. Daley offered the Harrison and Halsted site for a new, permanent campus.

In 1965, the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle (UICC), a degree-granting institution, opened its doors. Within five years, virtually every department offered graduate degrees.

In 1982, the U of I Medical Center (on the west side of campus) and Circle Campus (on the east side of campus) consolidated to form the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). This merger strengthened the University's potential for scholarly excellence, and pushed UIC to Carnegie Research 1 institution status in 1987.

In 2000, UIC launched its South Campus initiative, providing increased resident living space and additional research facilities. The South Campus unites the school with the neighborhood, creating a more vibrant community, all around.

Studies

The University of Illinois at Chicago offers 74 bachelor degrees, 77 master degrees, and 60 doctoral degrees through its 14 colleges, in addition to the university's specialized Honors College (for undergraduates) and the omnibus Graduate College (for graduate students):

College of Applied Health Sciences

College of Architecture and the Arts

College of Business Administration

College of Dentistry

College of Education

College of Engineering

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

College of Medicine

College of Nursing

College of Pharmacy

College of Public Health

Jane Addams College of Social Work

College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs

UIC offers eleven inter-college programs, some of which are organized as centers: Cancer Center, Center for Structural Biology, Neuroscience program, Council for Teacher Education, Graduate Education in Medical Sciences, Guaranteed Professional Programs Admissions program, Moving Image Arts program, National Center of Excellence in Women's Health, Office of International Affairs, Study Abroad Office, and the Office of Special Scholarship Programs.

The university is run by the chancellor who is supported by seven vice chancellors, one CEO for administrative functions, and fifteen college deans. There is a library dean and three regional deans for colleges of medicine.

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked:

167th in the 2011 QS World University Ranking