International Programs
Each year, UIC welcomes international students representing 15 or more countries to our engineering and computer science programs. International applicants are welcome to all of our graduate programs; in addition, the College of Engineering houses several partnership programs that allow students from specific universities abroad to spend all or part of their graduate study here at UIC.
You can find a broad overview of these partnership programs here. The page below provides further detail.
Italy Program Heading link
This program allows students from two top technical universities—Politecnico di Torino and Politecnico di Milano—to earn a master of science degree from UIC.
Participating students spend the first semester of the program at their home universities in Italy, and then they spend two semesters in residence at UIC. They complete MS coursework requirements and write a master’s thesis.
Students enjoy the opportunity to take courses not offered at their home institution, conduct research in a new area, improve their English language skills, and gain research and work experience in Chicago. Some students obtain an Optional Practical Training visa to work for a U.S. company for a short time after finishing their degree. Others have chosen to stay at UIC for a PhD.
Applications to the Italy program are only accepted by Politecnico di Torino and Politecnico di Milano from current students at these universities who meet eligibility requirements.
Have questions about the Italy program? Contact the program coordinator, Jenna Stephens, at jennas8@uic.edu.
China Programs Heading link
UIC Engineering works with about 30 partner universities in China to enable their students to complete all or part of a degree program at UIC. China program participants may choose to study biomedical engineering, bioinformatics, chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical and computer engineering, industrial engineering, materials engineering, or mechanical engineering. The following formats are available:
3+1 undergraduate exchange program: In this program, undergraduates who are currently in their third year of study at one of our partner universities can choose to spend their fourth year at UIC. At the end of the two-semester program, students are issued official UIC transcripts in order for them to receive a bachelor degree from their home university in China.
3+1+1 MS degree program: Students who complete the first three years of their undergraduate education in China then spend a fourth year at UIC, after which they receive a bachelor’s degree from their home university in China. Then they can complete the requirements for a master of science degree in the fifth year, earning an MS from UIC at the end of that year.
4+1.5 MS degree program: Participants in this program complete their four-year undergraduate education at one of our partner universities in China and then earn a master of science degree from UIC in three semesters on campus here in Chicago.
Master’s exchange program: Through this program, current graduate students at one of our partner universities in China can come to UIC for two semesters and, in that time frame, complete a UIC master of science degree.
Have questions about the China program? Please email the program coordinator, Derong Liu, PhD, at derong@uic.edu or on WeChat: UIC-Engineering-32
Partnership Program Advantages Heading link
Students who have completed our Italy and China partnership programs report that the experience helped them in the following ways:
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Accelerated degree progress
Partnership program participants often receive an MS degree in less time than their counterparts, because UIC’s programs allow students to begin graduate coursework earlier.
For example, earning both a bachelor of science and master of science degree often takes five and a half years in the United States and six and a half to seven years in China.
By contrast, participants in UIC’s 3+1+1 program earn both a BS and MS in five years. Participants in UIC’s MS exchange program earn an MS degree in less than a year.
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Cost savings
UIC charges competitive program fees to students from partner universities. This increases the financial accessibility of a UIC education.
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Student support
The success of our international students is paramount. To that end, UIC has established services to support international students during their transition to Chicago and their careers afterward.
- UIC’s Office of International Services helps to coordinate a smooth transition for students upon arrival and throughout the year.
- UIC offers a free English intensive training course to help students in the partnership programs improve their written and spoken English, build their engineering vocabulary in English, and feel at home in the Chicago and the rest of the United States.
- For students who are interested in working for a period of time in the United States, the Office of International Services provides support for Optional Practical Training, or OPT.
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Campus life and diversity
UIC students enjoy a wide selection of trips, events, theater, sports, and recreation on campus and throughout the city. Students also have access to a top-caliber fitness center on campus.
Partnership program students take classes, work on projects, and socialize with UIC students from more than 100 countries and many backgrounds.
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Career success
More than 400 companies have hired UIC Engineering students in the last three years.
In addition, partnership program students have continued on for PhD study at prestigious universities across the United States and around the world, including:
- Australian National University
- Columbia University
- Duke University
- Johns Hopkins University
- New York University
- Northwestern University
- Politecnico di Milano
- Purdue University
- Texas A&M University
- University of Chicago
- University of Notre Dame
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Southern California
- University of Waterloo
- Vanderbilt University
- Virginia Tech
- Washington University in St. Louis
Learn more about life at UIC for international students Heading link
Get to know UIC’s Office of International Services, which helps accepted international students to make the transition to their new lives as UIC Flames in Chicago. We look forward to making our new international students a part of our community!