October 4, 2007
The Global Campus, the University's new initiative focused on large-scale delivery of online degree and certificate programs, will begin accepting applications in October for its first courses in January.
Applications will be accepted online at global.uillinois.edu for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Degree Completion Program for RNs, created in collaboration with the University of Illinois at Chicago's top-ranked College of Nursing.
The program is designed for registered nurses wishing to complete their bachelor's degrees and build a foundation for leadership in one of the fastest growing professions in the U.S.
The Global Campus offers online bachelor's completion degrees, master's degrees and graduate certificate programs in collaboration with partnering academic units on the brick-and-mortar campuses of Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, and Springfield. Each program's curriculum is developed by world-class University of Illinois faculty who are leaders in their fields of study. In addition, Global Campus programs will be overseen by an academic council and taught by high quality instructors who meet rigorous requirements in both their academic fields and in online pedagogy.
Illinois residents will receive a discount on program tuition. For the BSN Degree Completion Program, students residing outside Illinois will pay $20,550 for the entire program ($685 per credit hour for 30 credit hours). Illinois residents will pay $18,495 for the entire program ($616.50 per credit hour for 30 credit hours).
The Global Campus will operate its own application, enrollment, financial aid and business functions, in concert with the functions at the residential campuses. Students will receive an admissions decision within 72 hours of applying, and they will be assigned an advisor who will work closely with them until they graduate.
"Our goal is to be student-centered," says Chester Gardner, who is leading the Global Campus as special assistant to the president of the University.
The Global Campus also plans to offer three programs through the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's College of Education—a Master of Education with a concentration in E-Learning and two graduate certificates in E-Learning.
"We have a healthy and rich pipeline of additional programs that we're exploring," Gardner said. "What's been most impressive is the response that we've had from our faculty colleagues and colleges on the three campuses, who have looked seriously at partnering with The Global Campus."
The Global Campus has signed commitments from 15 other academic units within the University to develop courses, including the colleges of Business Administration and Medicine in Chicago, and Urbana-Champaign's colleges of Engineering and Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, and the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations.
