Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Software Engineers For Systems
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Truman College, Daley College, Harold Washington College, and Wilbur Wright College.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider Midstate College, Judson, Roosevelt University, and Rockford College.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider MacCormac, Midstate College, and Rasmusssen.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Saint Augustine College, Olive-Harvey College, Kennedy-King College, and Daley College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider John A Logan College, University of St Francis, Frontier, and Governors State.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Northwestern University, North Park University, Illinois Institute of Technology, and Loyola University.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Monmouth College, Blackburn, Illinois College, and Millikin University.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Northwestern University, University of Illinois, Illinois Institute of Technology, and Loyola University.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Saint Xavier University, Northwestern University, University of St Francis, and Concordia.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Northwestern University, Illinois College, Illinois Institute of Technology, and Millikin University.
Spotlight Schools Search
Spotlight Illinois Schools Related to This Career
- Locations: Addison, Chicago, Downers Grove, Elgin, Gurnee, Naperville, Tinley Park
- Programs: 3 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor
- Locations: Downers Grove, Schaumburg
- Programs: 9 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor, Certificate, Diploma, Master, Post- Bachelor's Certificate
- Locations: Chicago, Mokena, Schaumburg, Warrenville
- Programs: 7 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Bachelor, Master
- Locations: Burr Ridge, Mount Prospect, Orland Park
- Programs: 11 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor
DeVry University's Keller Graduate School of Management
- Locations: Chicago, Downers Grove, Elgin, Gurnee, Lincolnshire, Naperville, Schaumburg, Tinley Park
- Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Master, Post- Bachelor's Certificate
- Locations: Chicago, Schaumburg
- Programs: 2 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Bachelor, Doctorate, Master
- Locations: Bridgeview, Chicago
- Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate
International Academy of Design and Technology
- Locations: Chicago
- Programs: 2 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor
- Locations: Mokena, Rockford, Romeoville
- Programs: 5 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor
- Locations: Quincy
- Programs: 4 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Diploma
See these schools on a map
Study from Anywhere at Online Schools Related to This Career
- Programs: 9 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor, Master
- Programs: 4 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor
- Programs: 20 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Bachelor, Doctorate, Master
- Programs: 6 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor, Master
- Programs: 2 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Bachelor
Keiser University eCampus Online
- Programs: 3 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign • Urbana, IL
Studying Computer Science (completion in 1989)
• 7/12/2011
"I believe I received a solid education from a reputable university that helped my chances of getting jobs during my career. However, I felt that too much of the burden in learning was placed on me, without support from a faculty that wasn't very interested in teaching."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I think that the university is a good choice for someone who is a self-starter and wants a good foundation. However, if you need more hands-on and one-to-one instruction, this university is not for you. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | I believe that University of Illinois has a good reputation in the industry. I have often received job solicitations from recruiters based on the fact that I graduated from the university. |
| Program Quality | 8 | I felt that my education provided a good foundation for what I needed in my career. However, it was lacking in some specific skills that most programmers will need in the business world. |
| Instruction | 7 | The curriculum was good, and the course material was relevant. However, most of my learning was self-taught or by teaching assistants. The professors did not seem to care about teaching. |
| How Difficult | 9 | The engineering curriculum was very challenging and weeded out many students during the first two years. More advanced classes were demanding in the amount of time required to complete all of the projects. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was more emphasis on book learning than hands on experience. Although we did have to do many programming projects, the classes stressed fundamentals and theory more than practical skills. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 2 | I was a full time student who only went to classes during the day, Monday through Friday. If there were flexible class options, I wasn't aware of them, and no one I knew took advantage of them. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The facilities were good in terms of computer equipment and books. There were many labs where we could work. However, the availability of advisors and tutors was not as good. I felt that students had to learn by themselves or with their peers without help from the faculty. |
| Social Life | 4 | The school is located in a small town without much to do. There weren't many social groups on campus aside from the Greek system. Unless you're interested in joining a fraternity/sorority, life can be pretty boring. |
| Placement Services | 6 | The school provided the usual generic reading materials for career assistance. They also ran a job fair that helped me land my first job, although not many companies participated in the job fair. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | I have not received any support from the alumni. The only time I hear from the alumni groups are when they ask me to donate money. |
DePaul University • Chicago, IL
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2009)
• 11/14/2011
"DePaul was exactly what I needed to give my career a shot in the arm. It worked around my work schedule, had a pretty good reputation, and I got lots of good information out of it."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | DePaul can be expensive; I worked in the tutoring program to cover my tuition. I would especially recommend it to working students who have some tuition reimbursement at work. The class schedule is perfect if you are working, and the classes are very practical. You do not question why you are taking some theoretical classes that you will never apply on the job. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | DePaul did not rate as high as the school where I got my undergraduate degree. It does rate higher than technical schools or online schools like DeVry or Phoenix. |
| Program Quality | 10 | DePaul is a very practical school. I went to a more theoretical school for my undergraduate degree in computer science; as a result I could not directly apply many of those classes to work. Between my undergraduate degree and returning to school for my Master's degree, I learned most new skills on the job. The skills I learned at DePaul, particularly the Software Engineering classes, were directly applicable to working as a software developer. |
| Instruction | 9 | I learned a lot of useful information, but the quality of instruction varied from class to class. Some of the teachers had other careers and although they were very knowledgeable, they were not very good teachers. |
| How Difficult | 7 | My undergraduate degree was a ten. But the Master's degree was a 7. We had open-book tests and less work in general than I did at my undergraduate school. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Every class had a textbook, and at least part of the class would be from the textbook. But every class also had some programming or hands on software design. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I was able to start their Master's program while working full time, by taking online classes. Then halfway through the program I switched to full time in-person classes so that I could get to know faculty better. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | I worked in the tutoring program, and I thought that it was pretty good. Overall, it was easier to find competent support than it was in my undergraduate program. |
| Social Life | 5 | I really didn't participate in the social events. DePaul is largely a commuter campus for graduate students. Not many adult students use DePaul for social activities. |
| Placement Services | 8 | I know that they have these services, and their reputation is good. However, I have not used these services. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | I haven't really used DePaul's alumni support. However, I do get emails from them so I know that there is a support program. |
University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign • Urbana And Champaign, IL
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2003)
• 12/13/2011
"I totally love my college. They have a great study environment, and UIUC has set great standards for making the best engineers in the country."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Of course I would recommend it. If anyone wants to major in engineering and he/she is smart enough, UIUC is his/her best bet to a happy and learning college time! |
| Program Reputation | 10 | It is one of the top 5 colleges in the US for computer engineering and computer science. |
| Program Quality | 9 | Computer Science and Computer Engineering are two of the best departments to major in at UIUC. UIUC has a world-class facility and amazing teachers. UIUC's alumni have invented really amazing stuff, like the quantum well laser and transistor. |
| Instruction | 8 | UIUC has some of the best faculty members, as some of them are Nobel Laureates. |
| How Difficult | 9 | All the physics and math courses are super competitive. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most of the conceptual classes are coupled with a lab class and a discussion class, so that one can understand maximum information from each lecture. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | Class schedule was not very flexible, as there are too many students to accommodate. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | UIUC has over a 100 libraries. The Grainger Library is the largest public engineering library in the US. Tutor assistants were always available when you needed them. |
| Social Life | 7 | There are several frat parties that happen at UIUC. Some events include DJ's coming to the city to party. |
| Placement Services | 9 | The career services center is an amazing place, where every UIUC student can get free advice on building a resume and finding jobs. |
| Alumni Network | 9 | For recruiting graduating students, several highly placed alumni take in a large number of UIUC students. The university also gets gifts from large companies. |
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