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Founded as a teachers’ education college in 1864, Concordia University Chicago today is a comprehensive liberal arts and graduate university in River Forest under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Daniel Lee Gard.

With more than 5,000 full-time students, Concordia offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs and more than 60 areas of study through its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, and Graduate and Innovative Programs.

The College of Graduate and Innovative Programs has been specifically structured and staffed to meet the needs of today’s graduate level students who:

• seek a nationally respected, advanced degree program that fully recognizes their undergraduate accomplishments.
• require non-traditional and flexible scheduling and teaching options, including extensive on-line and correspondence learning opportunities.
• prefer curricula content that is immediately applicable to demanding, real world workforce demands.
• appreciate the unique advantages of being assigned a personal “concierge” who provides tailored degree and course evaluation advice, in addition to guidance in selecting financial support and scheduling alternatives.
• value the importance of being able to balance family and work responsibilities with their pursuit of an advanced degree.

Our graduate degree programs, many of which are among the nation’s largest, prepare leaders with master’s degrees in fields as diverse as community counseling and gerontology, to religion, social services and a range of specialized studies within education, including educational technology.

The College’s post masters programs include doctoral programs in early childhood education, school leadership, organizational leadership and higher education, and sports management…and a combined certificate and MBA program for school business managers – the first program of its kind in the nation.

In addition to its thirty-nine innovative graduate programs, the College further provides a broad range of on and off-campus programs benefiting the workforce professional through the Institute of Professional Studies.

The College’s accelerated degree program for adults, serving highly motivated adults with at least two years of full time work experience who need a non-traditional college attendance option, responds to the requirements of students balancing their studies with work and family responsibilities.

Through our program, these students can complete a Bachelor of Arts degree in organizational management, guided by faculty and staff who are sincerely dedicated to their success as individuals.

In addition to degree programs, the College further offers certificate programs for working professionals in human resource management, information technology management, organizational processes, piano pedagogy and athletic coaching.

Also available through the College is correspondence study providing undergraduate college instruction for credit consistent with approved standards for such work.

Finally, our unique 60+ College Program – a non-degree track program for those aged sixty and older – enables eligible seniors to audit virtually any course Concordia offers for personal enrichment and the pursuit of special interests.