Course Abstract

Northern Illinois University (NIU) offers a Master Certificate in Business. The program has three main components.

1. 1.Students take three courses in Business.  Students can choose the courses they would like to take from the list below. 
   

2. 2.Students will take Business English and cultural courses of at least six contact hours per week. 
   

3. 3.There is an internship class available which students may select for participation.  In the internship class, students will work on a real-world project for a business.  The internship will be directed by an NIU staff member.   The internship course will replace one business course and includes an additional fee.
   

Students who successfully complete this program will receive a Master Certificate in Business from the Business School at Northern Illinois University. Courses taken in this certificate program are equivalent to MBA Phase One courses.  Phase One courses are required for students who want to enter the NIU MBA program. 

About NIU

Northern Illinois University is located in DeKalb, Illinois near Chicago.  Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a world-class university, ranked in the top 4 percent of all American universities.  U.S. News and World Report consistently ranks  the NIU Business School in an elite group of business schools, its 2008 ranking was 73rd out of over 1500 schools.  Crain’s Chicago Business ranks the NIU Business School in the top five MBA programs in Chicago included with such schools as University of Chicago and Northwestern University. 

Business Courses

Courses are offered in the day and evening at the DeKalb campus and in the evening at the Naperville, Illinois campus.  Most classes will be with other NIU students who are pursuing a degree or certificate, thus international students will study side-by-side with American students who are familiar with the American teaching philosophy.  International students will make friends with American students – friends that will last a lifetime that can lead to connections in future business relations.

Students may choose from three of the Graduate Study in Business courses listed below. Please note, courses will change from time to time and not all courses are offered each semester.

ACCY 505 - Financial Accounting Concepts

FINA 500 - Survey of Business Economics

FINA 505 - Fundamentals of Financial Management 

MGMT 505 - Principles of Management

MGMT 511 - Legal Aspects of Business

MKTG 505 - Graduate Survey of Marketing

OMIS 505 - Principles of Operations Management 

OMIS 507 - Business Information Systems 

OMIS 524 - Business Statistics

UBUS 400 – Internship*

* An optional Internship, project-based course may be chosen to replace one course.  Please note that internships do not count towards phase one course credit.  There is also an additional fee for internship courses.   

Custom courses are offered to groups with students of 10 or more. 

Classes are offered in 8-week segments during a 16-week semester, students will take one business class in the first eight weeks and two business classes in the second 8-week term.  Students will take 6 hours of English class during the entire 16-week semester.  For detailed schedule information, please contact one of our staff members. 

Since classes in the phase one MBA program begin every 8 weeks students can start this certificate on or around the following dates:  January 11, March 18, June 14, August 25, and October 18. 

English and Cultural Studies

Students in the Master Certificate in Business will take at least 6 contact hours of Business English conversation per week, and will have optional cultural field trips each month to festivals, museums and other cultural destinations. 

Public transportation from DeKalb to visit Chicago is available Friday through Sunday each week.

Internship

Students may participate in an optional internship project-based class.  The internship will be a real-life project for a business in the Chicago area.  An NIU staff member will lead the internship project and the class will have visits from a representative of the company who is sponsoring the internship.  The internship project gives students a good understanding of the work process in the United States and helps them get comfortable with work requirements and deadlines.  

Past companies who have provided internship projects include the following:  Motorola, Lucent Technologies, Teleprime Inc., TLC Animation Company, NuVant Systems Inc., CreateASoft Inc., Calamos Investments and many more.   Our staff continues to seek project opportunities with new companies.

Tuition

$6,576 for one semester which includes all 3 business courses, English classes and all lab fees.  Internship courses have an additional fee.  Fees not included are: books, transportation, health insurance ($850/year), and $250 registration fee (per semester).   Twelve (12) month program cost is $16,440.  (12 months includes summer).  Students who take classes at the NIU Naperville campus will be charged an additional $56 per credit hour technology fee. 

During summer term students can take two business classes instead of three, so tuition will be less.  Housing will also be less since summer term is only 8 weeks total.  

Housing

Several housing options are available in this program.  Students may choose to live in the dormitories at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.  Students can also opt to find their own apartment or register for the limited number of home-stays available.

NIU dormitories are on the campus and within walking distance to classroom buildings.  Dorms are generally double-occupancy rooms.  One semester in the dorms with two students in the room is between $3500 and $4000 per semester.  Food is separate.  

All students in the dorms are required to choose a meal plan.  Food options include all-you-can-eat buffets and A La Carte cafeterias.  Meal plans are between $60 and $110 per week.      

Home-stay students will live with a family in DeKalb where they will eat meals and get a chance to learn the American culture.  Home-stay is $900 per month and includes meals with your host family. 

 

Global Education Association offers discount rates on housing and meals for students in this program.  For housing information and assistance, e-mail Bill Enright at billenright@yahoo.com.

Admission Requirements

There are two application options for this program.

1. 1. Students may apply for this program as a Graduate Student at Large where they can receive credit for business courses that they successfully pass.  Student at Large applicants must already hold a bachelors degree and be able to provide a copy of their college transcripts.
   

2. 
   

When completing the online application, please use the following information:   Select visa type “Exchange Visitor (J-1)”.  For Enrollment Type choose, “Student-at-Large Applicant”.   Apply for this program.

After completing the online application you must notify the business school at NIU by emailing Sonja Herington at sherington@niu.edu.

2.  Students may enroll as certificate-seeking.  Here you will also travel on a J-1 visa.  Students in this program are not granted credit for the courses they take and must live in University Plaza at the NIU DeKalb Campus.  Students are not required to hold a bachelors degree to apply for this program.   

Contact Bill Enright 630-234-8747 or billenright@yahoo.com for more information.

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