Old Main at sunset

Media Releases

New partnership provides North Central College students with accelerated admissions opportunities to Illinois Institute of Technology's graduate degree programs in engineering

Jan 27, 2021

Scholarships available to admitted North Central College applicants

North Central College and the Illinois Institute of Technology have announced a partnership that provides a seamless and accelerated pathway for North Central undergraduate students seeking admission into graduate master’s degree programs at Illinois Tech’s Armour College of Engineering. The agreement enables prospective applicants to take upper level and graduate courses at Illinois Tech while enrolled at North Central, and to consult with Illinois Tech’s Office of Graduate Admissions for advice on preparing applications and meeting requirements for various Illinois Tech graduate degrees. Illinois Tech will waive the application fee for North Central students and provide a one-time scholarship to admitted applicants.

“This partnership with Illinois Tech vastly expands the playbook for our undergraduate students wishing to build upon their North Central College engineering degree with graduate work at Illinois Tech,” said North Central College President Troy D. Hammond. “Since launching undergraduate engineering programs in 2018, North Central has been committed to broadening its program offerings and opportunities. This unique partnership does that by providing an accelerated path to an engineering graduate degree that saves our students time and money.”

North Central currently offers distinctive four-year bachelor of science degree programs in computer engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. Students have access to state-of-the-art facilities within the College’s Dr. Myron Wentz Science Center, including the Molex Advanced Electronics Lab, the Harting Electronics Lab, the Omron Design & Automation Lab, and additional lab space dedicated to computing applications, manufacturing processes, and metrology. By partnering with Illinois Tech, North Central College engineering students, as well as those studying related fields such as physics, will have the opportunity to pursue a number of graduate master’s degree programs, including artificial intelligence, computer vision, and control; architectural engineering; biomedical engineering; electrical and computer engineering; and mechanical and aerospace engineering.

“Through partnerships like these, Illinois Tech is further committing itself to fueling the continued tech rise of the entire Chicago region,” said Peter Kilpatrick, Illinois Tech provost. “We are thrilled to be able to welcome North Central College students to our graduate programs through a seamless transition that will help enable their future success, both in and out of the classroom.”

Admission Requirements and Continuing Eligibility

This opportunity, which makes it possible for students to receive an engineering master’s degree in as few as five years, is available to North Central College students in good standing. Eligible students must have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale at the time of application and must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 through their final term at North Central. In addition, students must earn a technical GPA of 2.8 or higher for all relevant math and science courses taken at Illinois Tech. Eligible students must apply to participate in Illinois Tech’s Accelerated Master’s Admissions (AMA) program by the August 1 fall semester deadline or the December 1 spring semester deadline.

For more information about Illinois Tech’s AMA program, visit iit.edu/academics/accelerated-masters-program. For more information about engineering at North Central College, visit northcentralcollege.edu/engineering.