Chicago State was established in 1867 as a teachers' school, operating out of an old rail car. It has been Chicago State University since 1971, a year before it moved to its present location. The school offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in a variety of disciplines, including African-American studies, anthropology, social work and physics. As befits the university's history as a teacher's college, it continues to operate a College of Education which grants both undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Northeastern Illinois University is located in Albany Park on Chicago's north side. The school's programs are offered through departments of business and management, education, non-traditional degrees and arts and sciences. The business school offers two master's degrees, the M.B.A. and the M.S.A., while the education college provides teacher certification along with undergraduate and graduate degrees. The non-traditional degrees program focuses on adult learners, while the arts and sciences department offers a representative selection of majors and minors.
University of Illinois at Chicago is a major institution by any standard. Annual enrollment as of the 2010/2011 academic year was 25,000 students, and the campus houses the largest medical center in the country. It is also a major research university.Students at UIC can take advantage of several programs to become involved in the school's research. The university's 15 colleges offer a wide range of undergraduate, graduate and continuing education degrees.
Some students find it's better to take one or two years of college at a smaller institution, then transfer credits to a larger school. Chicago has several public colleges offering two-year associate degrees, which may be used for this purpose. City Colleges of Chicago maintains seven campuses and a number of satellite learning centers across the city. One of the satellite learning centers is the French Pastry School, one of the best of its type in the country. Chicago-area suburbs are home to Morton College, Triton College, South Suburban College and Oakton Community College, all of which also offer two-year associate degrees.