Illinois Institute of Technology is a private, technology-focused research university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, architecture, business, design, human sciences, applied technology, and law. One of 21 institutions that comprise the Association of Independent Technological Universities (AITU), Illinois Tech, offers exceptional preparation for professions that require technological sophistication, an innovative mindset, and an entrepreneurial spirit.
Undergraduates study in six of IIT's eight academic divisions. Students are encouraged—and even required—to take courses from across the various programs to complete their degrees. If you do not have a planned area of study before entering, you can choose an Undecided path among Armour College of Engineering, College of Science, or General Undecided.
IIT's eight colleges offer study options that give you maximum flexibility to achieve your goals. IIT offers traditional master's and doctoral programs (thesis required), professional master's programs (no thesis required), dozens of certificate specializations, dual-degree plans, and short-term executive and professional packages. Some or all of your graduate study may be completed online.
Illinois Institute of Technology is a community that values and respects its members. We appreciate that our faculty, staff, students, alumni/ae, and trustees come from many backgrounds and parts of the world. We embrace the contributions that differences offer. We are committed to providing a working and learning environment where all students and all faculty members and staff can realize their full potential.
We strive to have a diverse culture of unity, inclusivity, equity, and respect at this university. I expect everyone in our community to treat one another with respect and dignity regardless of gender, race, background, country of origin, religious affiliation, immigration status, orientation, or any other such descriptor. As a community, we must be clear that it is intolerable to allow anyone to be bullied or demeaned or shamed because of their ideas, decisions, background, characteristics, or particular circumstances.
To expand upon the commitment to diversity in its Statement on Community, Inclusion, and Diversity, Illinois Tech's Community, Inclusion and Diversity Committee has adopted a document entitled Building Community and Fostering Diversity. This document establishes a set of ten principles aimed at building and maintaining a civil, respectful, and inclusive Illinois Tech community.
Illinois Tech offers countless research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students—from on-campus work in professors' labs to national and internationally funded research programs. Students at Illinois Tech can take advantage of our small, private university and find unparalleled access to challenging, thought-provoking research opportunities. Our focus on technology means you will be supplementing your education with research experiences in fields where significant innovation is taking place—and in areas with profound societal implications. To explore the current research opportunities for students at Illinois Tech or assistance with a project proposal, contact your college or school, your faculty advisor, or a faculty member whose research interests you.
In spring 2008, an exciting new chapter of IIT history was launched as the Board of Trustees enthusiastically endorsed plans for a university-wide planning process to reestablish the university as a significant force in higher education. That plan, Many Voices, One Vision: 2010-2014, helped focus the institution's initiatives and strengthen its infrastructure—and it is now time to move the university forward into a new era of accomplishment and excellence...
In 1890, when advanced education was often reserved for society's elite, Chicago minister Frank Wakely Gunsaulus delivered what came to be known as the "Million Dollar Sermon." From the pulpit of his South Side church, near the site Illinois Institute of Technology now occupies, Gunsaulus said that with a million dollars, he could build a school where students of all backgrounds could prepare for meaningful roles in a changing industrial society.
Inspired by Gunsaulus' vision, Philip Danforth Armour, Sr. (1832-1901) gave $1 million to found the Armour Institute—and Armour, his wife, Malvina Belle Ogden Armour (1842-1927), and their son J. (Jonathan) Ogden Armour (1863-1927) continued to support the university in its early years. When Armour Institute opened in 1893, it offered professional courses in engineering, chemistry, architecture, and library science.
Illinois Tech was created in 1940 by the merger of Armour Institute and Lewis Institute. Located on the west side of Chicago, Lewis Institute, established in 1895 by the estate of hardware merchant and investor Allen C. Lewis, offered liberal arts and science and engineering courses for both men and women. At separate meetings held by their respective boards on October 26, 1939, Armour and Lewis's trustees voted to merge the two colleges. A Cook County circuit court decision on April 23, 1940, solidified the merger.
Some of the most famous buildings in the world, designed by legendary architects, are located on the IIT Main Campus in Chicago. S. R. Crown Hall, an elegant steel-and-glass National Historic Landmark, is a marvel of engineering and simplicity by former IIT professor and Architecture dean Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Elevated trains run through the Rem Koolhaas-designed McCormick Tribune Campus Center. And IIT alumnus Helmut Jahn's State Street Village is one of the on-campus places to live.
The Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship will be added to Morton Park on Illinois Tech's Main Campus. The Kaplan Institute will house the university's internationally-renowned Institute of Design activities as well as IPRO, Entrepreneurship Academy, Leadership Academy, Jules Knapp Entrepreneurship Center, and Idea Shop.
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