College of Public Affairs and Education
Contact Information
Website: www.uis.cpae
Email: cpae@uis.edu
Office Phone: (217) 206-6523
Office Location: PAC 430
Dr. Robert W. Smith, Dean
Travis Bland, Associate Dean
At the College of Public Affairs and Education, we recognize the growing complexity of societal problems, including, for example, poverty, social and educational inequities, political polarization, misinformation and breakdowns in interpersonal communication, international conflict, and inefficiencies of government services. These problems, and others, desperately need the attention of and informed citizenry and thoughtful, dedicated, and well-trained professionals and researchers.
CPAE faculty, researchers, staff, students, and alums are responding to the call to improve their communities, workplaces, and other surroundings. Our mission is to engage, teach, and inspire the ethically-grounded leaders of tomorrow - graduates who seek to understand society's challenges and have the skills to tackle them. We advance the public discourse and conduct policy-relevant, knowledge-generating research that is making a difference.
Our location in Springfield, Illinois, puts our students at the center of the action and opportunities of the capital city of the nation's 6th largest state economy and the largest in the Midwest. We provide them with unprecedented access to policymakers, agency leadership, think tanks, conversations, and other opportunities to make an immediate impact.
The College offers educational opportunities for students at all levels—undergraduate through doctoral. We offer degree and certificate programs in traditional classroom environments and through fully online and blended programs.
UIS and UIC Law 3+3
UIC Law permits a limited number of well-qualified students to apply and be accepted to UIC Law after completing their junior year of undergraduate study at UIS. After a student successfully completes the 30 credit hours of course work at UIC Law, UIS will accept UIC Law courses and apply them toward the credits required for the student's UIS degree. Admission to UIC Law through the 3+ 3 program permits completion of the requirements for both degrees in a shorter period of time than the typical seven (7) years for full-time students.
Eligibility: Students applying under this 3+3 program must have completed all degree requirements other than the number of credits required to graduate from UIS, including but not limited to general education requirements pursuant to the student's applicable catalog, have no more than 60 total transfer credit hours, have 30 credit hours earned at UIS, and requirements of their major and any minor before enrolling at UIC Law. Students must have completed three fourths of the credits leading to a bachelor's degree and also must have no more than 30 credit hours left to earn an undergraduate degree from UIS when enrolling at UIC Law. Students must complete pre-law counseling through the Pre-Law Center at UIS and be certified by the Pre-Law Center Director as qualified for eligibility in the program. The Pre-Law Center Director will coordinate with the student's undergraduate advisor to determine if the student has met all general education, major and minor degree requirements. Students typically must intend to attend UIC Law on a full-time basis for at least the first two semesters; after that point, they may convert to part-time status if they so desire.
Interested students should contact the UIS Pre-Law Center and their academic advisor as early as possible in their first semester at UIS for information and advising related to the program.