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Higher Education

With a proud history as the nation’s first public community college, Joliet Junior College (JJC) is a leader and innovator in higher education. Offering more than 100 degree and certificate programs, the college serves more than 35,000 students of all ages and backgrounds at its six campuses and education centers, and numerous satellite locations. JJC encompasses a fast-growing 1,442 square-mile district in seven counties.

JJC is the college for students who want to go to college close to their home and job, who want further training to get ahead in the field they already work in, who want to explore different subjects before settling on a major, who want a smooth transfer to a four-year university in two years, who want options to combine online and classroom learning, who want to go back to school and complete their degree, and who want a college that is excellent, and also affordable. To learn more about Joliet Junior College, visit www.jjc.edu or call (815) 729-9020.

Founded in 1920, the University of St. Francis (USF) is committed to the success of students as individuals. Serving more than 3.600 students and 42,000 alumni nationwide, USF offers 38 undergraduate majors in arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and allied health and social work. Four degree completion programs are offered. The university’s 12 graduate programs are designed to meet the needs of working professionals with flexible scheduling and learning that is immediately applicable to the workplace. In 2009, USF instituted its first doctorate program, the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP).

Many flexible scheduling and class delivery options are available to students, including on site and online. USF was among the first in the nation to offer the MBA online and has been a leader in offering educational programs to health care professionals at sites and online nationwide.

USF is also a “Yellow Ribbon” university, welcoming military veterans.

USF offers a master’s degree program in Physician Assistant Studies in Albuquerque, N.M. to prepare health care professionals for underserved areas.

USF’s Arts & Design Department started the 2009-10 academic year at new facilities at the renovated historic Rialto City Center campus in downtown Joliet.

USF also operates a federally-funded Health and Wellness Center in the downtown area. This is the first nurse practitioner managed center in Will County.

USF is ranked in the top tier of U.S. News & World Report’s edition of “America’s Best Colleges” and is also noted in The Princeton Review’s “Best Colleges: Region by Region.”

The university helps to shape the community’s future and economy through USF Solutions: A Resource Center for Business and Community Partnerships.

USF posts NAIA Intercollegiate teams in men’s and women’s sports.

Located just north of Joliet on Route 53 in Romeoville, Lewis University is a comprehensive, Catholic university with a richly diverse student body, including traditional-aged students, as well as adults of all ages. The ninth-largest among more than 80 private colleges and universities in Illinois, Lewis University offers approximately 80 undergraduate majors and programs of study, 22 graduate programs and accelerated programs for working adults through the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, and Nursing and Health Professions. Students attend classes at the main campus in Romeoville and at sites throughout the Chicagoland area, including campuses in Shorewood, Hickory Hills, Oak Brook, and Tinley Park.

Established in 1932 by the Archdiocese of Chicago, Lewis is a dynamic, coeducational university sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, a 325-year-old religious order devoted to education. The University provides its nearly 5,800-student population with programs for a liberal and professional education grounded in a values-centered curriculum. Among Lewis’ many offerings is a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership for Teaching and Learning. Lewis has the largest undergraduate nursing program in the state of Illinois, and is the only university in the Midwest to offer the Air Traffic Control program.

Saint Xavier University, a private, Catholic, four-year, co-educational institution, was founded in 1846 by the Sisters of Mercy. Grounded in the tradition of liberal arts, St. Xavier offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 5,700 students. It is comprised of a 74-acre Chicago Campus, as well as a location in Orland Park.

The Orland Park Campus, dedicated in 2004, is situated near the intersection of I-80 and LaGrange Road on 35 acres and surrounded by natural wetlands. It is home to a 31,000-square-foot facility with 14 classrooms, four computer labs, a library and technology center, bookstore, faculty and administrative offices, soaring atriums, outdoor gathering spaces, and a cyber café.

St. Xavier students can select from 35 undergraduate and 30 graduate program options offered through the Schools of Arts and Sciences, Education, Nursing, and the Graham School of Management. The School for Continuing and Professional Studies features programs and services tailored to the unique needs and experiences of adult learners.

National-Louis University is nationally renowned for its programs in teacher preparation and educational leadership, and as one of the first universities to address the unique needs of adult learners. Today, through its College of Management and Business and its College of Arts and Sciences, it offers a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in education, business, health and human services, adult education, and arts and sciences.

Founded in 1900, Rasmussen College is a premier provider of online educational experiences, delivering regionally accredited degree programs through its network of 17 Rasmussen College campuses. The Rasmussen College Romeoville/Joliet campus is the third Rasmussen College campus to open in Illinois, and provides an interactive learning environment for students featuring a resource center with Internet access, healthcare labs and a mentoring center to support both residential and online students.

Rasmussen College offers programs that will help qualify students for an in-demand career upon graduation. The Associate’s Degrees offered at Rasmussen College Romeoville/Joliet will provide students with a well-rounded education along with preparation for future careers. With specialized Schools of Allied Health, Business, Justice Studies, and Technology and Design, Rasmussen College will help students gain the knowledge they need to succeed.