For UIC Departments

Cloud Gate sculpture

UIC Programs for International Partnerships (PIP) provides support to UIC Departments and Colleges in discovering and creating opportunities for international outreach, program and partner development.

Programs for International Partnerships is dedicated to assisting the University of Illinois Chicago in developing educational programs for students from around the world while expanding UIC’s international presence at the same time.

PIP develops and supports programs that are academically excellent and that enhance UIC’s reputation internationally as an academic and professional development destination.

Two of the most-popular program models PIP can work with you on include:  3+1+1 and our Short Term Training (STT) Programs, a fully customizable educational option for international participants.  However, we are always in the process of developing new program models that can benefit UIC as well as partnering institutions.

Please click on the topics below to learn more about PIP and how we can benefit your global presence.

Programs for International Partnerships (PIP) is a unit under the Office of Global Engagement.  PIP works closely with the Vice Provost for Global Engagement, and the other OGE units, in supporting the University’s internationalization efforts.

PIP has been an affective arm of UIC’s globalization strategy for many years and, through a focus on student mobility, has worked with a number of UIC Colleges and Departments on a selection of non-degree-seeking and degree-seeking programs enrolling hundreds of students.

PIP Process Flowchart

Perhaps your department would like to start a contract-based non-degree- or degree-seeking program with an international university or, you may want to create a short-term training program for participants from a university or organization outside the US, but you are not sure where to begin.  Programs for International Partnerships is there to guide you through the steps to begin your collaboration.

Programs for International Partnerships will be responsible for taking care of the non-academic portion of any program.  PIP will provide advising on non-academic matters, as well as a number of student-centered services we provide.  If requested, PIP can assist UIC Departments communicate with program students on academic matters.

PIP will work on behalf of the UIC Department for program promotion (we welcome Department participation), collection and submission of application materials, interviewing/evaluating an applicant’s English language ability (if needed), working with the UIC Office of International Services (OIS) to request an I-20, pre-departure orientation, and even picking the students up from the airport to bring them to campus.

The UIC Department is responsible for reviewing the applications and admitting the students to the program.  Admitted students will not need special sections of courses to be created.  They are expected to attend courses offered to all UIC students.

In cases where a customized Short Term Training (STT) Program is offered, PIP will take responsibility for content creation, hiring instructors, and all administrative needs.

There is no cost for working with Programs for International Partnerships to create and support your program.  The program fees collected from the students are shared between Campus (25%) and the College (75%).

If you, or your Department, is interested in starting a program with a foreign university, been contacted by a foreign university interested in starting a program with UIC, or would like to internationalize an existing program, please feel free to contact PIP with any questions.

Please contact Jeff Wang, Director of PIP, at jwang7@uic.edu, or Chris Biehl, Associate Director of PIP, at cbiehl@uic.edu.

PIP also offers virtual office hours to discuss your program.  Office hours are on Tuesdays, 10:00-11:00AM (except on University holidays.)  Click HERE to join in the conversation.