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Master of Science in Patient Safety Leadership
(or Graduate Certificate in Patient Safety, Error Science and Full Disclosure)

College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago

Admissions and Prerequisites

Admissions Requirements:

• A completed application
• Official transcripts from all prior colleges and universities attended, including prior attendance at any campus of the University of Illinois.
• Two letters of recommendation from a faculty member or employer who can address the applicant's interest in healthcare quality and patient safety and the applicant's ability to do graduate level work.
• A current resume or curriculum vitae
• A personal statement submitted separate from the application that describes applicant's goals related to patient safety leadership including interest in a particular area of study in this arena. Responses should be no more than 700 words in length and should include no fewer than three references/citations.

(Note that the letters of recommendation and resume/vitae are not required for admission to the certificate program.)

Records are considered official if they meet one of the following criteria:

• The issuing institution sends them directly to UIC Online, 1333 S. Halsted, Mail Code 165, Chicago, IL, 60607-5019.
• They are certified as true copies by an official of the educational institution, an embassy official, or an appropriate government official.
• They have been received in an envelope sealed by the issuing institution.

Prerequisites:

All applicants for the Master of Science in Patient Safety Leadership will be considered based on the following criteria.

• Quality of undergraduate work: an earned bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with a minimum grade-point average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 hours of undergraduate course work is required.
• Quality of graduate work (if applicable), including grades.
• Quality of recommendations contained in the two required letters of reference.
• Relevance of work experience, career goals, and statement on why you are interested in the program.

(Note that applicants for the certificate program will be judged on the quality of their undergraduate work and graduate work (if applicable) as well as the content of their personal statement.)

International Students

We consider an international student to be any student who does not have American citizenship or permanent residency status. In addition to the materials requested above and TOEFL scores, international applicants must also submit:

• Official academic records for all post-secondary schooling in a language other than English must be translated by a translator who is a member of the American Translators Association (ATA). Please visit the ATA web site for a list of participating translators: http://atanet.org/

Records are considered official if they meet one of the following criteria:

• The issuing institution sends them directly to The University of UIC Online, 1333 S. Halsted, Mail Code 165, Chicago, IL, 60607-5019.
• They are certified as true copies by an official of the educational institution, an embassy official, or an appropriate government official.
• They have been received in an envelope sealed by the issuing institution.

TOEFL

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), for applicants from non-English speaking countries. The minimum acceptable score is 550 for the paper version and 213 for the computer version or a minimum total score of 80, with subscores of Writing (21), Speaking (20), Listening (17), and Reading (19) for the new TOEFL exam. The TOEFL examination is not required for students who have completed at least two academic years of full-time study in a country where English is the native language and in a school where English is the language of instruction within five years of the proposed date of enrollment in the University. In addition, the TOEFL examination is not required of non-native English speakers who have a minimum of one year full-time employment in the U.S. or other country where the only official language of the country is English. Applicants must submit a letter from their employer verifying at least 12 consecutive months of employment and describing their English language skills.

F-1 VISA

Because the patient safety programs are completely online and do not require physical residency in the Chicago area, these programs do NOT qualify students for an F-1 visa.

Application Procedures

You may apply online to a UIC Online program at any time throughout the year. We make it easy for you to apply and enroll.

Student must indicate residency status at the time of application:

• Resident: Illinois residents
• Non-Resident: Non-Illinois residents/U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, and Resident Aliens International: Citizens of countries other than the U.S. and residing outside of the U.S.
• International: Citizens of countries other than the U.S. and residing outside of the U.S.

An application fee must be paid at the time of application. The application fees are $50 for Resident applicants, $50 for Non-Resident and $75 for International. (Please note that payment can be made by credit card only using MasterCard, Visa, Discover, or American Express.)

Once you apply, you will be assigned an advisor who will work with you throughout the entire process from admission, to registration, to financial aid, and all the way to graduation.

All applicants will be required to submit official transcripts from all prior colleges and universities attended, including prior attendance at any campus of the University of Illinois.

Applications will be reviewed promptly. Once your application is reviewed, you'll be notified by your advisor of any additional documents that are required. Additional documentation may be requested, depending upon your program of interest. Keep in mind that applications received close to the beginning of the intended start term may not be processed in time for you to begin that course. We recommend that your application and all materials be received at least three weeks prior to the intended start of the program. Please see individual programs for start dates.

Once all required documentation is received, you will be notified of the admission decision promptly.