Online Learning at Northern Illinois University

Take your RN to the next level and position yourself for greater career opportunities and growth with your bachelor’s degree in nursing. In 2017, 86 percent of employers stated a preference for nurses with a bachelor’s degree, and nearly 50 percent of positions required it.²

Learn advanced skills in critical thinking and care in just 11 courses.

By graduation, you’ll be ready to:

• Set the example for nursing leadership, safety and quality based on proven national standards.
• Integrate evidence-based nursing to practice.
• Practice process improvement methodologies in all health care settings.
• Provide population-focused health care.

Program Highlights:

• Credits Required: 28 credit hours.
• Cost Per Credit Hour: $348 per credit hour.
• Time to Completion: Full-time students can complete their degree in as few as 12 months. The maximum time to completion is five years.
• Program Modality: All courses are taught 100 percent online.
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
• Practicum Requirement: Practicums are leadership or population-focused, and provide experience with specific groups to enhance your previous RN work experience. The practicum experience can be completed in your local area. We also assist you with student practicum placements.

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Prepare for a career as a Family Nurse Practitioner (F.N.P.). Promote health and well-being by integrating legal and regulatory policies as well as related sciences and humanities, and develop your leadership skills and learn to improve health care.

Program Highlights:

• Credits Required: 50 credit hours.
• Cost Per Credit Hour: $732.06 per credit hour.
• Time to Completion: Two years.
• Program Modality: All courses are taught 100 percent online.
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

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The D.N.P. degree is designed for nurses who want to become an expert in a specialized area of advanced nursing practice.

Learn to lead innovative, evidence-based practice with the skills to formulate and implement patient care plans.

Take on roles in health care leadership, administration, research and teach graduate-level nurses, and earn roughly $9,000 more annually than those in similar positions who hold only a master’s degree.⁴

By graduation, you’ll be ready to create advanced nursing practices and new approaches to care delivery and improve patient outcomes and safety.

Program Highlights:

• Credits Required: 35 credit hours.
• Cost Per Credit Hour: $732 per credit hour.
• Time to Completion: Full-time students can complete their degree in as few as two years. The maximum time to completion is 10 years.
• Program Modality: All courses are taught 100 percent online.
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

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Prepare to lead teams, solve problems, identify growth opportunities and improve business outcomes through hands-on skill development.

Our AACSB-accredited MBA program features a comprehensive curriculum with integrative, interdisciplinary and innovative coursework that empowers you to make an impact. Topics include financial analysis, strategic management, managerial accounting, information systems technology, marketing management, and strategic management and policy.

Learn from expert faculty who bring a wide range of real-world experience into the classroom as you gain the knowledge and competencies you need for career advancement and increased earning potential.

Program Highlights:

• Credits Required: 30 credit hours.
• Cost Per Credit Hour: $892.06.
• Time to Completion: Full-time students can complete their degree in under two years.
• Program Modality: All courses are taught 100% online.
• Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

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Prepare for the CPA exam and advance your career with a strong foundation in key accounting skill sets.

Our AACSB-accredited Master of Accountancy program is designed to provide graduate students with industry-specific technical competencies, enhancing your understanding of the critical role accounting plays in empowering businesses to succeed.

The curriculum was created alongside expert faculty to help students meet CPA exam requirements. You will study topics such as accounting information systems, financial reporting, taxation principles, data analytics and auditing.

Program Highlights:

• Credits Required: 33 credit hours.
• Cost Per Credit Hour: $817.
• Time to Completion: Students can complete their degree in as little as two years.
• Program Modality: All courses are taught 100% online.
• Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

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Learn how to access, analyze and apply big data to solve business problems, answer questions and develop strategies using the latest technologies. Our AACSB-accredited program also provides a focus on data visualization, which means you can demonstrate findings to the least technical of stakeholders and win approval for your plans.

As a graduate, you’ll receive a joint Data Analytics Certification from NIU and SAS, the leader in data analytics software. Additionally, you’re prepared to sit for:

• Data Science and Big Data Analytics Certification exam — Dell EMC Certificate.
• SAS Base Programmer Certification exam — SAS Certificate.

By graduation, you’ll be ready to analyze data to improve decisions throughout an organization’s value chain and solve business problems.

Program Highlights:

• Credits Required: 30 credit hours.
• Cost Per Credit Hour: $892 per credit hour.
• Time to Completion: Full-time students can complete their degree in as little as one year.
• Program Modality: All courses are taught 100 percent online.
• Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
• Certifications: Graduates of our MSDA program will also receive a joint Data Analytics Certification by NIU and SAS, a leader in data analytics software.

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The digital marketing industry is growing fast, with spending to reach nearly $645.8 billion by 2024 (eMarketer, 2021). Each of the formats of digital advertising will grow exponentially over the next five years; banner ads, search ads, content marketing, social and mobile media, and video ads (Digital Marketing Outlook, 2021). Artificial Intelligence in marketing will be a leader in increased advertising for marketers and companies are investing in Artificial Intelligence and Data-driven Marketing Analytics (Magnetic Advertiser Perceptions, 2018). The future of combining how to measure the personalized customer experience using artificial intelligence along with applying data-driven insights are two key areas of concern cited by top marketing executives (Adobe Digital Trends, 2019).

At Northern Illinois University, our Master of Science in Digital Marketing (MSDM) prepares you to become a leader in digital marketing by equipping you with the most up-to-date skills needed to be successful. Our Master of Science in Digital Marketing is a program of study that provides you with a holistic digital platform that is not tied to an MBA program. The NIU MSDM program was one of the first in the US to focus on Digital Marketing yet our curriculum is consistently upgraded to provide you the education you need to succeed. NIU is a leader in artificial intelligence marketing backed by data-driven marketing analysis.

Our curriculum offers you a world-class experiential learning education. Our esteemed research-based faculty understand strategic digital marketing by personalizing the customer experience and we are unique, we offer students artificial intelligence, combined with the ability to analyze data to concisely make marketing decisions. Our program combines core courses followed by foundational 5-week courses where students are free to choose their electives.

Core Courses

• Artificial Intelligence in Digital Marketing
• Marketing Research and Analysis
• Digital Marketing Strategy
• Data-Driven Marketing Decisions
• Digital Selling Strategy
• Capstone Application in Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing Electives

• Mobile Marketing
• Digital Marketing and Search Engine Optimization
• Social Media Marketing and Advertising
• Digital Marketing Campaign Measurement
• Content Marketing
• Building and Measuring Responsive Websites
• Marketing Data Visualization
• Database Marketing
• Digital Marketing Metrics
• Online Reputation Management

Program Facts:

• Program Delivery: 100% online 'Asynchronous' course delivery
• Cost per Credit Hour: $896.72 (both in state and out of state)
• Credit Hours: 30-36
• Application Fee: $60
• Background: The MSDM program at NIU is located within the College of Business

Rankings:

1. #10 Best Value Online Digital Marketing Master's Program
2. Awarded among an elite group of universities in the nation for diversity, equity and inclusion by INSIGHT into Diversity (2021)
3. Top 24% of business schools nationally by U.S. News & World Report (2021)
4. No. 3 most diverse college in the country according to Poets&Quants (2022, 2020)
5. U.S. News & World Report has ranked the college among the nation’s best for the past 34 consecutive years (since August 1987)

Accreditation: Accredited by AACSB, the NIU College of Business is among less than 5% of
business schools worldwide. AACSB is the most respected and highest credential of excellence
worldwide for business schools.

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Our online Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) and was ranked 28th in a list of the 50 best online M.P.H. degrees in the country.⁷ All graduates of our M.P.H. program qualify to sit for the Certified Public Health (CPH) exam and may also qualify for the Certification in Health Education Specialist exam or the Illinois Nursing Home Administrator License exam.

You’ll be ready to take on career roles in local, state, federal and tribal health departments, corporate and hospital wellness programs, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions and more.

You can complement your career goals by choosing between two specializations:

Health Promotion Specialization

The health promotion field is expected to expand by 16 percent between 2016 and 2026.⁸ Learning in the only online Health Promotion specialization in Illinois, you’re expertly prepared to help people and communities choose a healthier lifestyle and prevent diseases as you master the skills to design, conduct and evaluate health promotion educational programs and policies.

Prepare to sit for the Certified in Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam and pursue roles such as patient educator, program or division director, community engagement specialist and community health program specialist.

Health Services Management Specialization

Health service managers have an average salary of $98,350, and the expected job-growth rate is 20 percent between 2016 and 2026.⁹ In this specialization, you explore the many aspects of health services management to successfully run a health care facility, such as costs, quality, accessibility, delivery, organization, financing, human resources and health economics.

When you take the elective Principles of Long-term Care Administration in this specialization, you’re qualified to sit for the Illinois Nursing Home Administrator License exam and to fill roles such as program manager or director, health administrator and health care business manager.

Program Highlights:

• Credits Required: 45 credit hours.
• Cost Per Credit Hour: $692 per credit hour.
• Time to Completion: Full-time students can complete their degree in as little as two years.
• Program Modality: All courses are taught 100 percent online.
• Specializations: Health Promotion, Health Services Management.
• Accreditation: Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) — the nationally recognized accrediting body for both schools of public health and public health programs.
• Certifications: Both MPH specializations prepare you for the Certified in Public Health (CPH) Examination, given by the National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE).
  • Health Promotion Specialization: Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) examination given by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing Inc.
  • Health Services Management Specialization: Illinois Nursing Home Administrators Licensing Examination.

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