Online Degrees, Certificates, and Courses

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'Age is no bar' | 3.30.2022

At 59, Kolkata woman pursues dream of earning a Graduate Certificate in Computer Science at Illinois

Shubhra Das is living proof that you're never too old to learn—or return to college.
In Spring 2022, Das—an IT professional and educator from Kolkata, India—started a top-ranked graduate certificate program at the University of Illinois at 59 years young, marking her return to the classroom as a student after more than three decades and earning her a shout out on Twitter from her elder son.
Encouraged by her father because of her passion for math, Shubhra Das earned a double bachelor’s degree in computer science and math (1988) and a master’s in computer science (1990) from Bethune College at a time when it wasn’t common for women in India to pursue technical degrees. Bethune was the first women’s college in India and the first or second in Asia, depending on the source. Das carved out a career in the technology industry, working as vice president for quality assurance at Acclaris Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd. and at IBM. She formerly served as a faculty member at Manya-The Princeton Review, teaching math and computer science courses to high school students preparing to take college entrance exams. She currently is self-employed and is a part-time faculty member at Frame Learning, another test prep company.
A longtime dream
Although she already had a master's degree, Das always dreamed of studying abroad and earning a credential from a world-class university. In 1995, her family moved to the US and lived in California for seven years. However, she and her husband—Debashis, then an IBM executive—had their hands full working and raising Debarghya, who goes by Deedy, and younger son Subharghya.
Das put her dream on hold and focused her sons’ educational endeavors, so that they would have that opportunity. Debarghya earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in computer science from Cornell University. A tech entrepreneur, he worked at Facebook and Google before being on the founding team of Glean, a startup in the San Francisco Bay area.
After Subharghya started his undergraduate studies at Cornell—remotely in 2020 and on campus in 2021—Das decided it was time to revisit her dream.
“My husband (who also has a degree in computer science) always said I should look to fulfilling my ambitions when my kids grow up,” Das said.
Though she would have preferred to attend in person, she knew it would not be feasible with COVID restrictions, visa issues, and responsibilities at home. In response, her sons helped her research prominent programs that were online and financially feasible.
The power of a CS credential from Illinois
“My eldest son recommended the University of Illinois because he was well-acquainted with the talent pool from UIUC. After diving deeper into the program, it seemed like a good fit,” Das said.
Though she originally applied to the Online Master of Computer Science in Data Science program, offered through the Department of Computer Science in the Grainger College of Engineering, she was offered admission to the department's Master's Certificate Program since she already has a master's.
Das said she enjoys the program's flexibility, which allows her to listen to lectures at her own pace and from the comfort of her home, which is 11 1/2 hours ahead of Urbana-Champaign.
Das is on track to complete the certificate program through the #5-ranked graduate program in computer science in the nation in December 2023. When she does, she will be prepared to enter one of the highest-paying and in-demand career fields in the diverse computer science industry.
An inspiration to others
While it’s no surprise that Das’ husband and sons are #PROUD, she’s tickled that her return to school has been inspiring others.
Debarghya’s tweet has garnered several thousand likes, retweets, and replies from people who expressed admiration and well wishes to those who shared their stories of returning to school or desire to.
“Glad when I hear such stories,” @aaditkamat replied. “My mom was also telling me about how her friend (in her late 50’s) has just started pursuing her MBA. Though I know that it’s true only for some things this is a good case of “Age is just a number.”
“Inspiring! I am probably her classmate at UIUC (off campus),” @GRV11 wrote. “Totally agree that learning should never stop.”
This gives me hope to kick start my second stint of learning after a gap of 8 years,” @Neha_N_M added.
That is not to say that Das didn't have some reservations. Would she be able to keep up with her younger peers and focus for prolonged periods? She also had eye surgery for a condition that impairs her vision significantly.
But "everyone in my family has confidence in me and what I can achieve, and I'm incredibly fortunate to have that," she said, adding that propelled her forward.
Das recalled that when her sons were growing up, she constantly encouraged them to never give up.
“It’s a role reversal now with my sons constantly egging me on to study hard and do well,” she said.
So what advice would Das give to anyone who’s contemplating going back to school later in life?
“If someone loves learning, then age is no bar at all,” she said. “Everyone can and should go back to school later in life if they still have the hunger for knowledge. Often in our society, many people lose their love for learning after bringing up their kids (and not knowing that this option is on the table). I was fortunate enough to not lose touch with my studies because of the time I spent teaching my children as they grew up.”
Learn more about the Professional Master of Computer Science programs and other Online Programs at Illinois, including graduate degrees, certificates, and endorsement; and Coursera MOOCs.

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Now is a great time to consider a Social Work career! | 12.16.2021
Are you considering a career in the diverse and in-demand field of social work? Now is a great time!

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), overall employment of social workers is projected to grow 12 percent from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations, although employment growth will vary by specialization. That’s due, in part, to an increased focus on providing drug offenders with treatment services instead of sentencing them to prison.

Social workers are compassionate, caring people, who use their strong communication, interpersonal, organizational, and problem-solving skills to help individuals and families solve and cope with challenges in their everyday lives. Clinical social workers (CSW) or licensed clinical social workers (LCSW) also diagnose and treat mental, behavioral, and emotional issues.

According the BLS, the median pay for social workers in 2020 was $51,760, or $24.88 an hour. Payscale lists the median pay for LCSWs at $58,437; medical social workers at $56,906; clinical supervisor at $59,333; social service director at $66,017; and executive directors at $81,250. However, salaries vary by employer, location, and other factors.

While all social work jobs require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, many—including CSWs, LCSWs, and supervisory and leadership positions—require a master’s degree to enter the occupation, and some require a state-issued license or certification. So having a master’s degree will put you in the best position to launch and advance your career.

Why choose the University of Illinois?

The University of Illinois’ School of Social Work offers the iMSW online program, the traditional MSW campus-based program, and a hybrid-online program.

Students can choose one of two concentrations:
- The Advanced Clinical Concentration focuses on learning advanced direct practice skills to work in a wide variety of clinical environments. Students can choose one of four focus areas to tailor their coursework: mental health; health care; schools; and children, youth and family services. Job titles include counselor, therapist, case manager, discharge planner, linkage and referral advocate, adoption specialist, and community liaison, among others.
- The Leadership & Social Change Concentration (LSC) focuses on learning the latest skills on engaging in macro practice, system and social impact, program evaluation, and advocacy. Students are natural large-scale thinkers and innovators. They complete work that matches their interests, talent, and skills within the broader scope of the profession. And their unique training sets them apart to be social work innovators in non-profits, for-profits, and government. Job titles include policy advocate, program director, executive director, political strategist, higher education administrator, public service leader, strategic planner, interventionist, and consultant, among others.
The School of Social Work is one of the longest-serving programs in the country. It’s currently ranked the #22 on the best schools for social work list by U.S. News & World Report.

Alumni work as licensed clinical social workers, case managers, program coordinators, licensed therapists, residential counselors, clinicians, direct support professionals, board certified behavior analysts, substance abuse counselors, mental health therapists, program coordinators, program directors, chaplains, in educational, government, medical, social service, and industry settings.

Furthermore, the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana is one of the top-ranked research universities in the world and a pioneer and leader in online education. The university is also ranked by Open Doors as first among public universities in number of international students.

Illinois boasts 29 Pulitzer Prize and 24 Nobel Prize winners among its alumni. And the University Library is one of the largest public university collections in the world with 14 million volumes in its 20-plus unit libraries.

Learn more about the Master of Social Work at Illinois.
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Prepare for your career change with the University of Illinois’ online programs | 11.24.2021

Thinking about a career change in 2022?
Professional translators and interpreters use languages to build bridges between cultures, worlds, and people. This is one of the reasons their knowledge and skills are in such great demand today.
Prepare to enter or lead in this diverse and in-demand field with an online Master of Arts in Translation and Interpreting from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. (The program is also available on campus.)
The preferred application deadline for scholarship consideration is December 1, 2021, and the standard application deadline is March 1, 2021.
Designed for working professionals, the online MA in Translation and Interpreting allows you to learn from anywhere in the world while continuing to work a full-time job. Online students learn from the same award-winning instructors as on-campus students.
The program supports work in most major world languages. In addition to foundational courses in translation theory, professional practice, and technical skills, you’ll be able to specialize in one of these three areas: Translation for the Professions, Literary Translation, or Conference and Community Interpreting.
Are you ready to apply? If so, please take a look at the application process.
Here are some other degree and certificate programs from the top-ranked University of Illinois for you to explore:
Master of Science in Library and Information Science: Final application deadline for Fall 2022 is December 1, 2021. Consistently ranked the #1 program of its kind in the nation, the program provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to creatively and effectively manage, analyze, and preserve information. The program can be customized based on students’ career interests.
Master of Science in Recreation, Sport, & Tourism: Application deadline is December 9, 2021, for a January 2022 start. A degree in RST will prepare you to become a leader in this diverse, in-demand field. Join alumni who are working for national athletic clubs; local, state, and national parks and recreation services; private industry, higher education, and more.
Master of Veterinary Science—Livestock Health Systems: Application deadline is December 15, 2021, for a January 2022 start. Fall 2022 applications are open now as well. Whether you enroll in the affordable $9,700 master’s degree program, participate in the graduate certificate program, or take an individual course, you’ll learn from award-winning faculty who are also industry experts.
Visit Illinois Online for more information.

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Winter courses help Illinois students get ahead | 10.6.2021

It’s not always easy for students to fit all of their required courses into their busy schedule.

Winter Session can help with that.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign once again is offering online courses to current undergraduate students and non-degree students from around the globe over the winter break.

Winter Session begins on December 20, 2021 and ends on January 14, 2022. Priority registration begins in conjunction with Spring 2021 registration on November 1, 2021. (Registration for non-degree students opens on November 15, 2021 and closes on December 14, 2021.)

The courses are rigorous yet manageable in the condensed format and provide students with a great opportunity to complete a general education requirement, alleviate credit hours needed during the spring or fall semester, and increase their overall GPA while still enjoying their break. (NOTE: Undergraduate students are limited to taking one winter session course, and the session is not open to graduate students.)

The online courses also offer students the flexibility to learn from nationally-recognized faculty no matter where they are in the world.

One course could make all the difference!

For more information about winter courses at the University of Illinois, visit ONLINE.ILLINOIS.EDU/WINTER.

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Events

Date	Event
11.8.2022	General Election Day (no classes) (?)
11.19.2022	Fall Break Begins (?)
11.28.2022	Instruction Resumes (?)
12.7.2022	Instruction Ends (?)
12.9.2022	Final Exams begin (?)
12.8.2022	Reading Day (?)

Online Illinois Calendar

Blogs

There's a course for everyone | 4.15.2022
Open registration for Summer Session 2022 begins April 21

Water is a life source for every living creature on earth. Yet, 785 million people—or about one in 10—lack access to safe water, according to worldvision.org.
ESE 320 (also GEOG 370 and GEOL 370): Water Planet, Water Crisis—one of the courses offered over Summer Session 2022—examines the science of water on Earth, the developing water crisis, and some possible solutions.
You will study water's unique physical and chemical properties; how it profoundly shapes the earth, ocean, and atmosphere system; and dynamics of oceans, atmosphere, lakes, rivers, groundwater, and ice masses.
You will also examine current fresh water supplies and their distribution on earth relative to population; current and future water crises and the compounding effects of droughts, floods, and global change; and prospects for some technological and economic approaches to easing the crisis.
Not the course for you? With 600-plus Summer Session course sections to choose from, there’s something for everyone.
Check out these courses that are offered over the summer term, which runs May 16 through August 4:
AFRO 132: African American Music
Do you like listening to hip-hop, R&B, or jazz? Survey African American music from its origins to the present with a focus on understanding details of musical performance and the ways in which music interacts with its social and political context. You’ll also examine spirituals, the blues, and soul.
- Runs: June 13 – August 4, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
ANTH 180: The Archaeology of Death
Take a cross-cultural look at the celebration of death across time and space. Examines the anthropological and archaeological literature on death, particularly in terms of death ritual and burial practices. Students study popular films on death in different cultures.
- Runs: June 13 – August 4, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
ARTJ 209: CHADO (The Way of Tea)
Explore the Japanese Tea Ceremony and its relevance to everyday life. During the course, you will acquire a better understanding of Japanese culture and a new appreciation of your own culture through the study of the Tea Ceremony and the Zen worldview that informs it.
- Runs: June 13 – August 4, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
SPED 117: The Culture of Disability
Examine the disabilities on an individual across the lifespan and the unique culture that is created by having a disability. The historical basis for the disability movement and special education will be addressed, including legislation and litigation that has had a significant impact on the field. You’ll also learn about the characteristics of individuals with diverse abilities as well as current trends in educational services.
- Runs: June 13 – August 4, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
PSYC 313 and NEUR 313: Drugs, Brain, and Behavior
Drugs are ubiquitous in our society, whether used for medicinal or recreational purposes. We may be led to believe that chemical substances can be the cure for all that ails us, or the source of our demise. In this course, we cut through the noise by introducing key concepts that are critical for understanding how drugs can impact behavior: where drugs come from, how they get into the brain, what they do once they are there, and how drug action can lead to complex behavioral responses.
- Runs: June 13 – August 4, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: No
- Open to non-degree students: Yes
BTW 250: Principles of Business Communication
Learn how to apply the principles of successful professional communication to workplace writing tasks. You will practice editing and supervising the writing of others. Assignments replicate typical business cases and situations, including a report that requires students to compile and interpret research.
- Runs: June 13 – August 4, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
PS 305: The US Supreme Court
On April 7, a bipartisan group of Senators confirmed the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the US Supreme Court, making her the first black woman to serve on the highest court in the land. In this course, you’ll examine how the modern Supreme Court resolves major issues in American constitutional politics.
- Runs: June 13 – August 4, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: No
- Open to non-degree students: Yes
AAS 275 and GWS 275: The Politics of Fashion
Clothing is a medium for fashioning identities from commodities, and it is hardly surprising that political and social tensions are embodied in its fabrications.
In this course, you’ll examine the inseparable links between fashion and cultures, aesthetics, and politics, as demonstrated in debates about Muslim practices of veiling; the role of clothing in colonialism’s "civilizing" mission; immigrant and "third world" sweatshop labor; fashion policing and subcultural style; and the fashion and modeling industries.
- Runs: June 13 – August 4, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: No
- Open to non-degree students: No
CPSC 413: Ag, Food, and the Environment
In this advanced course, you’ll examine the complex interactions of food production resulting from different agricultural systems and the environment. Students develop an appreciation of the intricacies of producing food for a growing world population while minimizing the impact on the natural environment and come to understand the implementation of new technology and strategies for future food production.
- Runs: June 13 – August 4, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: No
- Open to non-degree students: No
MACS 356 and GWS 356: Sex & Gender in Popular Media
Has the mass media influenced our ideas on gender and if so, in what ways and to what extent? In this course, you’ll consider different forms of feminist theory applied to the study of mass media, the history and scholarly criticisms of the media and their portrayal of women, and feminist attempts to create alternatives to mainstream media images. Throughout, you’ll considers representation of minorities in the dominant media and examine newly created alternative representations.
- Runs: June 13 – August 4, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
UP 136: Urban Sustainability
Looking to help build a more sustainable future? This course will give you a basic understanding of how to make cities more sustainable by connecting how and where we live to environmental issues. Emphasis on green infrastructure and urban systems, vulnerability and resilience, green design and construction methods, energy production and consumption, and water conservation.
- Runs: June 13 – August 4, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
Check out more courses in this blog post or the full Summer Session course list, and register for a 4-, 8-, or 12-week course. Open registration begins in conjunction with Fall 2022 registration on April 21.
For more information, visit the Summer Session site.
One course could make all the difference!
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Looking for a Summer Session course? | 3.25.2022
Illinois has more than 600 to choose from.
Have you ever wondered how Snow White and other female fairy tale characters have shaped gender roles? Then you may want to consider enrolling in ENGL 378 (also GWS 378): Fairy Tales & Gender Formation.
The course is one of the 600-plus courses that’s being offered during Summer Session 2022, which runs May 16 through August 5 with 4-, 8-, and 12-week courses available. Check out the Summer 2022 Academic Calendar.
This 3-credit-hour course discusses how femininity and gender formation are related through fairy tales. As children grow, they are taught the difference between male and female roles. One of the main ways this instruction takes place is through the pleasurable media of fairy tales in books, poems, and more recently, films. Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid, among others, will be examined to understand how sexual identity is constructed differently in different cultures and how issues such as rape and incest are addressed within the narratives. The readings explore the ways that fairy tales work to express psychological reactions to maturation while conditioning both characters and readers to adopt specific social roles in adulthood.
- Runs: May 16 – June 10, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: No
- Open to non-degree students: No
If fairy tales aren’t your thing, then there are plenty more course sections in a wide variety of academic disciplines to choose from, including these:
SOC 161: Introduction to Poverty (3 hours)
This course offers an introduction to sociological research about the views, experiences, causes, and consequences of poverty in both advanced and developing countries. The purpose of the course is to set the facts straight about who experiences poverty, why poverty remains pervasive, and what is being done, at home and abroad, to alleviate poverty.
- Runs: May 16 – June 10, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
EALC 250: Intro to Japanese Culture (3 hours)
Are you fascinated with Japan? This course provides a topical introduction to Japanese cultural and aesthetic life with attention to cultural and aesthetic patterns as they are reflected in literature, language, and the arts.
- Runs: May 16 – June 10, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
THEA 101: Introduction to the Theatre Arts (3 hours)
Are you interested in the theater, but it’s not your major? Designed for non-theatre majors, this course offers an introduction to acting, design, directing, dramaturgy, and playwriting. It also offers a survey of theatrical history, minority theater, and plays by women. Attendance at Department of Theater production required (ticket fee required.)
- Runs: May 16 – June 10, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
ATMS 120 and ESE 120: Severe and Hazardous Weather (3 hours)
Most extreme manifestations of weather and climate are analyzed in terms of their physical basis and their historical, economic, and human consequences. Emphasis is placed on the interplay between technological advances, the evolution of meteorology as a science, and the impacts of extreme weather (winter storms, floods, severe thunderstorms, hurricanes, El Nino). The course will also look at technological advances including satellites, weather radars and profilers, and computer models used for weather prediction.
- Runs: May 16 – June 10, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
Math 220: Calculus (5 hours)
This first course in calculus and analytic geometry covers basic techniques of differentiation and integration with applications, including curve sketching; anti-differentiation, the Riemann integral, fundamental theorem, and exponential and trigonometric functions.
- Runs: May 16 – August 5, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
MUS 132: History of Rock (3 hours)
Courses within this rubric provide an analytical and historical introduction to genres of popular music from the United States and around the world. Iterations of the course may focus on a specific genre, such as Rock, Reggae, or Afropop, or may deal with broader subjects, such as the continua of styles including R&B, Soul, Funk, and Hip Hop, or the pan-generic, international phenomenon of pop music globalization in the twentieth century.
- Runs: May 16 – June 10, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
ECON 202: Economic Statistics I (3 hours)
Students are introduced to basic concepts in statistics, including the presentation of data, descriptive statistics, probability theory, discrete and continuous distributions, sampling distributions, estimation, and hypothesis testing. The approach of the class includes both learning the concepts behind basic statistics and how to apply these concepts in "real-life" situations. Utilizes a practical project format.
- Runs: May 16 – June 10, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: Yes
ESE 117 and GEOL 117: The Oceans (3 hours)
This course is oriented toward non-science majors. It provides an integrated introduction to oceanography and marine geology and geophysics. Topics include ocean-basin formation and evolution (in the context of plate tectonics), ocean ecology, the hydrologic cycle, water chemistry, currents and waves, the interaction of oceans with climate, coastal hazards, resources, pollution, and the Law of the Sea.
- Runs: May 16 – June 10, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
DANC 100: Intro to Contemporary Dance (3 hours)
Designed for non-dance majors, this course provides an overview of major works, figures, and trends responsible for shaping dance as an evolving contemporary art form. It will have lecture, viewing, discussion and experiential (studio participation) components.
- Runs: May 16 – June 10, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
ESE 360 and ENGL 360: Environmental Writing (3 hours)
Students will learn to write about the environment for various audiences with a focus on specific current efforts to promote sustainability on the Urbana-Champaign campus. We will practice effective techniques for each stage of the writing process-from defining topics, to gathering information, to crafting active, engaging prose. Readings will include models of effective environmental writing and "how to" pieces by experts. Research will include visits to campus sites and student-conducted interviews with subjects.
- Runs: May 16 – June 10, 2022
- Satisfies a campus general education requirement: Yes
- Open to non-degree students: No
View the full Summer Session Course List.
Priority registration begins in conjunction with Fall 2022 registration on April 4, and open registration for all students begins on April 21. Get started at online.illinois.edu/online-courses/summer-session.
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Crushing the remote learning environment | 1.14.2022

Welcome back to campus for the Spring 2022 semester, Illini!
It may be tempting to see this first week of classes, which are being held remotely, as an extension of the winter break. However, this first week will set the tone for the rest of Spring 2022, so it’s important to start off on the right foot.
Here are some remote learning tips from our Illinois Online students to help you crush your online learning experience whether it’s for one week or an entire semester:
Create a designated work and study place
Find a quiet place to attend your virtual classes and lectures so that you can fully engage with your instructor, classmates, and course materials. Make sure it’s well-lit and free from as many distractions as possible. And if you’re not using your smartphone for class, silence it or turn it off, so you’re not tempted to check your social media.
Check your tech
Make sure your computer and other technology are in good working order. Don’t wait until your first lecture to test the new webcam or headphones you got for Christmas. For technical assistance (for example, if your Zoom isn’t working), contact Technology services at consult@illinois.edu or 217-244-7000.
And if you need a computer program that you currently don’t have, check out UIUC Anyware. It provides students with secure access to many applications on a variety of devices and operating systems.
Engage
Be an active participant in your synchronous classes. You’ll get to know your instructor and classmates, and it will help you pay attention and retain information whether it’s the course content or important deadlines. Take notes as you would in a face-to-face course, and write down any questions you have, which you can either email to your professor or ask during virtual office hours.
Establish a school routine
Prepare for your virtual classes and lectures as you would for your face-to-face class, making sure you have your books and other materials and something to drink on hand. Carve out time to study each day. And while you may be tempted to stay up late playing videogames, binging on Netflix, or catching up with friends, remember that your body and mind need six to eight hours of sleep to function optimally the next day.
Stay healthy
Make sure to eat healthy, stay hydrated, exercise, and enjoy some downtime each day in order to maintain your physical, mental, and emotional health. After each online course or interaction, it’s good to step away from your screen to avoid “Zoom fatigue.” And if you find yourself feeling run-down, overwhelmed, or stressed, don’t hesitate to reach out to the University Counseling Center. For more mental health and wellness resources, visit https://wellness.illinois.edu/mental-health-resources/students/
For more remote learning resources, visit our student and graduate student remote resource guides.

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NetMath adds two courses to its online offerings | 12.20.2021
Are you interested in a career as a machine learning engineer or data scientist? How about a software developer or computational linguist?
If so, you will need an educational background in machine learning.
NetMath is now offering Math 490: Mathematics of Machine Learning online—one of two new college courses that’s being offered online along with other NetMath courses.
Math 490 (3 credit hours) covers foundational models and mathematics of machine learning, including statistical learning theory and neural networks with a project component. Students will use Python as part of their assignments and exams. View the Math 490 syllabus.
Machine learning is a growing field at the intersection of probability, statistics, optimization, and computer science that aims to develop algorithms for making predictions based on data. Real-world applications for machine learning can be found in Google Maps, facial recognition, medical diagnosis, traffic predictions, and product recommendations.
NetMath’s other new course is Stat 100: Statistics.
Stat 100 is an introductory statistics course with particular emphasis on understanding statistical concepts and which tools are appropriate for which problems. It covers experimental design including basics of casual inference from observations, basic probability, descriptive statistics, linear regression, sampling and statistical inference, and hypothesis testing. View the Stat 100 syllabus.
Stat 100 will help students develop a better understanding of volumes of data. Students that have finished the course have said they:
- Read the newspaper in a new way without their eyes glazing over when they see quantitative information.
- Know what questions to ask when evaluating studies and surveys
- Understand what questions can and cannot be answered by statistical arguments.
PLEASE NOTE: While NetMath is the online self-paced distance learning program of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, offering courses to high school and college students around the world, Stat 100 is a 16-week-long course with no extensions. It is not self-paced, and there are fixed due dates for homework submissions and taking exams.
Upcoming cohorts begin on February 20, 2022, and April 17, 2022.
Register for one of these NetMath courses today! College students can register here, while high school students can register here.
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Open registration for Summer Session 2022 begins April 21

Illinois has more than 600 to choose from.