Academics

Whether you're working side by side with your professor in the lab, interning with a Fortune 500 company, or studying abroad, you can create the academic experience you want at Illinois State.

Find your passion

At Illinois State, you can choose from 165 bachelor's degree options. As you browse our majors, you will discover unique and challenging opportunities that will turn your undergraduate experience into a competitive advantage.

If you are still deciding, don’t worry—we can help. Nearly 20 percent of this year’s freshman class started out undecided. Check out FirstView to start matching your interests to a college major.

A few of the possibilities

The School of Kinesiology and Recreation offers nationally recognized programs such as Athletic Training, Exercise Science, and Recreation and Park Administration.
The actuarial science program in the Department of Mathematics is recognized by the Society of Actuaries as a Center for the Actuarial excellence. One of only 13 such programs in North America.
The Katie School of Insurance and Financial Services is one of the top undergraduate Insurance and Risk Management programs in the nation.
Business Week magazine ranks Illinois State as one of its top 100 undergraduate business schools in the country.
With nearly one in eight Illinois teachers holding a degree from Illinois State, the University is one of the top ten largest producers of teachers among schools in the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education.
Home to the nationally acclaimed Illinois Shakespeare Festival, the School of Theatre has provided early training for many prominent stage, television, and movie professionals.
Mennonite College of Nursing graduates consistently pass the national nursing licensure exam on the first try at rates much higher than state and national averages.
Led by the Department of Physics, our own Team Mercury raced a solar car built and engineered by students and professors against universities from around the world in the American Solar Challenge and the Formula Sun Grand Prix.
Illinois State’s oldest student organization, the Forensics Union, sponsored by the School of Communication, has won four national championship team titles.

Searching for a specific program? Browse our A-Z lists for undergraduate majors, graduate programs, or teacher preparation programs.

General Education

General education provides students with a broad, common foundation of study upon which to build an undergraduate education. Beginning freshmen are required to complete our General Education Program. The program was created with your needs in mind as you begin your college career and was created for the flexibility you will need in the marketplace of the future. What makes Illinois State's General Education Program unique? Take a look.

Transfer students may complete our General Education Program, transfer in with a completed baccalaureate-oriented associate's degree (A.A. or A.S.) from any regionally accredited post secondary institution, or complete the Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (commonly referred to as the Illinois Articulation Initiative- IAI).

Academic colleges

Illinois State offers 67 undergraduate programs in more than 188 fields of study. Learn more about the 34 academic departments in the following in six colleges:

College of Applied Science and Technology From horticulture to computer science, physical education to safety, and construction management to law enforcement, this college prepares graduates for the workforce with internships and practicum experiences offered as part of the academic work.

College of Arts and Sciences Study everything from bugs to brain functions, learn how to create a geologic map, speak a foreign language, or work with children overcoming speech impairments.

College of Business Want to bring a new energy to the field as an industry executive or international entrepreneur? Beyond our core majors in finance, accounting, marketing, and management, we offer a professional sales institute and insurance training you won’t find at other schools.

College of Education Founded as a teacher’s school, Illinois State has been preparing educators for more than 150 years. The College of Education has more than 3,000 students, all with a passion for sparking minds that is fostered through second-to-none practical classroom experience.

College of Fine Arts As theatre, art, and music majors, students in this college display their work and perform across the country and around the world. Renowned faculty make certain graduates in this college don’t just appreciate the arts but are empowered to improve them.

Mennonite College of Nursing Compassion and dedication define Mennonite College of Nursing. Beyond traditional classroom lectures, students get clinical practice in laboratories equipped with simulation technology.