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Prairie State College

Prairie State College

Prairie State College is a two-year community college located in Chicago Heights, Illinois. It was established in 1958. The campus is spread across an area of over 120 acres. The college offers a wide variety of degrees and programs in diverse areas of study. The campus is home to several clubs and organizations, including Phi Theta Kappa, Chess Club, Black Student Union and Art Club.

PSC’s athletic department sponsors a variety of sports for both men and women. They participate in sports like basketball, baseball, golf, volleyball and soccer. Its sports teams are nicknamed the Pioneers.

Read a special interview with PSC's Career Director, Tanya Norfleet.

Overview of Prairie State College

The main campus of Prairie State is in Chicago Heights, IL (a large suburb). The school is a public school. Prairie State offers degrees up to the Associate's degree.

Areas of Study

The school students most commonly major in a field related to nursing and emergency medicine.

Prairie State Selectivity

Prairie State admits all qualified candidates under its open-admission policy.

Faculty

The school offers tenure to reward and retain some professors. Salaries for full-time faculty at Prairie State are higher than most, allowing the school to afford quality teaching.

Student Body

In 2007-2008, the school had 5,507 enrolled students. Prairie State has a larger minority student population than most schools. Older students (40+ years old, e.g.) are welcome and common at the school.

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting Prairie State

Prairie State College
202 South Halsted Street
Chicago Heights, IL 60411-8226
General Phone: (708) 709-3500
http://www.prairiestate.edu

Prairie State Programs and Degrees (2008-2009)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Nursing and Emergency Medicine445nursing assistant, EMT paramedic, EMT ambulance attendant, registered nursing
Liberal Arts156liberal arts and sciences, general studies
Security and Law Enforcement48fire-fighting, criminal justice and police
Medical Support and Technology46dental hygienist, surgical tech
Mechanics and Repair40HVAC, industrial mechanics, automobile mechanics, computer repair
Science39biological and physical sciences
Family and Social Work33child care provider
Computer Science and Engineering20computer networking, information technology, web design, data processing tech, webmastering
Production Trades20welding, tool and die tech, machinist, cabinetmaking
Nutrition and Exercise Therapy20exercise science, health and physical education
Construction Trades17electrician
Business and Management9accounting technology, operations management, electronic commerce
Media7graphic communications, desktop publishing and imaging
Office and Administration5administrative assistant
Education and Teaching2teacher aide
Engineering Technician2CAD and design
Photography and Commercial Art1commercial photography
Fine Arts1fine arts

Number of programs and degrees for Prairie State in 2008-2009:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Award of less than 1 academic year51719
Associate's degree32816
Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years6614

Prairie State Student Body

In 2007-2008, Prairie State had a total enrollment of 5,507 students (4,081 full-time equivalent).

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate100%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White29%
Black48%
Hispanic15%
Asian1%
American Indian0%
Unknown5%
(Foreign Students)0%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 182%
18-1922%
20-2115%
22-2412%
25-2913%
30-349%
35-398%
40-4911%
50-646%
65+1%

Incoming (Freshman) Students by Place of Residence:
(From available data sampling)

ResidencePercent
Illinois95%
Indiana4%

Prairie State Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time51 %
Part-Time33 %

Prairie State Room and Board (2007)

The school does not offer campus housing.

(Please refer to our profile of Chicago Heights, Illinois for details about the area surrounding the campus. Also see our list of other Illinois Colleges).

The school does not offer students a meal plan.

Prairie State Expenses and Financial Aid (2008-2009)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 5,876
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 7,988
Books and supplies$ 1,320

Financial Aid:
Prairie State participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 164000)

Prairie State Faculty

Prairie State has a tenure system for faculty.

Tenure Status of Faculty (2008-2009):

Full-Time Faculty LevelMenWomen
Tenured2730
Non-tenured, but on tenure track912

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2008-2009):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professoracademic year14$82,72617$79,121
Associate professoracademic year13$60,39513$55,379
Assistant professoracademic year9$50,22712$48,547
All faculty totalacademic year36$66,53742$63,037

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

Prairie State Athletics

Students on Athletic Scholarships (2007):

SportMenWomenTotal
Total13518
Baseball707
Basketball101
All Other Sports5510

Prairie State Degree Programs (2007)

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping
E-Commerce/Electronic Commerce
Operations Management and Supervision

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications
Data Processing and Data Processing Technology/Technician
Information Technology
Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design
Web/Multimedia Management and Webmaster

CONSTRUCTION TRADES
Electrician

EDUCATION AND TEACHING
Teacher Assistant/Aide

ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN
CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK
Child Care Provider/Assistant

FINE ARTS
Fine/Studio Arts, General

LIBERAL ARTS
General Studies
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies

MECHANICS AND REPAIR
Automobile/Automotive Mechanics Technology/Technician
Computer Installation and Repair Technology/Technician
Heating/AC/Ventilation/Refrig Maint Technology/Technician
Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology

MEDIA
Graphic Communications, General
Prepress/Desktop Publishing and Digital Imaging Design

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY
Dental Hygiene/Hygienist
Surgical Technology/Technologist

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE
Emergency Care Attendant (EMT Ambulance)
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)
Nurse/Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant
Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY
Health and Physical Education, General
Kinesiology and Exercise Science

OFFICE AND ADMINISTRATION
Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science, General

PHOTOGRAPHY AND COMMERCIAL ART
Commercial Photography

PRODUCTION TRADES
Cabinetmaking and Millwork/Millwright
Machine Tool Technology/Machinist
Tool and Die Technology/Technician
Welding Technology/Welder

SCIENCE
Biological and Physical Sciences

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Criminal Justice/Police Science
Fire Science/Fire-fighting

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Prairie State Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets Prairie State Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
Salaries of full-time faculty
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 13%Prairie State Salaries of full-time faculty
Number of students
(vs. all colleges)
Top 14%Prairie State Number of students
% of degrees in nursing and emergency medicine
(vs. all colleges)
Top 14%Prairie State % of degrees in nursing and emergency medicine
% of full-time faculty on tenure track
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 17%Prairie State % of full-time faculty on tenure track
Number of degree programs
(for open-admission colleges)
Top 17%Prairie State Number of degree programs
% students 40 years or older
(vs. all colleges)
Top 18%Prairie State % students 40 years or older
Minority % of student body
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 18%Prairie State Minority % of student body
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
Open admission
Accepts some high school credits
Offers credit for life experience
Grants credits for AP courses
Offers distance learning
Offers weekend classes
Career counseling
Career services
Student employment services
On-campus day care
Remedial classes for students
Offers remedial adult education
Option to study abroad
Offers part-time study
On-campus library
Tenure system for quality teaching
Offers athletic scholarships

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Nursing And Emergency Medicine

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