Tech In Residence
Tech in Residence builds on momentum from our Sprinternship program to advance gender equity in tech. It combines a corporate-sponsored UIC computer science elective with the possibility of a summer internship or full-time job with the company after the course ends. Earn 3 UIC credits while teaming up with fellow students to put your tech knowledge to work!
How it works Heading link
Classroom phase: January through May
About 20 UIC students are selected to enroll in the Tech in Residence course, CS 394 Special Topics in Computer Science (3 credit hours), offered by the Innovation Center, the computer science department, and Break Through Tech Chicago. With guidance from a professor, Tech in Residence students collaborate on hands-on challenge project(s) provided by a partner company. Participants learn new skills and perspectives while developing a real product or service for the sponsor company.
Internship phase: June through August
Students registered in the spring-semester course will have the opportunity to interview for a summer internship or a full-time job (graduating seniors only) with the partner company. These interviews will occur in the fall semester (prior to start of the spring course) and is part of a hiring process that is independently managed by the partner company, rather than by UIC or Break Through Tech Chicago. Students who are selected for internships or jobs work on-site at the partner company, and this work may involve developing the challenge project to completion and/or helping to implement it.
What students gain Heading link
Additional Program Details Heading link
Additional program details can be found in the tabs below. Application information will be made available on this website as soon as it is live. Please note: The opportunity to interview does not imply a guaranteed internship or job offer. However, even if the partner company does not extend an internship or job offer, a student who receives approval from the instructor of the Tech in Residence course can still take the 3-credit tech elective and benefit from that learning experience.
Program Participants
You may apply for Tech in Residence if you:
- Are a UIC undergraduate with sophomore, junior, or senior academic standing and expect to graduate no earlier than May of the semester the Tech in Residence course runs
- Have a declared major in computer science, data science, CS and linguistics, or CS + design, or have a declared minor in computer science. You also need to have completed at least one semester of your major coursework at UIC
- Have a GPA of at least 2.75 and are not on academic probation
- Have prior tech-related work experience (such as a Sprinternship or internship) or are enrolled in CS 251 Data Structures for the fall semester or have already completed that course with a grade of C or better
Additional Program Details
Just over 20 spots are available each year for Tech in Residence. This program includes two exciting parts.
- Participants enroll in a Spring semester UIC CS tech elective (3 credit hours) in which you and your classmates work as a team on a technology project provided by a partner company.
- Additionally, participants have the chance to apply and interview for a summer internship or full-time job with that partner company. The program lets you develop your tech skills while capturing the attention of a prospective employer.
Challenge Project
Challenge projects vary each semester, but typically require problem-solving, design thinking, and developing creative solutions that rely on technology and data. Students approach these challenge projects collaboratively in teams of four or five.
UIC faculty members will share more about each semester’s project topic and structure during the fall information sessions that are held for students who might be interested in the tech elective course.