Explore a world-class city while working towards your calling.
Take advantage of the educational, professional and cultural opportunities downtown Chicago has to offer, while enjoying the benefits of living in a upscale suburb.
Professional Opportunities and Internships
Foster enduring professional relationships while merging your coursework with real-world experiences.
As a centralized hub for a variety of thriving industries including technology, healthcare, manufacturing and transportation, Chicago offers endless opportunities for career development. Concordia-Chicago students are able to access and learn from top-tier employers across the city. Some recent student experiences include:
- Accounting students learning valuable career tips at Deloitte
- Marketing and business students gaining insider perspectives on retail marketing and merchandising from Whole Foods Market
- Professional seminars for marketing students at the annual Direct Marketing Convention
- Art students visiting the collections at the Art Institute and the Museum of Contemporary Art
- Geography students immersing themselves in cultures while touring several Chicago neighborhoods (Ukrainian Village, Chinatown, Pilsen) and visiting cultural museums and authentic restaurants
- Business and communications students getting a glimpse into real-world public relations while meeting with executives at Edelman, an international public relations agency
Greater Chicago is home to more than 30 Fortune 500 companies. Recent student internship locations include:
- 1871 Chicago
- American Cancer Society
- Animal Care League
- Athletico
- CBS 2 News
- Chicago Fire (soccer)
- Chicago Symphony Orchestra
- Comcast
- Downtown Oak Park (business association)
- Fujifilm Graphic Services Division
- Hooke College of Applied Sciences
- Humanitarian Service Project
- Loyola University Medical Center
- Lookingglass Theatre Company
- Lydon Contemporary Gallery
- Kane County Cougars
- Nature Conservancy
- Northwestern Mutual
- Oak Park Festival Theatre
- River Forest Police Department
- Schindler Communications
- Stage Left Theatre
- WGN Television
Many Concordia-Chicago students begin their professional careers with employers located in the area, including:
- Abbott Laboratories
- Blue Cross/Blue Shield
- Brookfield Zoo
- Chase Bank
- Chicago Cubs
- Chicago Police Department
- Lutheran Child and Family Services
- Lyric Opera of Chicago
- Marriott Hotels
- Metropolitan Family Services, Chicago
- Northwestern Mutual
- Rush Presbyterian/St. Luke Medical Center
Fun in Chicago
Take a short ride into downtown Chicago and visit a world-class museum, grab a bite of the city’s famous deep-dish pizza or hit the shops on the Magnificent Mile.
Chicago has everything you’d expect from a major city: shopping, nightlife, world-class theatre and premium dining experiences. From the Concordia-Chicago campus, it’s about a mile walk through beautiful River Forest to the “L” and a 20-minute train ride to downtown. No matter what you want to do with your day (or night), Chicago has something for you. Some student favorites include:
- Beach volleyball at North Avenue Beach
- Concerts at the Aragon Ballroom, Vic, House of Blues, Metro or Riviera
- Broadway performances (discount theater tickets are available from the Office of Student Leadership)
- Museum visits
- Cubs, Sox, Bears, Bulls,Blackhawks, Sky and Fire games
- Neighborhoods like Chinatown, Lincoln Park, Old Town, Printer's Row and Wrigleyville (there are more than 70 diverse neighborhoods to explore!)
Other famous Chicago attractions:
Explore River Forest and Oak Park
Step just beyond campus to find a host of unique offerings in the surrounding neighborhoods of River Forest and Oak Park.
Concordia-Chicago’s 40-acre campus is nestled in one of the more popular and desirable locations in the region. River Forest and Oak Park are upscale Chicago suburbs home to many historic homes, thriving restaurants, boutiques, parks and walking paths. The neighborhood is known for its architecture and history, with notable current and former residents including Frank Lloyd Wright and Ernest Hemingway. With cultural experiences and outdoor adventures as well as high-quality dining and exciting nightlife, there is plenty to do in this bustling community that’s just outside your door.