Northwestern University School of Professional Studies
About SPS
Welcome
Dear Friends of SPS,
Congratulations to our graduates! As I reflect on the 2024 School of Professional Studies Convocation and Northwestern's 166th University-wide Commencement, I am brimming with pride and admiration for the achievements of our students. As adult learners juggling professional and personal responsibilities, your steadfast commitment, innovative spirit, and resilience are truly admirable.
As we wrap up another successful academic year and embrace the joys of summer, our commitment at SPS remains steadfast — to provide access to an unparalleled education within a vibrant and supportive learning community. That is my promise, our promise, to each of our students.
Sincerely,
Thomas F. Gibbons Dean, School of Professional Studies Northwestern University
Northwestern University School of Professional Studies students are part of a unique and distinguished university community. They learn in a supportive, collaborative environment in courses — offered online and in the evenings on Northwestern's Chicago and Evanston campuses — that enable them to balance their personal and professional lives with the pursuit of learning. Classes in SPS degree and certificate programs are taught by some of the university's most respected and talented teachers — scholars and professionals who value the diversity, energy, and creativity of our students.
One of the 12 colleges and schools of Northwestern University, SPS and adult learning have been a core part of Northwestern’s mission since 1933. SPS is enmeshed in many parts of the University — sharing faculty members, creating innovative programs and setting the standard for higher education for adults. SPS students become part of a university ranked among the nation’s best universities with top medical, law, and business schools, and a faculty that has made pioneering contributions to materials science, nanotechnology, economics, the humanities, and more.
Our Mission
Providing innovative learning opportunities
The mission of the School of Professional Studies is to provide a superior Northwestern education to outstanding students whose academic pursuits must be balanced with professional or personal commitments. SPS strives to be a national leader in continuing and professional education by providing innovative learning opportunities that serve the lifelong learning needs of its students.
Meet some of our students and alums
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It was incredibly important for me to maintain my professional experience while I went to school. Northwestern gave me the most flexibility and the best-rounded coursework, so I knew Id be able to learn what I wanted to on a timeline that accommodated my busy schedule.
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My professors are running businesses, working for consulting firms and agencies, and navigating today’s workplace just like I am. Hearing about their experiences and creative solutions to work challenges many of us face is not only really interesting but also applicable.
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Northwestern is a high-end research facility and I’m certain some of the more advanced concepts I learned here are going to help me fit in well at Yale.
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Thomas F. Gibbons is the dean of Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies, which offers adult learners a broad spectrum of undergraduate and graduate programs as well as certificate and professional development programs. Dean Gibbons launched Northwestern’s first fully online master’s degree and has since developed many other award-winning distance education academic offerings. He also oversees a variety of special programs, including the Center for Public Safety, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and Northwestern’s Summer Session. Dean Gibbons, who is an attorney and also a senior lecturer at Northwestern’s School of Law, teaches courses at the graduate and undergraduate level in conflict resolution, negotiations, mediation, and arbitration. He is also a labor arbitrator and mediator, and past president of the University of Professional and Continuing Education Association, of the Association for Conflict Resolution, Chicago Chapter, and the past chairman of the Chicago Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee. Dean Gibbons holds law degrees from Yale Law School and DePaul University College of Law, a master’s degree from Drew University, and a bachelor’s degree from Fordham University.
