Bachelor of Arts in Communications

at National Louis University - Illinois Campus USA

Our Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education degree program prepares you to work with children from birth through grade 2. In this program, you will do coursework aligned to meet the new Illinois Professional Teaching Standards (IL-PTS). Upon successful completion of all required coursework, you will earn a Professional Educator License (PEL) endorsed for early childhood and self-contained general education (birth to 2nd grade).

Program Highlights

In-Demand Credentials

• Not only will you achieve your Professional Educator License on the way to your degree, but you’ll also have the option to obtain Special Education and ELL endorsements, highly sought-after credentials in the job market.

Hands-On Experience

• Build your knowledge and expertise with two consecutive terms of student teaching in a primary school setting (grades K-2) under the guidance of an experienced teacher, totaling over 680 hours of field experience.

A History of Excellence

• Join a program with 130 years of experience preparing teachers to make a difference and that has graduated more Golden Apple Award winners than any other school in Illinois.

Flexible Class Schedule

• Choose from online, campus-based, and blended class formats that allow you to structure your degree around the demands of your everyday life.

Expert Faculty

• Learn from real-world practitioners who currently work as teachers, administrators, and leaders in early childhood education. They come to the classroom with a wealth of knowledge, contacts, and resources to shape the next generation of teachers.

Our Bachelor of Arts in Communications degree program prepares you for the dynamic and competitive field of workplace communication. We'll prepare you to become a well-rounded and well-informed professional by creating real-world experiences in the classroom that allow you to exercise your creativity while meeting the demands of fast-paced businesses. You’ll enter the job market as a savvy verbal, written, and visual communicator with a portfolio of work to showcase to potential employers.

Program Highlights

Customizable Experience

• Shape your degree to meet your interests and professional goals by choosing from courses in digital, video, verbal, and written communication, as well as pairing your degree with a minor, such as our new Marketing minor.

Flexible Class Options

• Choose from multiple different modalities to fit your coursework around your schedule, including campus-based, blended, online, and a new accelerated online option with condensed six-week terms (normally 12 weeks).

Professional Portfolio

• Prepare yourself for the job market by composing an e-portfolio of your best work from the program and presenting it at a capstone symposium your senior year.

Real-World Expertise

• Learn from faculty who bring years of experience in professional communications to the classroom. Become skilled in contemporary communication practices that employers are looking for, like devising a communications plan.

Our Bachelor of Arts in Applied Educational Studies degree program prepares you to work with children in schools or community-based settings without a Professional Educator's License. The program is offered both fully online and in blended formats.

This major is ideal for students that want to work with children and families in education adjacent roles such as ECE social service, community-based family support, and home visiting.

The program provides a solid foundation in education preparation with options to study family services, infant and toddler care and education or psychology. Coursework includes topics in management and leadership, working with children and families under stress, special education and English as an additional language in educational settings.

The goal of this program is to provide a pathway for students who want to work in education adjacent roles such as family specialist, child family life educator, home visitor or social service roles related to serving children and families.

Coursework completed in this program will lead to the State of Illinois’ Gateways Level 5 Family Specialist Credential (FSC) as well as prepare students to take the exam for the National Council on Family Relations’ (NCFR) Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) certification.

The following three specific social and behavior studies courses are needed, as elective credit, in order to achieve the FSC Level 5 and prepare for the CFLE exam: PSY 450, PSY 311 and HSM 306.

Kendall College’s Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Management prepares you to excel in the business and craft of managing restaurants, resorts, hotels and events. Your training will cover all aspects of culinary and hospitality management and prepare you to lead in this fast-paced industry. Located in Chicago, a world-class culinary and tourist destination, you’ll enjoy hands-on learning experiences, the guidance of industry experts and premier work opportunities.

After completing core coursework in hospitality, you’ll specialize in one of the following concentrations:

• Hotel & Lodging Management
• Event Planning
• Food & Beverage Management
• Tourism

Like the industry itself, Kendall boasts a diverse international population. About 35% of this program’s students are international. And you have the opportunity to study abroad at a variety of resorts and restaurants here and across the globe.

Program Highlights

Internship Experience

• Go beyond the classroom with two internship opportunities built into the program, totaling over 500 hours of work experience. Work at a local business under the guidance of industry mentors and faculty and gain real-world skills and knowledge to apply to your future career.

Customizable Degree

• Shape your degree to match your career interests and goals with four different concentrations and a variety of electives to mix and match. Enhance your degree by adding a minor or a second concentration, such as our new Entrepreneurship Concentration.

Professional Development

• Prepare yourself for the job market by taking advantage of career workshops, internships and guest speakers, as well as a culminating Senior Integrative Project, wherein you collaborate with students from across the college on a complex project within multidisciplinary teams.

State-of-the-Art Facilities

• Apply your classroom knowledge to real-world situations by hosting and serving multi-course meals in Kendal College’s fine dining restaurant, the Dining Room. Event Management students will plan baquets, business meetings and parties on campus, and students will also get to organize events and serve guests in our elegant Wine Room.

A Complete Education

• Gain comprehensive skills and knowledge that will serve you no matter which career you pursue after graduation. Receive training in financial management, marketing, leadership, technology, communication and more.

Our four-year Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration program is perfect for students with solutions-driven minds and the desire to contribute to small- and medium-sized businesses. We’ll provide you with the necessary tools to solve challenging business problems, build your confidence as an entrepreneur so you can start your own business, and give you the skill set to thrive within a variety of business-related roles.

Program Highlights

Flexible Classes

• Choose from both online and campus-based class formats, as well as weekday, evening, and weekend options, allowing you to customize your degree to your schedule and preferences.

Experienced Faculty

• Learn from faculty who are thought leaders in the industry and bring years of experience in the business world to the classroom. Their hands-on teaching practices ensure you’ll become a well-rounded business professional.

Career Preparation

• Gain real-world business experience through a required internship during your senior year, which will give you a leg up in the job market. Use our new Start-Up Incubator to grow your ideas into viable businesses under the guidance of faculty.

Practical Curriculum

• Acquire the tools necessary to solve challenging business problems through our curriculum that emphasizes hands-on learning. Apply business theories and concepts to case studies and real-world situations.

Customizable Experience

• Select from a variety of different concentrations and minors to enhance your marketability, including our new Entrepreneurship Minor, which allows you to explore the unique strategies and challenges inherent in starting your own business.

National Louis University's Bachelor of Science in Management degree program prepares you for the next step in your career by giving you a foundation in business principles, as well as an understanding of management, leadership, marketing and organizational dynamics. This program is designed for students in all phases of their professional career and undergraduate studies, whether you have extensive prior coursework or are enrolling in college for the first time. We offer the B.S. in Management at both our Chicago and Florida locations and also online.

Program Highlights

Class Flexibility

• Choose from both on-campus and online course offerings to fit your degree around your busy schedule.

Quick Degree Completion

• Complete your degree quickly by transferring up to 60 quarter hours of technical credit from a previous institution and qualifying for up to an additional 60 quarter hours of Prior Learning Credit. Students with extensive previous coursework can graduate in as little as 18 months.

Career Advancement

• Advance at your current company or transition to a new career with the B.S. in Management. Our program gives you the tools to succeed in a variety of business-related roles.

Hands-On Learning

• Build your management skillset with our applications-oriented curriculum that includes case studies, team-based learning, presentations and simulations. Refine your abilities in real-world situations before you hit the job market.

Customizable Experience

• Select from a variety of minors and concentrations, such as our Entrepreneurship Concentration, to specialize your degree and hone your interests. Three out of the four available concentrations will give you credit toward an MBA degree, as well.

National Louis University's Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education is for students who would like to earn their elementary education degree in order to attain an Illinois Professional Educator License (PEL) endorsed for self-contained general education (grades 1-6).

• Choose our Teaching Degree in Elementary Education if you:
• Want to teach 1st through 6th grade
• Are looking for a well-established and highly regarded program
• Would like to study with a group of students who will work together and support one another throughout the program
• Need flexible learning options

NLU has a long-standing reputation for its education and teacher training programs, and is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Since 1886, we’ve trained thousands of educators and continue to graduate the majority of winners honored by Illinois’ two Golden Apple Foundations with one of the most prestigious teaching and leadership honors in the state. Our instructors bring both academic skills and practical experience to the classroom, offering the best in elementary education. As a result, we're well known for preparing educators who can meet the demands of today’s diverse classrooms and become leaders in the education profession.

National Louis University’s Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice program prepares you to work in fields addressing the effects of criminality on individuals, communities and society. The program offers two concentrations: Criminal Justice Administration and Forensic Social Justice. Throughout the program, you’ll become equipped to serve in law enforcement, courts or corrections systems, or to work in related private industries.

Program Highlights

Real-World Expertise

• Directed by a former homicide detective, our program features faculty members with years of experience in criminal justice. Our program was designed in consultation with leaders in law enforcement, so you’ll be exposed to the most current techniques and theories in the field.

Hands-On Learning

• Expand your learning beyond the classroom through case studies, class trips, guest lectures, and internships. Learn how to apply theories and knowledge learned in class to the field.

Flexible Class Options

• Choose between fully online or on-campus course formats and fit your degree around your busy schedule.

Well-Rounded Curriculum

• Engage in a program that combines psychology, sociology, public policy, and organizational management, preparing you for a broad set of career options.

Customizable Degree

• Specialize your degree with concentrations in Criminal Justice Administration (focusing on how criminal justice agencies operate) or Forensic Social Justice (focusing on the role of human services and intervention in criminal justice). You can also select from a variety of minors to further enhance your degree.

Our Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree program prepares you to support the needs of individuals, families, and communities. You will gain the knowledge, skills and experience in social work processes, collaborative problem-solving, direct practice, advocacy and community organizing that leverages the strengths and capacities of individuals, families, groups and communities. The Social Work major engages students through inclusive, community-centered educational experiences to develop and practice professional Social Work competencies necessary for effectively serving in diverse practice roles and communities, and successful application to Social Work graduate education pathways.

Program Highlights

Real-World Field Experience

• Community engagement opportunities are integrated into coursework and student experiences through community-based assignments, interactions with faculty practitioners and professional networks, case conceptualization, ‘lived experiences’ sources, and organizational highlights. Social Work students complete 400 hours of practica with an integrated seminar in their senior year, supported by field education faculty.

Expert Faculty

• Learn from professors who have real-world experience as Social Work practitioners in the field, bringing years of expertise in various roles and organizations and engaging, evidence-based practices to the classroom.

Customizable Degree

• Enhance your degree with a variety of concentrations and minors, including our Child and Family Studies, Psychology, Criminal Justice, Business and Humanities minors among others, which will allow you to tailor your degree to your passion and interest.

Flexible Classes

• Choose from online, campus-based, and blended class formats, including evening class options, which allow you to fit your degree around your busy schedule.

The Master of Science in Counseling degree program at National Louis University prepares you to work as a counselor in a variety of settings, including schools, private practices and mental health clinics. You’ll delve into the study of human behavior and development, acquire professional counseling skills and engage with scholarly research. The program fulfills the educational requirements necessary to sit for both the National Board for Certified Counselors exam to become a Nationally Certified Counselor and the State of Illinois’ exam to become a Licensed Professional Counselor.

You’ll be able to customize your degree by choosing a concentration in Addictions, School or Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Our Illinois program is CACREP accredited and campus-based.

Program Highlights

Professional Licensure

• Become a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCP), a Licensed Professional Counselor (LCP) or a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), as the program fulfills the educational requirements to sit for all of these exams. For those wishing to become a licensed school counselor in Illinois, the program also prepares you to receive your Professional Educator License (PEL).

Hands-On Experience

• Apply your classroom knowledge to the field with a 600-hour internship that allows you to gain counseling experience under the supervision of a qualified mentor. You’ll receive weekly feedback from your supervisor and be able to hone your counseling skills before you graduate.

Customized Degree

• Choose between concentrations in Addictions, School Counseling, and Clinical Mental Health Counseling, as well as different licensure options. Shape your degree to match your career interests and goals.

Expert Faculty

• Learn from faculty who bring years of real-world counseling experience to the classroom and who are also active researchers in the field. You’ll be learning the most current theories and best practices so you can meet the needs of today’s employers.