Bachelor of Arts in Communications

at National Louis University - Illinois Campus USA

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.

The Master of Science (M.S.) in Design Thinking and Entrepreneurship graduate program prepares you to create your own entrepreneurial business opportunities or innovate from within an organization as a corporate entrepreneur. Focusing on women’s entrepreneurship, you’ll learn human-centered approaches to innovation that will encourage you to develop a deep understanding of users, think broadly about problems, and recognize the value in the contributions of others. You’ll cultivate your own unique leadership style and learn how to overcome barriers facing women entrepreneurs today, such as earning funding from investors. Additionally, you’ll grow your business network in Chicago, a city with the highest concentration of women-owned startups and women-focused investors in the country.

• Do you want to develop a deep understanding of users, think broadly about problems, and recognize the value in the contributions of others?
• Do you want to learn design thinking and business acumen to hone creative thinking, problem-solving, and analytical thinking skills and build a viable opportunity for today's emerging markets?
• Do you want to learn more about the opportunities and challenges facing women entrepreneurs and how to overcome these common barriers?
• Do you value one-on-one guidance from a business mentor and opportunities to grow your business network and relationships with funders?
• Are you looking for a flexible degree program schedule in an executive format, meeting one Saturday a month?

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.

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.

Our Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree program prepares you to use psychological concepts and theories, and provides a foundation for working in community or business settings, as well as furthering your study in a graduate program. You'll gain an understanding of human thought and behavior while honing marketable skills, such as strong communication, the ability to think critically, analyze information, and the ability to be objective and flexible in thinking. Career paths include Substance Abuse Counselor, Psychiatric Technician, and Human Resources Advisor.

Program Highlights

A Foundation in Theory and Practice

• Learn about the workings of the human mind and human behavior with our innovative program that blends psychological theory with hands-on practice, preparing you for a broad range of careers and future graduate study.

Classes at Your Convenience

• Choose from both campus-based and online course offerings, as well as a variety of minors to compliment your marketability once you graduate.

Real-World Training

• Learn from expert faculty and industry professionals who have years of experience in the field. Get hands-on experience during your psychology internship, which will give you a leg-up when you enter the job market.

An Edge in the Business World

• Gain an understanding of interpersonal relationships and motivation, which you can use to effectively work with, or manage, peers and clients in the business world.

National Louis University's Bachelor of Arts in Applied Behavioral Sciences (ABS) is a degree completion program designed for busy working adults who want to complete their undergraduate degree for professional advancement or personal accomplishment. Our courses equip you with the tools to effectively work with, and lead, groups of people. This interdisciplinary program combines psychology, sociology, communications and cultural and organizational studies to provide a framework for understanding human behavior, motivation and leadership. The program requires a minimum of 90 quarter hours of previous college credit for acceptance.

Program Highlights

Flexible Schedule

• Choose between fully online and campus-based class formats, including weekend and evening class options. Fit your degree around your busy schedule.

Learning Community

• Engage with your peers as you stay with the same cohort of fellow students throughout the entire program. Build connections through frequent roundtable discussions that will last beyond graduation.

Customized Degree

• Shape your degree to match your career interests and goals. Two independent study projects throughout the program allow you to explore topics interesting to you through self-guided research. You can further enhance your ABS degree with a minor or concentration, such as our new Entrepreneurship concentration.

Career Readiness

• Advance in your current position or transition to a new career with our flexible ABS degree. Human Resources, Social Work, Psychology and Non-Profit Management are just a few of the job fields you’ll be prepared for.

Kendall College’s B.A. in Culinary Management combines rigorous culinary training with business skills and general education studies on our world-class Chicago campus. Hone your craft at the No. 1 ranked culinary program in Chicago.

During the first two years of this four-year degree, you will learn fundamental and advanced cooking techniques through hands-on experience in kitchen classrooms and on-campus restaurants that will prepare you for a three-month internship in fine-dining kitchens and a variety of foodservice operations that meet your career goals.

In your junior and senior years, you will chose between three different career concentrations to propel you in the industry. You will also learn hospitality and business skills and explore strategies for planning, building, promoting, and running a food business. Our students leave with marketable skills in change management, leadership, financial management awareness and professional development that will assist in advancing to managerial positions across the industry.

With Kendall’s strong general education foundation, you’ll also gain math, computer, language, communication and problem-solving skills that are vital to success in any career.

*Time to completion may vary and is dependent on the student's course load and successful completion of the courses.

What You Will Learn

Our rigorous curriculum prepares you to excel as a chef, restaurant owner, food innovator and more. Learning in our commercial-grade kitchens from professional chefs, restauranteurs and pastry chefs, you will perfect your craft by learning foundational skills and advanced techniques from recipes around the world; while applying them in real world environments.

• Culinary Skills
• Business and Management
• Innovation and Theory
• Culinary Wellness and Sanitation

National Louis University's Master of Arts in Psychology at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology will introduce you to the advanced study of human behavior and prepare you for diverse career options in counseling, business and education, as well as further graduate study. The degree can be completed online or on-campus in 18 months.

Program coursework includes the opportunity to choose concentrations in General Psychology, Community Psychology, Psychological Assessment, or Teaching of Psychology.

Program Highlights

Flexible Classes

• Choose between fully online or blended (online courses with in-person meetings) formats. Fit your degree around your busy schedule.

Career Preparation

• Jumpstart your career with career planning services woven throughout the program. We’ll help you hone your interests and connect you to the right career path.

Renowned Faculty

• Learn from faculty who are not only skilled educators and respected scholars, but bring years of real-world experience to the classroom. Classes are designed according to the most current research and best practices in the field.

Customized Path

• Select one of four different concentrations and shape your degree to match your career interests and goals. You can also choose to enroll in a stand-alone Psychology certificate program that does not require enrollment in the Master’s program.

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.