Bachelor of Arts, Major in Elementary Education

at Northeastern Illinois University USA

Major in Management: With a curriculum encompassing leadership and managerial skills, organization theories, international business, and strategic management, this major will equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to successfully lead and manage people and organizations. The large set of permissible electives caters to student's own career interests to build strengths and allows for the development of a broad range of business competencies.

Major in Management with Human Resources concentration: Designed for students who aspire for knowledge of a broad range of human resources principles and practices, this major has a focused elective curriculum on knowledge and tools in human resource management aligned with the current needs of organizations. Upon the successful completion of the concentration, students will be better prepared for the role of HR generalist or specialist in a variety of organizations.

The Management major is designed for those who wish to learn how to plan and organize the collection of activities, organizational infrastructure, capital and human resources involved in business processes, as well as how to staff, lead and control these processes to achieve an organizational goal. Students can choose one of two concentrations:

• Management
• Human Resources

The College of Business and Management has a set of well-established Program Learning Goals and Learning Objectives across all programs that are assessed on a periodic basis. The College of Business and Management is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and is among the top five percent of the worldwide business schools offering degree programs. See the Dean’s Welcome for four compelling features to study in the College of Business and Management.

Geography is the study of space and location; it is a practical discipline which incorporates knowledge from the natural and social sciences to address problems of a spatial dimension. Geographers describe spatial patterns – where things are, where they are not, and why they are distributed that way. They determine optimal locations – for example, where a business should be or where to purchase a home. They also study interactions, such as travel patterns, trade, and migration.

Many geographers use Geographic Information Systems: computer software that merges maps, data, and analysis. The Department’s GIS Certificate Program can be incorporated into their major as electives or may be taken for the Certificate alone, outside of the degree program.  A minor in Geographic Information Science, which results in a Certificate as well, is also available.

In addition to the required courses in geography, students may choose to specialize in urban and social geography or geospatial techniques. The first option focuses on the study of metropolitan areas and the socio-spatial patterns that characterize them. Students are introduced to principles of urban planning and urban design and the dynamics of urbanization. The latter option includes instruction in field methods, computer-assisted mapping, statistics, geographic information science, and interpretation of aerial photos and satellite images.

Political Science is central to an understanding of all basic social issues and is one of the most popular liberal arts majors. A political science education gives people the ability to understand the workings of politics and the way it impacts the lives of all of us. A major in this field helps students develop skills of understanding and analysis, and builds competence in oral and written expression. Graduates go on to careers in law, business, journalism, teaching, and government.

The Department of Africana Studies offers a vibrant and highly competitive graduate program. The department’s Master of Arts degree is designed to provide students with a rigorous interdisciplinary training in the scholarly investigation of people of African descent. The faculty and the courses of the graduate program are drawn from the department and other academic units throughout the university.

The Master of Arts degree in Africana Studies offers two areas of concentrations: the Community Empowerment track and the Culture and Aesthetics track. The Community Empowerment concentration focuses on the historical and contemporary strategies to empower people of African descent. This track exposes the student to the political, economic, and policy responses to the impediments of African and African-descendant community development. The Culture and Aesthetics concentration focuses on the understandings and the interpretations of the philosophical, literary, and artistic contributions of people of African descent.

Students are prepared to pursue a doctorate in Africana Studies or other related disciplines in the social-sciences or the humanities. The M.A. degree in Africana Studies also enhances a career in government, education, the professional fields, and the non-profit sector.

Northeastern Illinois University’s master’s in Social Work (MSW) degree prepares advanced social work practitioners to serve vulnerable populations and contribute to the functioning and well-being of underserved communities. A master’s degree in social work is a vital step toward licensure and allows social workers to hold clinical, supervisory, or program director roles in the field.

Classes are offered during the late afternoon and evening hours to accommodate working professionals. The program may be completed full or part-time, requiring two or four years of study to complete, respectively.

The major requires a set of six required Biology courses (including a cornerstone course, BIO-150), five elective courses in Biology, a capstone course in Biology, and a set of cognate courses in Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics. As such, the curriculum provides broad training in the sciences, allows for students to take a sequence of courses that fit their particular interests within Biology and allows students to prepare themselves for specific careers in Biology.

Students who are seeking to be licensed to teach Biology in secondary schools should consult with both an advisor in Biology and an advisor in the Goodwin College of Education.

Students interested in pursuing graduate studies are strongly encouraged to take one year each of organic chemistry and calculus, and a course in statistics.

Students who are planning to pursue professional training in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and other health professions should contact the professional schools to which they intend to apply in order to determine their specific program requirements. Students should also consult regularly with an advisor in Biology to ensure that they take an appropriate set of elective courses. Finally, these students can receive guidance on recommended courses, graduate-school test preparation and the application process from the Coordinator of Student Services in the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences as well as the Student Center for Science Engagement.

The Master of Science in Instruction: Secondary English/Language Arts Program is designed to offer professional development to classroom teachers who are interested in updating and refining their teaching competencies in the areas of Language Arts and English instruction at the secondary level.

Within this program students complete coursework in two areas:

• a professional core composed of coursework in literacy foundations (theory and pedagogy), curriculum development, cultural diversity, assessment, media technology, and research-18 cr hrs.
• a concentration in language arts with interdisciplinary coursework in education, reading, English, linguistics, and/or speech - 18 cr hrs.

The Master’s Degree in Computer Science has three concentrations: one for individuals who want to enter careers in industry, one for individuals who want to pursue a Ph.D., and one for high school teachers who want to obtain an endorsement to teach computer science. The program is designed especially for the convenience of the part-time student; courses are scheduled in the evening and on Saturday.

The B.A. in English at Northeastern offers students a foundation in critical and creative methods along with advanced study in literature, literary history and criticism, cultural studies, critical and cultural theory, rhetoric, creative writing, and composition. Courses develop students’ engagement with texts and their cultural and aesthetic contexts while advancing their abilities in creative and critical thinking, reading, and writing. The rigorous study of critical analysis and the craft of effective writing prepares students to engage in society and to compete in degree programs and fields as diverse as professional and technical writing, public relations, web content management and writing, teaching, research, publishing, marketing, library science, law, medicine, and many others.

Anthropology uniquely incorporates both cultural and biological perspectives in its study of the diversity of past and present humans, and the ecology and behavior of our closest primate relatives. With a strong commitment to teaching excellence, the Department of Anthropology offers courses leading to the Bachelor of Arts. The Anthropology Department provides a challenging curriculum in the sub-disciplines of cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, and archaeology that encourages field-based learning, data-oriented research, and a solid grounding in the theoretical constructs and ethics of the discipline. Students taking courses in Anthropology develop a multifaceted understanding of human diversity steeped in time, multicultural ethnographic comparisons, and the science of our physical form. This enriching perspective is not only well suited for subsequent graduate studies and professional careers in anthropology, but also for fostering the acceptance of others and negotiating the many facets of our modern global society.

We have developed many individualized and field learning opportunities for our majors that take advantage of the many resources in Chicago and beyond. These include the Field Museum Internship, Archaeological Field School, Lincoln Park Zoo Research, Mitchell Museum of the American Indian Internship, Fieldwork in Anthropology, and Independent Study in Anthropology. These experiences allow students to apply their anthropological knowledge and perspective outside of the classroom and learn about different careers and graduate study in anthropology.  Most of these individualized and field experience courses require a minimum GPA, a proposal, departmental and College level approval. See an anthropology advisor for more information.

If you are a first year student interested in learning more about Anthropology, consider taking one of our First Year Experience classes: ANTH 109b - Skeletons in Chicago Closets or ANTH 109c - Skin of Chicago. Both of these courses count towards General Education Natural Science credit.