Bachelor of Arts, Major in History

at Northeastern Illinois University USA

The Master of Arts in Geography and Environmental Studies is a program offered in the evenings and on weekends. The program is designed for students with various academic backgrounds who are interested in a career that spans the human and natural environments -- the social and physical sciences -- and who desire the spatial analytical skills of geography. Graduate students develop an area of proficiency within the broad scope of environmental policy, planning, and management or within the geographic realm of spatial analysis. The program is both theoretical and practical; students gain knowledge, conceptual skills, and technical skills. The program provides a solid basis for a career, a career shift, career enhancement or preparation for post-graduate studies.

Students are expected to:

• Acquire knowledge about human-environmental relations in which the environment is considered as both space and milieu;
• Acquire knowledge of rapidly changing landscapes, synthesizing diverse but interrelated information;
• Acquire knowledge related to locational studies concerning geometrics of movement, size, shape, and distance;
• Acquire knowledge related to environmental resources including interpretation, planning, development, use, and conservation;
• Acquire knowledge related to socio-economic development;
• Use computer cartography and geographic information systems to analyze, monitor, evaluate, and project spatial data;
• Refine skills related to map interpretation, composition, types, and preparation, and in interpretation of aerial photographs, field observation, and satellite imagery;
• Refine skills in collection and analysis of statistical data;
• Develop skills related to computerized data processing;
• Refine computational and oral as well as written communication and research skills.

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 Early Childhood Education Program offers a course of study leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree. The major in Early Childhood Education consists of 51 credit hours, including two 100-hour clinical experiences
at different age levels of early childhood. Each clinical includes a 3-credit weekly lecture to provide more in-depth examination of field experiences and on time field relevant topics.

In addition, students are required to pursue endorsement in TESL or BLBC (please contact the TESL program advisor or ECED program advisor for BLBC endorsement requirements)

Students who complete this program qualify for Early Childhood licensure. Upon licensure, they are eligible to teach early childhood (birth-2nd grade).

The Music Department at NEIU offers a Master of Arts in Music degree in Applied Pedagogy. Pedagogy is defined as the art of teaching. This degree prepares students who already have a Bachelor's degree in music for successful 1) college level teaching, 2) in-service elementary and secondary public or private school teaching, 3) or for continuing into doctoral degree work.

The Music Department at Northeastern offers a Master of Arts in Applied Music Pedagogy. Pedagogy is defined as the art of teaching. This degree prepares students who already have a bachelor's degree in music for successful:

• College-level teaching;
• In-service elementary and secondary public or private school teaching; or
• Continuation into doctoral degree work.

Northeastern is one of the only universities in the region to offer a degree in pedagogy.

The Department of Counselor Education offers a 60 credit-hour program leading to the Master of Arts in School Counseling for licensed teachers. Additional coursework is required for students without a teacher license.  The School Counseling program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Find out more information at Counselor Education accreditation, licensures, and credentialing.

Counselor Education also offers a Non-Degree School Counselor Endorsement leading to licensure as a school counselor for individuals with an advanced degree in counseling or related fields.

Northeastern Illinois University’s Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Justice Studies program gives students the opportunity to examine the social and historical roots of justice, crime, and the law. Students seek to discover how these roots have shaped public policies, including those of the criminal justice system, and study systematic explanations for the failure—or triumph—of justice in society and explore the potential for transformative justice.

Through critical inquiry, social science investigation, and experiential learning, Justice Studies students develop an understanding of social and economic justice issues and critical criminology. For instance, criminology examines the structural roots of crime and takes up the legal and social concerns of diverse, urban, low-income, and disenfranchised communities, whose members are often heavily targeted by the criminal justice system.

The major in Special Education is designed to meet state teacher licensure requirements by training students to be knowledgeable and skilled regarding the education of all school aged children and adolescents with disabilities. Majors are selected during October to begin studies during the following Spring semester. Majors progress through the program as a cohort. Most coursework is offered during daytime hours.

Political Science is central to an understanding of all basic social issues; therefore, an understanding of political life is indispensable for any well-educated person. The department currently offers an undergraduate major, a minor in political science, a minor in public administration, and a graduate program leading to the master's degree.

Areas of political science in which courses are offered include:

• American Politics and Public Affairs
• International Relations and Comparative Politics
• Political Theory

Within each area, major themes are explored (e.g., public policy and administration, political values and change, elite-mass relationships, and political parties and groups).

The Community Health (HSCI) program prepares students to work in a variety of settings that include: city, county, and state health departments, hospitals, worksite wellness, college campuses, parks and recreation departments, non-profit organizations (American Diabetes Association, American Cancer Society, YMCA, Boys and Girls Club), and more.  Example programs community health majors work with include: nutrition and exercise, alcohol and other drugs, sexual transmitted infections and contraception awareness, social and emotional health, environmental awareness, disease prevention, health disparities, immunization awareness, and many more. Graduates use their knowledge and skills to focus on how best to reach vulnerable community members and to better allocate resources to under-served populations. They may initiate wellness programs, write policies, implement educational and primary prevention activities, or create resources to promote healthy living.

Community Health students complete an internship. The internship is comprised of a semester-long fieldwork experience and a weekly seminar with assignments. Community Health students complete 200 clock hours of work (typically unpaid) in a community health related agency. Community Health students must be admitted to the Goodwin College of Education to start the internship.  Moreover, it is highly recommended that Community Health students gain admission to the Goodwin College of Education early in the program, as some courses require admittance to the Goodwin College of Education.

“The primary purpose of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being. Social workers help meet the basic human needs of all people and empower those who are vulnerable, oppressed or living in poverty. A historic and defining feature of social work is the profession’s dual focus on the individual in a social context and the betterment of society. Social workers help people identify and manage the environmental forces that create, contribute to, and address problems in living.” National Association of Social Workers (NASW), 2002

Social work, as a helping profession, involves working with people in a variety of situations. Social workers assist individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities in the areas of child and family welfare, corrections, health, mental health and a variety of other social service settings.

The undergraduate social work curriculum at Northeastern is designed to prepare you for entry-level professional social work and for graduate study. You will build knowledge of human behavior, and develop the skills needed for helping individuals, families, small groups, organizations or communities in a diverse society.

Northeastern Illinois University’s Social Work program is fully accredited by the Council of Social Work Education, assuring the program’s excellence in preparing students for future employment in the field.

Because of the program’s national accreditation, students are eligible for membership in the National Association of Social Workers.