Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

at Northeastern Illinois University USA

What difference does it make if we join a gang, have a baby, or go to college? What difference does it make to have money? What do changes in the family mean for future generations? What do social policies, such as AlDS legislation, or social campaigns, such as anti-choice or anti-drug activities, mean to society? How do military and governmental activities or changes in technology affect people’s everyday lives? What is the social significance of cultural diversity, race, social class, and gender? What can we do in our everyday lives to effect positive changes in our families, communities and society?

Sociologists try to answer questions like these in order to understand what society is and how it affects individuals. One of the main insights of sociology is the understanding that groups and group life influence every aspect of our lives. Sociology is the systematic study of human societies, their patterns and arrangements, and their processes of development and change. Our faculty have a strong commitment to critical analyses of social structure and social arrangements, emphasizing analyses of race, class, gender inequality and social change.

The Sociology major sharpens students’ sociological imaginations through close study of social structures and processes in which our personal biographies are embedded. As a Sociology major, you will have the opportunity to analyze society with an intersectional lens that challenges the status quo.

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 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.

The B.A. in Physical Education K-12 Licensure prepares students to be a certified teacher in the state of Illinois. The degree program covers the most up-to-date scientific and pedagogical content knowledge relevant to the daily activities of a physical education teacher. The program combines lecture-based courses with hands-on practical clinical experiences in a variety of diverse setting throughout the program. Based on these quality experiences, students will be able to teach in urban and suburban schools. Finally, the program will allow students to create, communicate and utilize unique ideas in K-12 Physical Education.

The Physical Education K-12 bachelor's degree is accredited by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education.

Students in the program will be able to:

• Interact with faculty who are known for their expertise in physical education pedagogy, motor behavior, fitness, and adapted physical education
• Gain experience in diverse field settings within the Chicago area
• Access laboratory settings and gain experience in exercise science and motor behavior
• Utilize a variety of resources, including faculty, peers, facilites, and equipment

Physical Education majors, upon successful completion of the program and graduation from Northeastern Illinois University, are entitled to the Illinois Professional Educator License (PEL), endorsed in Physical Education K-12. Students are encouraged to complete the minor program in Health Education.

The Middle Level Education program (MLED) will provide students with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be successful teachers in grades 5-8.  Candidates choose a minimum of one discipline to earn their endorsement from Social Studies, Math, Science, and/or Language Arts.  Subject area endorsements require 21 hours of approved content courses in the discipline.  MLED Candidates complete two clinical experiences in grades 5-8 classrooms totaling 200 hours and full-time student teaching in their endorsement area for 16 weeks.  Candidates who complete the MLED program qualify for the Illinois Middle Grade Professional Educator License to teach in their endorsement area(s). 

The Communication, Media and Theatre (CMT) Department, as suggested by its name, includes three distinct, creative and demanding disciplines that are linked with their foundation in the study of communication in a variety of contexts. Students majoring in these areas will learn to become more proficient in the theory and practice of communication, media and theatre arts, while developing an appreciation of differing values and perceptions of the world in which they live.

The Marketing major is designed for those who wish to develop a thorough understanding of how to find what customers or potential customers think, how to get products across and appealing to potential customers, and how to close a deal when products and customers meet.

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.

The curriculum for the Marketing major is designed to provide students with a foundation of marketing theory and practice in all types of business and organization. Modern developments in technology (e.g., social media, digital media, and internet) are emphasized in the Marketing curriculum.

Successful completion of the Marketing major will enable you to approach a marketing situation from a problem-solving perspective: abstract key issues to be addressed in the situation, identify relevant marketing knowledge and options suitable for the situation, critically analyze these options and make a clear written and oral recommendation.

The Bachelor of Science in Earth Science prepares students for graduate study, or a wide range of positions in Environmental Geoscience fields, including industry, consulting, or state/federal agencies. In addition to required and elective ESCI courses, additional courses in cognate fields (math and science) are required for completion of the degree program. All students are urged to plan their program with the help of ESCI faculty advising.

The graduate program in English develops skills in critical thinking, writing, and research, encourages intellectual curiosity, and provides training for careers and professional advancement in related fields such as teaching, editorial work, journalism, publishing, writing, and research.

Students pursuing the MA in English choose between two degree concentrations, Literature or Composition. The two-track curriculum provides two separate fields of study within English, offering multiple career opportunities as well as preparing students for doctoral work.