Bachelor of Social Work

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.

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.

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

Our Bachelor of Arts in Human Services degree program prepares you to support the needs of individuals, families, and communities. You’ll develop the capacity to understand and assess the functioning of individuals and the dynamics of families, groups, and communities and train to be a successful employee in organizations that provide support, service, and other general human services related activities for individuals, families, and communities in need. The B.A. in Human Services offers an array of internship experiences that will give you a taste of working in the field, and the B.A. in Human Services/Psychology combines human services coursework with classes in behavioral sciences to give you a stronger understanding of human behavior and motivation. This degree prepares you for entry-level positions at social service agencies, community health centers, health clinics, and more.

Program Highlights

Real-World Internship Experience

• Explore what it’s like to work in the human services field with over 300 hours of internship experience built into your coursework, allowing you to hone your career interests and gain work expeirience in a professional setting.

Expert Faculty

• Learn from professors who have real-world experience in the human services field and bring their hands-on teaching practices to the classroom.

Customizable Degree

• Enhance your degree with a variety of concentrations and minors, including our Entrepreneurship Concentration, which will give you the knowledge and skills you need to start your own business or organization after you graduate.

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.

Our Bachelor of Science in Computer Sciences and Information Systems is designed for students interested in new technologies and computing systems. Throughout the program, you’ll gain the skills necessary to succeed in a career in computing and information, accruing technical skills, business acumen, and soft skills. Coursework is centered around web development, networking and information security, analytics, and how these disciplines integrate into businesses.

Program Highlights

Professional Certifications

• Become certified in these high-demand computing skills that will make you an attractive candidate to employers: the Associate in Python Programming Certificate, the LPI Linux Essentials Professional Development Certificate, Cisco CCNET, and Cisco CCNA Routing and Switching.

Industry Connections

• Take advantage of our Advisory Board, comprised of professionals from major Chicago tech companies (such as Oracle and Motorola) who help shape the program’s curriculum and serve as valuable contacts for student research and questions.

Customizable Experience

• Maximize your degree by adding a minor, such as Entrepreneurship or Business, and choosing between concentrations in Network and Information Security, Data Analytics, Coding and Software Development, and more.

Flexible Classes

• Fit your degree around your schedule with options that include online, campus-based, and blended courses. Choose from day-time or evening class options, as well.

Well-Rounded Curriculum

• Become skilled in the essential areas of computer science, including programming, information security, web and ux design, app development, and more. Our curriculum combines classroom theory with hands-on application so you can hit the ground running as you launch your career.

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.

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.

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.

National Louis University’s Bachelor of Arts in Infant-Toddler Studies program is designed for students who want a well-rounded knowledge base and skill set for working as leaders in the field of infant and toddler care and education, but who do not wish to be licensed teachers.

Coursework includes advanced topics such as trauma-informed practice, ECE mental health and specialized focus on infant/toddler early brain development and responsive caregiving. All courses lead to the ECE and Infant/Toddler Gateways Credentials, with additional options to obtain the Illinois Director Level II and the Illinois Early Intervention/Developmental Therapy (EI/DT) Credentials.

Choose Our Infant-Toddler Studies Bachelor's Degree if You:

• Want to work in child care, infant/toddler care, early childhood social service or other settings that do not require state licensure.
• Want to obtain up to three statewide, widely-recognized Gateways to Professional Opportunity credentials, including the ECE Level5, Infant Toddler Care Level 5 and the Family Child Care Level 5, and/or the Illinois Director Credential Level II.
• Are looking for a well-established and highly regarded program with a history of preparing excellent education professionals.
• Would like to study with a group of students who will work together and support one another throughout the program.

National Louis has a 130-year-old reputation for its teacher training programs, and is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). In addition, this program is aligned with the standards determined by the State of Illinois’ Professional Development System, the Gateways to Opportunity Credentialing system, which is, in effect, aligned with National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Standards, to foster the ongoing professional development of teachers.