Bachelor of Arts, Major in Early Childhood Education

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.

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).

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.

Students enrolled in this Music major will earn the Bachelor of Music (B.M.) in Performance or Education.

Enrolled students choose an emphasis:

• Vocal performance
• instrumental performance
• K-12 music education: vocal
• K-12 music education: instrumental

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.

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.

The major in History provides students with the skills to analyze and develop perspectives on the past, its cultures, ideas, and value systems. Possession of these skills allows students to better understand and appreciate the present state of affairs and future possibilities.

For information about the Department of History's academic programs, please contact Charles Steinwedel, Department Chair.

The Master of Science in Biology program serves those interested in advanced training in applied or basic biological research and teaching. The program also provides a basis for further graduate or professional studies. The M.S. in Biology is broadly based, allowing students to tailor their courses to suit their interests. Laboratory skills are integral to many Biology careers, thus students are encouraged to include lab courses in their program of study. Faculty in the M.S. in Biology program have expertise in a range of sub-disciplines including ecology, organismal, cell, and molecular biology. All newly admitted students matriculate in the Fall semester.

Program Goals

Upon completion of the M.S. in Biology program students will have:

•     A strong understanding of disciplines across the breadth of Biology and a deep understanding of select Biology sub-disciplines.
•     Developed the knowledge base necessary to critically evaluate research methods, data, and results, either produced by them or published in the primary literature.
•     Developed strong written and oral presentation skills.
•     Developed the analytical skills necessary to synthesize information in an area of research based on existing and new data.
•     Developed strong research design and laboratory/field research skills.

Graduates completing the Non-Thesis or Library Thesis options for the M.S. in Biology will meet goals 1-4. Graduates completing the Research Thesis option will meet all 5 goals.

The Master of Arts Program critically examines Latin American cultural forms of expression in their socio-historical contexts; develops skills to work with Latin American and US Latina/o populations in linguistically and culturally appropriate ways; and enhances career opportunities in education, government, international business, and the culture industries. Courses are regularly offered during the late afternoon and evening.

The undergraduate program in Mathematics leads to a bachelor's degree in Mathematics and has been designed to provide the students with options suitable for various career plans. In addition, Northeastern is listed in the Society of Actuaries University and Colleges with Actuarial Programs, in the tier Introductory Curriculum.

CONCENTRATIONS

The choice of concentration determines the set of mathematics courses required, as well as those that can be taken as electives. Concentrations include:

• Applied Mathematics
• Secondary Mathematics

Mathematics provides tools and techniques that can be applied to solve problems in many fields. With a major in Mathematics, students learn to apply these tools, and consequently improve their career opportunities. Our programs are designed to prepare Mathematics majors for jobs currently offered by industry, business, educational and government institutions. The choice of a concentration should reflect the student’s academic interests as well as career plans.