A Guide to Reading this Catalog

Click on a link to be taken to the entry below.

ACCY–Accountancy
AHCD–Allied Health and Communicative Disorders
AHLS–Clinical Laboratory Sciences
AHPT–Physical Therapy
AHRS–Rehabilitation Services
ANTH–Anthropology
ART–Art
ARTD–Art Design
ARTE–Art Education
ARTH–Art History
ARTS–Art 2-D and 3-D Studio
BIOS–Biological Sciences
CAHA–Adult and Higher Education
CAHC–Counseling
CAHE–Adult and Higher Education
CHEM–Chemistry
COMD–Communicative Disorders
COMS–Communication Studies
CSCI–Computer Science
ECON–Economics
ELE–Electrical Engineering
ENGL–English
EPF–General Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations
EPFE–Foundations of Education
EPS–Educational Psychology
ETR–Research and Assessment
ETT–Instructional Technology
FCNS–Family, Consumer, and Nutrition Sciences
FINA–Finance
FLAL–Applied Linguistics and General
FLAR–Arabic
FLBU–Burmese
FLCH–Chinese
FLCL–Classical Languages
FLFR–French
FLGE–German
FLIN–Indonesian
FLIS–Foreign Language Independent Study
FLIT–Italian
FLJA–Japanese
FLKN–Korean
FLMT–Foreign Language Methods
FLPL–Polish
FLPO–Portuguese
FLPT–Foreign Language Student Teaching
FLRU–Russian
FLSP–Spanish
FLST–Special Topics
FLTA–Tagalog
FLTH–Thai
FLTR–Foreign Language Translation
GEOG–Geography
GEOL–Geology
HIST–History
IDSP–Inter-College Interdisciplinary
IEET–Interdisciplinary Engineering and Engineering Technology
IHHS–Interdisciplinary Health and Human Sciences
ILAS–Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts and Sciences
INTL–International Programs
ISYE–Industrial Engineering
JOUR–Journalism
KNDN–Physical Education Dance
KNPE–Physical Education
LEBM–School Business Management
LEEA–Educational Administration
LESM–Sport Management
LTDH–Deaf and Hard of Hearing
LTIC–Bilingual/ESL
LTLA–Language Arts
LTRE–Reading
MATH–Mathematical Sciences
MEE–Mechanical Engineering
MET–Meteorology
MGMT–Management
MILS–Military Science
MKTG–Marketing
MUSC–Music
NURS–Nursing
OMIS–Operations Management and Information Systems
PHHE–Public Health and Health Education
PHIL–Philosophy
PHYS–Physics
POLS–Political Science
PSYC–Psychology
SOCI–Sociology
STAT–Statistics
TECH–Technology
THEA–Theatre Arts
TH-D–Dance Performance
TLCI–Curriculum and Instruction
TLEC–Early Childhood Education
TLEE–Elementary Education
TLSE–Special Education
UBUS–Interdisciplinary Business
UEDU–Interdisciplinary Education
UEET–Interdisciplinary Engineering and Engineering Technology
UHHS–Interdisciplinary Health and Human Sciences
UNIV–University-Wide Interdisciplinary
WOMS–Women’s Studies

H–This letter following a course number indicates an honors course. Special honors sections of other courses are also offered each term; these are listed in the Schedule of Classes and are identified there by the “H” suffix.

X–This letter following a course number indicates that the course is crosslisted in another department. A student can receive credit for such a course in only one department.

Baccalaureate Degrees

B.A.–Bachelor of Arts
B.F.A.–Bachelor of Fine Arts
B.G.S.–Bachelor of General Studies
B.M.–Bachelor of Music
B.S.–Bachelor of Science
B.S.Ed.–Bachelor of Science in Education

Other Abbreviations

CRQ–Corequisite
GPA–Grade point average
PRQ–Prerequisite

The system of numbering courses is as follows.
Noncredit courses: 1-99
Lower-division courses: 100-299
Upper-division courses: 300-499
Graduate courses: 500-799

Undergraduate course offerings appear in the following pages by department, with the departments arranged alphabetically within the colleges. Interdisciplinary courses appear at the beginning of college sections and under “International Programs.” (Departmental and college sections may be located by means of the table of contents.)

Each course is assigned a certain number of semester hours of credit. In general, one semester hour represents the equivalent of one class hour of lecture or recitation or two hours of laboratory work per week for one semester. The semester-hour value of each course listed is shown by an arabic numeral in parentheses immediately after the title of the course. Some course descriptions include a list of topics for intensive or specialized study which the course may cover in different semesters. The student can find out which topic is covered in a given semester by checking the course offering in the Schedule of Classes.

Academic dismissal: Dismissal from the university for not maintaining the required grade point average (GPA).

Accredited institution: A postsecondary institution that is accredited by the appropriate commission of a regional agency (New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, or Western Association of Schools and Colleges).

Add/drop: The process of making certain changes (adding, dropping, or changing a course) in a student’s schedule of courses at the beginning of a semester.

Auditing: Registering for and attending a class regularly without completing the work required for credit. (No grade points or credit hours are granted for audited courses.)

Certificate of Undergraduate Study: A certificate of undergraduate study is awarded upon successful completion of a specified coherent set of undergraduate courses around a specific theme. Notation of a specific certificate of undergraduate study will be posted on the student’s transcript upon the successful completion of the requirements for that certificate.

Competency examination: An examination given to determine if a student meets or surpasses the expected level of achievement for a core competency requirement in the general education program. Passing a core competency examination fulfills the requirement for the core competency but gives no credit, i.e., it reduces the required number of hours in general education but does not reduce the number of hours required for a degree. Information on competency examinations is available from the Office of Testing Services.

Concurrent enrollment: Enrollment by a student at both NIU and another institution, if any course taken at the other institution is in session at any time during the NIU semester or summer session in question.

Corequisite: A requirement, usually enrollment in a course, which should be undertaken at the same time as the course being described (if the corequisite has not been completed previously).

Credit by examination: A procedure through which a student can obtain college credit by passing examinations. Credit is available through Advanced Placement (AP), the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), and NIU proficiency examinations. AP examinations are administered by high schools, while the Office of Testing Services administers some CLEP and proficiency examinations; proficiency examinations are also administered by academic departments.

Departmental requirements: Courses offered by a department and specified by that department as necessary for completion of a given course of study.

Drop: A procedure which allows a student to delete a course from the schedule through the second week of the semester. This course does not appear on the student’s permanent academic record. An administrative office may drop students from courses in which they are not eligible to enroll.

Elective: A course that a student chooses to enroll in, as distinguished from a required course at the university level or in a given departmental course of study.

Emphasis: A subdivision of an undergraduate major. Courses and total hours required may vary in a multiemphasis major.

Encumbrance: A hold placed on a student’s record as a result of an unfulfilled obligation to the university or of a disciplinary action. A student with an encumbrance preventing registration is not eligible to participate in class work.

Endorsement: The written notation entered upon the face of a teaching certificate designating additional specific subjects and/or grade levels which an individual is qualified to teach. Endorsements are earned by taking designated course work in a specific discipline area.

Entitlement program: A specific teacher certification program approved by the Illinois State Board of Education to be offered by an institution of higher education.

GPA hours: The number of semester hours for which grades of A, B, C, D, or F are recorded.

Grade point: The numerical value given to letter grades. A “D” is equivalent to 1 point per semester hour, a “C” to 2 points, a “B” to 3 points, and an “A” to 4 points.

Grade point average (GPA): A student’s scholastic average, computed by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total number of credit hours attempted at NIU.

Half-session courses: Courses which are offered for the first or second half of an academic term, rather than a full term. They are distinguished in the Schedule of Classes by a letter “F” (first half semester) or “L” (last half) after the course number.

Hold: See “Encumbrance.”

Honors courses: Special courses or sections of courses designed to offer intellectual challenge and personal attention to particularly able students. Honors courses are identified by an H suffix on the course number.

Incomplete: A grade (I) sometimes granted when a student is temporarily unable to complete course requirements or take a final examination because of unusual personal circumstances.

Major: An extensive program of study in a designated subject area at the undergraduate level.

Minor: A limited course of study in a designated subject area at the undergraduate level. A student may not take a minor offered by the department of his or her major unless this is specifically permitted in the description of the minor.

Nondegree student: A student who does not hold a degree and is not currently seeking one. Application for this status should be made to the Office of Admissions.

Part-time student: A student who takes fewer than 12 semester hours during the semester or fewer than 6 semester hours during the summer session.

Prerequisite: A requirement, usually completion of a course, which should be met before a student can register for a course.

Proficiency examination: A way for a student to receive course credit for individual or special study. Proficiency examinations are administered by academic departments and the Office of Testing Services. See “Credit by examination.”

Readmission: A procedure by which a student who was previously enrolled in the university but whose attendance was interrupted for more than one year is reaccepted into NIU.

Recognized institution: An institution in a country outside of the U.S. that is recognized by that nation’s Ministry of Education, or similar authority, as a post-secondary, academic-degree-granting-institution.

Reinstatement: An admission procedure followed by a student who was formerly enrolled in the university but was academically dismissed.

Semester hour: The university’s unit of academic credit reflecting a standard expectation of course activity.

Transcript: A copy of a student’s permanent academic record at a particular institution.

Visiting student: A student who is regularly enrolled at another institution but who is taking courses at NIU. Application for this status should be made to the Office of Admissions.

Withdrawal: Formal action by which a student officially discontinues participation in a course; a record of enrollment remains on the student’s permanent academic record. This action must be taken by the deadline published each term in the Schedule of Classes.