2026-2027 Undergraduate Catalog
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
|
|
 Return to: Academic Information
Robert Brinkmann, Ph.D., dean
Amanda Durik, Ph.D., associate dean for undergraduate affairs
Leslie Matuszewich, Ph.D., associate dean for research and graduate affairs
Christopher McCord, Ph.D., associate dean for academic administration
The departments of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offer baccalaureate programs leading to the degrees Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Bachelor of Science (B.S.). The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers a contract major leading to a B.A. or B.S. degree or to the degree Bachelor of General Studies (B.G.S.).
Department Names and Undergraduate Programs Offered
School of Public and Global Affairs (ECON, NNGO, POLS, PSPA)
See also the Center Nonprofit and NGO Studies, Department of Economics, Department of Political Science, and Department of Public Administration for a complete list of programs.
B.S. in Public Service Leadership
Department of Anthropology
B.A. and B.S. in Anthropology
Department of Biological Sciences
B.S. in Biological Sciences
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
B.S. in Chemistry
Department of Communication
B.A. and B.S. in Communication Studies
B.A. and B.S. in Journalism
Department of Computer Science
B.S. in Computer Science
Department of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment
B.S. in Earth, Atmosphere and Environment
B.S. in Meteorology
Department of Economics
B.A. and B.S. in Economics
Department of English
B.A. and B.S. in English
Environment Sustainability and Energy Institute
B.A. and B.S. in Environmental Studies
Department of History
B.A. and B.S. in History
Department of Mathematical Sciences
B.S. in Mathematical Sciences
Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies
B.A. and B.S. in Nonprofit and NGO Studies
Department of Philosophy
B.A. and B.S. in Philosophy
Department of Physics
B.S. inPhysics
Department of Political Science
B.A. and B.S. in Political Science
Department of Psychology
B.A. and B.S. in Psychology
Department of Public Administration
Department of Sociology and Criminology
B.A. and B.S. in Criminology
B.A. and B.S. in Sociology
Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science
B.S. in Actuarial Science
B.S. in Statistics
Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality
B.A. and B.S. in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Department of World Languages and Cultures
B.A. in World Languages and Cultures
French and Francophone Studies
German Studies
Spanish and Hispanic Studies
College Mission Statement
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences fosters the generation, dissemination, and preservation of knowledge as the foundation of a liberal education. The mission of the college is to provide high-quality education that contributes to the intellectual growth, self-discovery, and enhanced expertise of all members of the university community. The college makes available to the widest possible audience the rich cultural and scientific legacy represented by the disciplines that make up the liberal arts and sciences. Because bodies of knowledge do not exist in isolation, the college promotes interdisciplinary inquiry and is committed to the integration of teaching, scholarship, and service. The research and scholarship in the college permeate teaching and service, generating a wide range of opportunities for faculty and students to work together in transmitting, expanding, and applying knowledge. The college programs are designed to serve the university, its students, and the residents of the region, the country, and the world. These programs link basic and applied research and scholarly endeavors to the interests and needs of individuals and society.
Liberal Arts and Sciences Advising Office
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences maintains an Advising Office to assist students in establishing their academic goals, planning their schedules, and interpreting university, college, and departmental policies and requirements. All students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences or undecided on a major within the college are advised in a two-tiered advising system. Advising services for major requirements are provided by professional and faculty advisors within that academic department, while advising services regarding broader college and university requirements are provided in the Liberal Arts and Sciences Advising Office.
Special Requirements in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
In addition to the general university requirements, a student seeking a baccalaureate degree in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences must complete the requirements for a major as set forth by the department in which the major is offered. A student declaring a major must be in good academic standing at the time of the application for the major.
A candidate for the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science degree who wishes to obtain a secondary educator licensure should fulfill the professional education requirements for educator licensure outlined under “Educator Licensure Requirements,” and should have a second teaching area. Preparation in a second teaching area both facilitates securing appropriate student teaching assignments and enhances the opportunities for employment. Majors in anthropology; earth, atmosphere and environment; economics; history; political science; and sociology and criminology who expect to teach history in the secondary schools are advised to take at least 8 semester hours of American history.
A student may not count more than 60 semester hours from a single department toward the 120-semester-hour baccalaureate requirement. Any hours in excess of 60 in a single department must be balanced by an equal number of excess hours over the 120-hour minimum to be taken from outside that department. For example, if a student earns 65 semester hours of credit from the offerings of the Department of Anthropology, then that student must complete at least 125 semester hours to graduate. There are exceptions to this regulation in the case of students majoring in different divisions of the Department of Communication, the Department of World Languages and Cultures, the Department of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, and the Department of Sociology and Criminology. ENGL 103, ENGL 203, and ENGL 204 are not counted toward the 60-semester-hour maximum hours taken in the major in the Department of English. COMS 100 is not counted toward the 60-semester-hour maximum hours taken in the communication studies major in the Department of Communication. Students majoring in Meteorology in the Department of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment may accumulate additional hours beyond the 60-semester-hour maximum in order to complete requirements for the Minor in Geography or Certificate of Undergraduate Study in Geographic Information Systems. Students having questions about this regulation should contact the college’s Advising Office.
Some courses in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences indicate that the course may be repeated to a specified maximum number of semester hours. The statement “May be repeated to a maximum of [number] semester hours,” means that the semester hours earned both from the initial enrollment and any permitted subsequent enrollments cannot exceed that maximum. Unless otherwise prohibited, enrollments in such a course may take place in any combination of semesters, including multiple enrollments during a single semester.
For some students, in-service exposure to their academic discipline may be desirable through courses identified as internships or courses which are part of the cooperative education program. In the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, no more than 6 semester hours of credit in these courses may be applied toward the baccalaureate degree.
Grading policy - College Requirement for Multisection Courses
Current University policy stipulates that “Multi-section courses are expected to require similar levels of competence in all sections.” To achieve this goal, the policy further states that “Department and college curriculum committees shall be responsible for implementing these policies.”
In order to assist students in their academic preparation and provide guidance to instructional faculty, a consistent and public statement of competencies should be developed for relevant multi-section courses. Departments will determine which courses are to be included in this policy, but may include those multi-section courses that teach clearly defined competencies (including, but not limited to, foundational studies courses and general education courses). Courses that serve as gateway courses and those that focus on particular skills or content mastery should also be considered. In courses whose stated competencies are required to progress in a sequence, competencies are to be clearly articulated. Departments are encouraged to develop common syllabi, select common texts, and ensure that the overall distribution of grades be reasonably consistent across multiple sections.
Implementation of the policy should fall under the regular due diligence of departmental curriculum committees in their regular evaluation and assessment of relevant courses. While measures of competencies are expected to be evaluated on a regular basis, it is not intended or expected that departments undertake curricular change that requires significant new resources. Departments are encouraged to work with the Office of Accreditation, Assessment and Evaluation to determine reasonable and effective mechanisms to meet evaluation needs.
College Requirement for the B.S. Degree
Candidates for the degree in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences must demonstrate competence in laboratory science/mathematical/computational skills equivalent to that attained through two years of regular college instruction. This requirement may be met by completing four courses or sequences from the lists below. The four courses/sequences must be selected from at least two of the three groups (A/B/C). Students should note that the sequences listed below are intended to be minimum requirements for the B.S. degree and that some departments have additional course requirements in the laboratory/mathematical sciences for their majors. Students seeking the B.S. degree should check the catalog for the requirements of a particular major to determine which of the following courses to complete and which additional courses may be required for that major.
Undergraduate students who are seeking a double major that includes a B.S. in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and who have satisfied the requirements for a B.S. degree in another college, will be considered to have satisfied the college B.S. requirements as long as all other required course work in the CLAS degree-granting program has been completed.
Group A. Mathematics
*MATH 206 - Introductory Discrete Mathematics (3),
OR *MATH 210 - Finite Mathematics (3)
*MATH 211 - Calculus for Business and Social Science (4),
OR *MATH 229 - Calculus I (4)
MATH 230 - Calculus II (4)
MATH 232 - Calculus III (4)
MATH 240 - Linear Algebra and Applications (4)
Group B. Computation
CSCI 210 - Elementary Programming (4)
CSCI 230 - Computer Programming in FORTRAN (4)
CSCI 240 - Computer Programming in C++ (4)
CSCI 250 - Computer Programming in COBOL (4)
ECON 391 - Introduction to Quantitative Economics (3)
*STAT 200 - Elementary Statistics (4)
STAT 300 - Introduction to Probability and Statistics (3)
*UBUS 223 - Introduction to Business Statistics (3)
Group C. Lab Sciences
Note: Transfer courses count toward Group C if they transfer as direct equivalents to the Group C courses, or if the transfer courses do not have direct equivalents to NIU but are evaluated as Lab Science courses as part of the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) or other university articulation.
*BIOS 103 - General Biology (3)
AND *BIOS 105 - General Biology Laboratory (1)
BIOS 208 - Fundamentals of Cellular Biology (3)
AND BIOS 210 - Fundamentals of Cellular Biology Laboratory (1)
BIOS 209 - Fundamentals of Organismal Biology (3)
AND BIOS 211 - Fundamentals of Organismal Biology Laboratory (1)
BIOS 213 - Introductory Bacteriology (3)
BIOS 357 - Human Anatomy and Physiology (5)
*CHEM 110 - Chemistry (3)
AND *CHEM 111 - Chemistry Laboratory (1)
*CHEM 210 - General Chemistry I (3)
AND *CHEM 212 - General Chemistry Laboratory I (1)
*CHEM 211 - General Chemistry II (3)
AND *CHEM 213 - General Chemistry Laboratory II (1)
*EAE 101 - Introduction to Environmental Geography (3)
AND EAE 102 - Introduction to Environmental Geography Laboratory (1)
*EAE 105 - Weather, Climate, and You (3)
AND EAE 106 - Weather and Climate Laboratory (1)
*EAE 120 - Planet Earth (3)
AND *EAE 121 - Planet Earth Laboratory (1)
*EAE 256 - Maps and Mapping (3)
EAE 302 - Soil Science (3)
EAE 320 - Environments and Life Through Time (4)
EAE 359 - Introduction to Geography Information Systems (3)
MET 300 - Meteorology (4)
*PHYS 150 - Physics (3)
AND *PHYS 151 - Physics Laboratory (1)
*PHYS 180 - Acoustics, Music, and Hearing (3)
AND *PHYS 181 - Acoustics Laboratory (1)
*PHYS 210 - General Physics I (4)
*PHYS 211 - General Physics II (4)
*PHYS 253 - Fundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics (4)
*PHYS 273 - Fundamentals of Physics II: Electromagnetism (4)
The Office of Testing Services administers a Mathematics Placement Examination to each student at the time of admission, interprets the test, and notifies the student of the result and the appropriate initial mathematics course.
* Available for general education credit.
College Requirement for All Minors
In order to have a minor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences recorded on a student’s transcript, the student must meet the university’s minimum G.P.A. requirement of 2.0 and complete at least 6 semester hours of the minor course work at NIU.
Dean’s List Criteria
Through the Dean’s List, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences recognizes undergraduates whose academic performance has been outstanding. The Dean’s List recognizes those students who achieve a GPA of 3.75 or higher (on a 4.00 scale) while completing a minimum of 12 graded semester hours within a fall or spring semester.
Interdisciplinary Minors
Any student completing the requirements for a baccalaureate degree may elect also to complete the requirements of an interdisciplinary minor. Successful completion of such requirements will be appropriately indicated on the transcript in conjunction with the student’s major at the time of graduation. An interdisciplinary minor is not a baccalaureate requirement and may not be substituted for the requirement of a major in a student’s degree program. Unless otherwise indicated, students may apply up to 6 semester hours from courses that satisfy their major requirements to also satisfy the requirements for an interdisciplinary minor.
Students with a second major may, with the approval of the coordinator, count up to 6 semester hours applied to satisfy the requirements for each of the majors toward the requirements for an interdisciplinary minor. Students electing an interdisciplinary minor should contact the coordinator at an early point to make application and to receive guidance. Additional information about these minors can be obtained from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Advising Office.
For a complete list of minors for the college, return to the main College of Liberal Arts and Sciences page.
Course Selection
In addition to completing a college major, many students find it beneficial in their future careers and other lifetime activities to have completed a program of study which broadens their knowledge and experience in a cohesive way. This objective can be achieved by a careful and informed choice of general education and elective courses.
For example, by carefully selecting the courses taken to fulfill the requirements of the General Education Program, students can discover their interests and abilities and thereby identify appropriate educational goals or, if these goals have already been decided, seriously test their suitability. In addition, an informed selection of courses taken to fulfill the requirements of the General Education Program can develop into a minor or even a second major area of study.
Students majoring in a degree program in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences may have as many as 64 hours of elective courses, depending on their particular major. The choice of courses taken to fill these elective hours is among the most important decisions a student will make while at NIU.
Students are strongly encouraged to use these hours to complete a minor area of study. Students with a major in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences should use the offerings of the college as well as those of other colleges in the university in designing suitable programs of study-ones that will reinforce their intellectual and professional goals.
The college’s Advising Office is available to students in need of advice and assistance.
Foreign Language Residence Program
The Foreign Language Residence Program is a specialized world language program based within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Department of World Languages and Cultures. The program provides NIU students studying department-supported languages the opportunity to immerse themselves in the target language and culture through interaction with native speakers. Throughout the semester, students engage in various educational, cultural, and social activities related to the target language. Students in the program are not required to have a world language major or minor or live in NIU’s residence halls. Participants are encouraged to enroll in a one-credit hour elective course, FLAL 410, which may be repeated up to six semesters. For additional information, contact the program’s director, flrp@niu.edu.
Return to: Academic Information
|
