Our Spanish faculty is quite dedicated and portrays rich geographical and linguistic diversity representing Latin America, Spain, and North America regions. Numerous opportunities to travel to Spain, Costa Rica, Chile, Colombia, Nicaragua, Peru, or El Salvador are offered yearly as study abroad programs, research programs, or service trips. Combine that with small classes, our campus resources like the Roberta I. Myers Language Resource Center, and the multiple opportunities to enjoy the Hispanic culture on campus, and you’ll become fluent in Spanish.

You’ll develop your own artistic vision and foster the creativity of young people. North Central’s exceptional art education curriculum includes plenty of studio time in our top-notch art facilities. The program also addresses current issues in K-12 education and leads to licensure by the State of Illinois. Because North Central graduates complete at least 155 pre-residency teaching hours, it’s no surprise that they enjoy extremely high teacher placement rates.

As a theatre major, you'll study with faculty who include accomplished actors and dramaturgs working in major Chicago venues who will share their expertise with you. And because North Central has huge opportunities but small classes, you’ll have plenty of chances to act, sing and dance; direct shows, and even write and produce your own plays and musicals within your theatre program. Or you can choose to concentrate your studies on directing, dramaturgy, community engagement, and radical theatre practice. Whether you want to shine on stage or shape what happens in theatrical production, North Central is the place to be.

North Central is one of the few colleges or universities in Illinois offering a Japanese major. With a full range of courses in Japanese for all four years and a vibrant Japanese study abroad program, the College offers a rigorous, distinctive experience in a small, friendly environment. You’ll learn Japanese culture while improving your proficiency in oral and written communications in Japanese.

Most observers don’t realize that a career in sports can require an extremely broad knowledge base. Our sport management program will provide you with both the broad-based curriculum and the practical experience you’ll need to succeed. In fact, this combination is what sets North Central sport management program graduates apart from the competition.

Communication studies majors specialize in verbal messages in face-to-face settings, whether one-on-one in small groups or one-to-many. The communication studies major at North Central College will prepare you for graduate school as well as careers in law, business, higher education, and other fields that require excellent oral and written communication skills.

You’ll develop the knowledge and language skills you’ll need to work in East Asian countries like China and Japan as you explore the cultural realities that shape these societies to deepen your understanding of them. North Central’s East Asian Studies program supports students through its committed faculty, well-established language curricula, and wide range of short- and long-term study abroad options.

Adding another language to your skill set is a great way to prepare for international business, graduate work, or world travel—and a great way to wow potential employers. Include a secondary education major in your studies and you’ll also be equipped to teach French to K-12 students. At North Central, we keep our classes small to ensure that you receive all the personalized help and attention you’ll need. After completing a placement test you’ll meet with your advisor to make sure you begin your studies at the level that’s best for you.

As a North Central studio art major, you’ll enjoy the freedom to explore anything and everything that inspires you. We’ve equipped our renovated Meiley-Swallow Hall with new studios in painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, and interactive media. Through our studio art program, you'll find your creative voice as a professional artist and have plenty of opportunities to share it in our dedicated gallery spaces. And along the way, you’ll build a portfolio that will impress industry leaders, educators, prospective clients—and most importantly, you.

The art history program prepares students for 21st-century careers that require careful analysis, interpretation, and communication of visual information. Majors use visual analysis methodology to think critically about art from a range of historical periods and geographic regions while conducting graduate-level research and critical reading of theory. You can also enhance your studies with an additional major or minor, study abroad opportunities, and North Central’s proximity to world-class art institutions in Chicago. Graduates pursue opportunities in areas such as archives and curatorship, art therapy, commercial design and digital communications, education, arts administration, and historical preservation.

Our secondary education graduates enjoy rewarding careers at nationally ranked high schools and middle schools. That’s no surprise since our full-time faculty mentors you through a rigorous curriculum and field experience schedule. In the secondary education program, you will have experience planning and teaching lessons in your content area as you complete at least 175 hours of field experience prior to your residency (student teaching). The Illinois State Board of Education recognizes North Central College as fully accredited in art, biology, chemistry, physics, English, history, math, music, and foreign language licensure in Chinese, French, German, and Spanish.

Become a writer, presenter, team member, and speaker and understand the dimensions of communication in professional settings like business, nonprofits, media, technology firms, government, and other organizations. You’ll learn to craft messages for different audiences, both internal (human resources and employee training) and external (media relations, sales, and customer service). North Central offers classes that combine theory with practical application, like group interaction, in which teams of students plan and stage fundraising events for nonprofit organizations. Organizational communication majors are advised to specialize in a second academic area like journalism, marketing, human resources, sociology, or interactive media studies depending on their career goals.

Interested in being a political science major? Political science students will apply what they learn from their day-to-day life experience with political economy, international affairs, and more to further their academic and career goals. Our political science students agree that our energetic faculty run one of the most rigorous, communication-intensive majors at North Central. Our political science courses will challenge your critical thinking process about international and American government structure, public policy, and political processes- whether you're analyzing source materials, reading online news sources, or preparing to cast a vote for a political campaign. You'll start contributing to local and global communities right away.

Our environmental science program guides students to be scholars, researchers, and stewards of the natural environment. Situated in a complex landscape of urban, suburban, agricultural, prairie, wetland, and woodland habitats, North Central students have an opportunity to gain experience with a wide variety of environments and ecological and environmental issues. From understanding public policy behind environmental sustainability, environmental protection laws, and public health, to understanding the chemistry and biological makeup of natural resources. Environmental studies majors will have a curriculum dedicated to building their knowledge of the natural world. They will also be able to choose from three tracks within our curriculum: Sustainable Business, Science and the Environment, and Society and the Environment.

The current political, social, and corporate climates speak to a need for ethical leaders. At North Central College, we are committed to preparing students to be curious, engaged, ethical, and purposeful citizens and leaders. Increasingly, new graduates indicate their desire to work with purpose and employers are looking for candidates who value social responsibility. Examine and establish the values that will guide you in your academic and professional journeys with our Ethical Leadership Major. Designed to be completed in tandem with minors ranging from Political Science to Management, our Ethical Leadership curriculum will enable you to evaluate complex societal issues, evaluate responsible choices, and lead the way in creating meaningful, positive change.