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.

When you complete a combined major in history and the social sciences—including political science, economics, geography, and psychology—you’ll be equipped to teach a variety of social studies classes in secondary schools. Here you’ll work closely with top professors, conduct primary research, and develop exceptional writing skills. And you’ll hone your teaching abilities in some of the nation’s best public schools, obtaining valuable classroom experience early and often as you work toward teacher licensure.

The only solution to a world with more problems is a society with more problem-solvers. If you want to be part of the next generation of changemakers who develop creative solutions to complex social challenges, you’ll love our social entrepreneurship major. You’ll be prepared to combine the best levers of business with a broad understanding of society and culture to create change around the issues that you care about most. You’ll be a sought-after addition to any organization that wants to create social impact, and you’ll be well-equipped to launch your own for-profit business or non-profit organization. North Central’s social entrepreneurship programs have won “best initiative” and “best course” awards from Future Founders, a Chicago-based entrepreneurship organization.

Encounter the original sources that introduce and investigate the atomic theory of matter, the origins and evolution of life, the social lives of animals, the paradoxical nature of light, and the role of electricity and magnetism in shaping our world and experience. Explore the fascinating theories of relativity and quantum mechanics and the astounding development of molecular biology, and begin to understand and appreciate scientific thought, its methods, and its limitations.

Through the bachelor of arts in liberal studies, you will gain an understanding of the connections between ideas that form the core of the Shimer Great Books School’s unique curriculum. Examine primary sources written by groundbreaking, original thinkers and use the wisdom of these vastly different minds to refine your own pursuit of understanding.

Found at the intersections of philosophy, literature, theology, fine arts, and aesthetics, the humanities major will teach you to think creatively and critically and to analyze all aspects of the human experience. The humanities have been at the foundation of classical liberal arts education since the beginning and they connect us both to those who came before us and to our contemporaries.

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.

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.

You will explore the work of the world’s first theorists of society, along with that of modern social scientists, as they create and refine the various branches of social thought and practice, including anthropology, economics, psychology, politics, linguistics, and moral development. Through collaborative inquiry, you will approach questions regarding the social, psychological, economic, and political behaviors and structures that shape differing cultures, how decisions we make today influence future generations, and more.

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.

Students in the philosophy program become excellent writers, thinkers, and speakers. You’ll be ready for anything after graduation, whether you attend graduate school or pursue a career ranging from business to law, medicine, religion, or science. The study of philosophy helps you develop reasoning skills that apply to any career you may choose. Thinking of graduate school? Philosophy majors consistently have the highest scores on GRE and LSAT (law school) exams, and score near the top in GMAT (business school) and MCAT (medical school) tests. Looking for a career? According to a recent study in The Atlantic, employers value philosophy majors for their “ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing,” “critical thinking and reasoning skills,” and “ability to be innovative and creative.”

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.

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.

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.

Here you'll develop a design and technical theatre experience by working with accomplished faculty and Chicago-area professionals through hands-on experience staging multiple campus productions. North Central College's performing arts venues provide state-of-the-art, real-world "classrooms" for practicing and applying theatrical production design and technical skills. The curriculum covers all aspects of design, scenography, and technology, including stagecraft, makeup, light design, costume design, scenic design, stage management, and skills like drafting, model-making and rendering, and computer-aided design. Students gain exposure to the broader discipline of professional theatre through courses in script analysis, dramaturgy, history and literature, and directing. Opportunities are plentiful for further experiences and internships in the Chicago theatre community.