Applied Educational Studies, B.A.
The undergraduate major in Applied Educational Studies (AES), Non-Licensure is intended for candidates wanting to work with children in school-age or community-based settings that do not require a Professional Educator’s License (PEL) from the state of Illinois. The program is conveniently offered in both fully online and blended formats.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs):
PLO 1. Demonstrate an emerging knowledge of self, students, curriculum content and effective instruction to develop appropriate learning outcomes and design activities to meet diverse learner needs including students with special needs and diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
PLO 2. Demonstrate an approaching competency at developing a variety of assessments and explain how they will use them to anticipate varied ways students might perform, make accommodations, monitor student progress, and adjust and evaluate instruction.
PLO 3. Demonstrate respectful and responsive interactions with others that help to guide learning and growth over time.
PLO 4. Establish an understanding of culture and how it intersects with the development of the child and family in the context of educational or community-based settings.
PLO 5. Engage others in learning through effective discourse, use of appropriate technologies, flexibility, and adaptability to support the growth of students, families, and others within the community based setting.
PLO 6. Use knowledge of human development and learning to implement a variety of activities, assessments and/or meaningful programming options that are in the best interest of children,
families and community members.
PLO 7. Use feedback from a variety of stakeholders to develop meaningful professional learning goals and identify appropriate professional activities to continuously improve their practice.
PLO 8. Demonstrate the capacity to collaborate effectively and ethically with colleagues, families, and community members to promote positive and inclusive learning for all children.
Admissions Requirements:
Admission to the Applied Educational Studies program is a two step process. In the first step, students are admitted to National Louis University with a preliminary status. In the second step, students must be admitted with full status before beginning their Applied Educational Studies Major courses.
Full Admission requirements for students beginning Applied Educational Studies Major courses:
- Successful completion of GEN 103
- Successful completion of all Education Concentration courses
- Successful completion of all pre-requisite general education courses as determined by the program
- Achieve a GPA of 2.5 or better on all previous coursework with a grade of “C” or better in all courses
Program Details:
- Requires 180 QH including 70 QH of General Education for completion
- Credit by examination is accepted for general education and elective credit as well as the exam for Educational Psychology required for UG Education Concentration
- Candidates may choose up to two of the following minors: ESL/ Bilingual, Early Childhood Special Education, Early Care & Education Program Administration, and Psychology/ Human Services. The Elementary Education candidates may also choose from the content minors available to them: English, Science, Math, Psychology and/or Psychology/ Human Services.
- Requires completion of the field hours built into courses across the entire program. The field hours are dependent upon the focus area of study; Early Childhood or Elementary Education and/or the minor(s) pursued.
- Requires 30 QH in the program major to be completed at NLU
- Requires completion of all general education courses with a minimum grade of "D" except for ENG 101, ENG 201, ENG 203, ENG 210, and MTH 105, all of which require a grade of "C" or better
- Requires completion of all Undergraduate Education Concentration, Major and Minor courses with a grade of "C" or better
- Demonstrate a 2.5 GPA or greater on a 4.0 scale by junior year
- Requires the following courses to be completed within 6 years of degree completion: EDU 290, EDU 350, ECE 200, ECE 324, ECE 334, EDU 478, EDU 479, EDU 480, EDU 481, and EDU 482.
Required Courses
Student Success Seminar- 5 QH
Communications- 15 QH
| ENG 101 | Beginning English Composition | 5 |
| ENG 201 | Intermediate English Composition | 5 |
| ENG 203 | Effective Speaking for the Undergraduate | 5 |
Humanities- 5 QH
Note: Students transferring credit from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may only use another Literature or Humanities course.
Fine Arts- 5 QH
Note: Students transferring coursework from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may use other coursework in Introductory Art, Music, or Theater including any Fine Arts History or Appreciation.
Quantitative Reasoning- 10 QH
Note: Students transferring coursework from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may use another college level mathematics elective(s) or a combination one college level mathematics elective and another General Education elective course.
Physical and Life Sciences - 10 QH
| SCI 101 | Physical Science | 5 |
| SCI 102 | Survey of Biological Science with Lab | 5 |
Notes: Students transferring coursework from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may use another physical or life science elective(s) or a combination of one physical or life science elective and another elective course.
Social Sciences- 15 QH
| HIS 102 | Introduction to Political Science | 5 |
| HIS 103 | History Across the Globe | 5 |
| HIS 212 | Think Global: Movements in US History and its Impact on Society and School | 3 TO 5 |
Notes: Students transferring coursework from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may use another social science elective(s) or a combination of two social science electives and another elective course.
Behavioral Science- 5 QH
Note: Students transferring coursework from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may use another Behavioral Science elective.
Undergraduate Education Concentration, Non-Licensure - 20 QH
| EAL 300 | Educational Foundations for Learning English as an Additional Language | 5 |
| EDU 200 | Applied Educational Psychology | 5 |
| EDU 210 | Educational Philosophy- A Historical Account | 5 |
| SPE 300 | Introduction to Special Education and Methods of Teaching Students with Disabilities | 5 |
Applied Educational Studies Major - 60 QH
Students choose 60 QH from courses listed below:
| EAL 305 | Methods and Materials for Teaching English as a Second Language | 5 |
| EAL 306 | Methods and Materials for Teaching Bilingual Education | 5 |
| EAL 310 | Assessing Students Learning English as an Additional Language | 5 |
| EAL 312 | Linguistic Considerations for Learning to Read in a New Language | 5 |
| EAL 331 | Cross Cultural Studies for Working with English Language Learners | 5 |
| ECE 200 | Early Childhood Learning, Growth & Development | 5 |
| ECE 324 | Integrated Preprimary Methodology in Early Childhood Education | 5 |
| ECE 334 | Early Language and Literacy Development | 5 |
| EDU 290 | Professionalism and Ethical Engagement with Children, Families and the Community | 5 |
| EDU 300 | Teacher Education Practicum I | 5 |
| EDU 350 | Teacher Preparation Curriculum and Assessment | 5 |
| EDU 400 | Teacher Education Practicum II | 5 |
| EDU 410 | Teacher Education Practicum III | 5 |
| EDU 482 | Methods of Teaching Social Studies | 3 |
| EDU 480 | Methods of Teaching Mathematics | 5 |
| EDU 478 | Literacy Methods I | 5 |
| EDU 479 | Literacy Methods II | 4 |
| EDU 481 | Methods of Teaching Science | 3 |
| SPE 432 | Methods of Teaching Young Children with Special Needs | 5 |
| SPE 433 | Screening & Assessment of Young Children with Special Needs | 5 |
| SPE 434 | Teaming, Collaborating, Communicating: Resources for Families in Special Education Settings | 5 |
| SPE 435 | Autism-Spectrum Disorders and Characteristics of Children With Disabilities | 5 |
| SPE 330 | Assistive and Instructional Technology | 5 |
| STEM 205 | Inquiry and Thinking in STEM for Teachers I | 5 |
| STEM 210 | Inquiry and Thinking in STEM for Teachers II | 5 |
Note: Courses that are part of the minor(s) chosen by a student cannot be reused in the major.
Electives
Choose additional courses to total 180 QH. These hours may be satisfied by completing the minors listed above.