Information for Community College Counselors

• Effective fall 2026, OMIS 259 is no longer required for College of Business majors and is no longer offered at NIU.
• Effective fall 2026, UBUS 259 (one credit hour) is a required course in the Fundamental Business requirements. Please submit a Form 13 so the college can review possible courses for articulation. Questions about this new course? Contact Sarah Marsh, associate dean, at smarsh@niu.edu.
• Accelerated B.S./M.A.S. and B.S./M.S. degree options are available in accountancy (new for fall 2026), finance, marketing, and operations and information management.
• Reminder: The math requirement in the Fundamental Business requirements now includes the option of MATH 210 (Finite Math).
• Reminder: All College of Business undergraduate majors are offered in a traditional on-campus format with face-to-face instruction.

• Students who complete our special education LBS1 program now receive an ESL or bilingual approval, so they're licensed to teach in an ESL/bilingual special education classroom.
• Students who complete our early childhood education program now receive an ESL/bilingual endorsement, as well as approval to teach in a preschool special education classroom.
• Kinesiology and sports management majors can now graduate with departmental honors.
• Sadia Qamar is the new advisor for our special education programs (LBS1 and teacher of visual impairments).

New Schools

The college has implemented a new school structure designed to strengthen collaboration, enhance student support and align programs more closely with workforce needs.

• School of Clinical and Developmental Sciences
• School of Preventive and Applied Health
• School of Rehabilitation and Performance Sciences
• School of Nursing

Academic Program Updates

• Health Sciences (Degree Completion) is now Health Sciences (Professional).
• Health Sciences (General) is now Health Sciences (Applied).
• Two programs have been discontinued: rehabilitation and disability services, and fashion merchandising.
• Human development and family sciences now offers two emphases: child development and family social services.
• Public health has moved from emphases to focused areas of study.

Catalog and Transfer Pathway Enhancements

• The college is undertaking a comprehensive review of academic requirements: removing outdated course listings, updating prerequisites and graduation requirements, and reviewing and strengthening articulation agreements with transfer partners.
• For admission to Nursing and Health Sciences (Applied), students may now use BIOS 109, or BIOS 103 or BIOS 208/210.

Curriculum Updates

• Students completing our B.S. degree now have more lab science options, including CHEM 110 and 111, PHYS 150 and 151, and PHYS 180 and 181. We'll also accept any course the Illinois Articulation Initiative evaluates as a lab science course.
• Effective fall 2026, the mathematical sciences major has two emphases: general and educator licensure. MATH 240 (Linear Algebra) has been replaced by MATH 239 (Intro to Linear Algebra) and MATH 280 (Intro to Mathematical Reasoning). Students in the general emphasis are required to take MATH 336 (Ordinary Differential Equations).

New Minors, Certificates and Accelerated Programs

• Minor in ancient studies (replaces the minor in classical studies)
• Certificate in data science foundations
• Accelerated master's degree program in applied physics (B.S.) and electrical engineering (M.S.)
• Accelerated master's degree program in psychology (B.A. or B.S.) and clinical mental health counseling (M.S.Ed.)
• Accelerated law program in criminology (B.A. or B.S.) and Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree

School of Art and Design

Angelica Matczuk is our new admissions counselor. If you have questions, please contact her at amatczuk@niu.edu.

School of Theatre and Dance

Reminder: Transfer students interested in our B.F.A. degree in acting performance should know the program follows a cohort model, which makes it difficult to enter midstream without repeating coursework from the beginning.