College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Advising

Students should meet regularly with their college advisor regarding university, college and general education requirements—requirements that fall outside of what the major requires. If you need help connecting with your college advisor, contact the College Advising office at 815-753-0114 or email clas_advising_office@niu.edu. For more information about what your College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (CLAS) advisor does for you, visit Frequently Asked Questions.

Students should also meet regularly with their major department advisor for information about major requirements.

Listed below are the department chairs and principal undergraduate advisors within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Because this information changes periodically, contact the telephone number listed for the department if you are having difficulty contacting an individual. If you cannot connect with the departmental advisor, please contact the College Advising office at 815-753-0114 or email clas_advising_office@niu.edu.

Graduation Check

We strongly recommend that you schedule advising appointments with your College of Liberal Arts and Sciences advisor, your major advisor and minor advisor one or two semesters prior to your graduation term to ensure that you have registered for all your required courses. For the best and most thorough advising, you should consult regularly with your advisors, but these final advising sessions are especially crucial. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to verify that all your degree requirements have been met.

For more information about applying for graduation, deadlines and meeting degree requirements, check out the Registration and Records Graduation page

Minors and Certificates

Selecting a major is only one stop on your journey to a degree from NIU. You will still need to select classes beyond your major and general education requirements in order to meet the 120 credit hours required for graduation.

With general education utilizing 33 hours, major 35+ hours, a B.A. is 12 hours or B.S. is 14 hours. If you look closely, you still have close to 40 hours unaccounted. Take this opportunity to leverage your interests in order to expand your skillset.

Think:

• Second major
• Two minors
• A minor and a certificate

Minors and Certificates - Defined

• A minor is a limited course of study in a designated subject area at the undergraduate level. Think of it as a mini-major.
• A certificate provides substantial education in a specific academic discipline, requiring fewer hours than a minor. Certificates are a great way to further your education in an existing field or to explore a new one.

Minors and certificates are not restricted to students pursuing studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. You can pursue minors and certificates in other colleges.

• Minors
• Undergraduate Certificates
• Interdisciplinary Concentration