We have everything you need to get your journey started, and we’ll take you through step by step. We welcome you to start towards exceeding your personal best.
The courses listed herein have been approved by the faculty as authorized by the Board of Trustees. Prerequisites (if any) and the General Education Requirement(s) which each course fulfills (if any) are noted following each course description.
3.00 credit hours A study of the humanistic and scientific theories of oral persuasion as practiced in a variety of situations, including interpersonal, public speaking, organizational and mass media contexts.
3.00 credit hours (Same as: GWS 389.) The critical analysis of the complex relations between gender and the mass media. Special emphasis is placed on the social construction of gender, representations of the body and the cultural significance of the media.
3.00 credit hours A study of contemporary approaches to the critical analysis of communication. Students examine numerous examples of contemporary rhetoric (speeches, speakers, movements) and consider key factors that can be used to explain the effects of public address acts.
3.00 credit hours A critical study of media analysis theories, with an emphasis on television and film. Students learn to use the theoretical tools media scholars use to analyze the content and effects of media messages. Ethical questions and other related issues are also examined.
Prerequisite(s): Junior or senior standing; SPC 185 and SPC 287.
3.00 credit hours This course bridges theory and practice by emphasizing key organizational communication processes. Paying particular attention to contemporary research and applications, this course focuses on several topics such as superior-subordinate and peer-to-peer communication, socialization processes, globalization and diversity issues, emotional labor, conflict and decision-making, organizational identity and image, new technology in organizations, organizational change and leadership.
Prerequisite(s): SPC 330; Junior or Senior standing.
3.00 credit hours This advanced seminar course offers an in-depth study of a particular topic of organizational communication. Topics may include communication and organizational cultures, organizational rhetoric, crisis communication, corporate social responsibility and communication in non-profit and alternative organizations. The topics chosen depend upon faculty and student interest and are publicized in the course schedule for the terms during which the seminar is offered.
Prerequisite(s): SPC 330; Junior or Senior standing.
CSC 150 - C++ Programming for Science and Engineering
3.50 credit hours An introduction to computing for students of Science and Engineering using C++ in a Unix Environment. Concepts covered include use of the Unix command line, C++ data types and control structures, algorithmic problem solving, object oriented software development and an introduction to numerical methods. Programming exercises and examples will be drawn from a variety of scientific disciplines. Extensive programming required. Laboratory required.
3.50 credit hours An introduction to computer science and programming emphasizing the development of algorithms and their implementation in Java using both procedural and object-oriented approaches. Topics include data types; assignment statements; I/O; arithmetic, relational and logical operators; control structures for selection and iteration; functions; the use of classes and objects; simple data structures, such as arrays; graphical user interfaces and event-driven programming. Laboratory required.
Prerequisite(s): MTH 121 or higher or appropriate placement.
3.50 credit hours A second course in object-oriented programming, emphasizing design and implementation of efficient, well-constructed programs using Java. Topics include inheritance and polymorphism; stream and file I/O; exception handling; algorithms for searching and sorting; recursion; graphical user interfaces; and more advanced data structures, such as linked lists, stacks, queues and the Java collection classes. Extensive programming required. Laboratory required.
Prerequisite(s): CSC 160 or one year of high school programming in Java; MTH 121 or higher or appropriate placement.
1.50 credit hours An introduction to Java for students with some programming experience in an object-oriented language, but with little or no knowledge of Java. Covers event-driven programming and graphical user interfaces.
Prerequisite(s): Transfer credit for (non-Java) Computer Science I.
1.50 credit hours Further study of Java for students who have limited knowledge of Java and are familiar with the concepts of searching and sorting, recursion and elementary data structures such as linked lists, stacks and queues. Covers graphical user interfaces, polymorphism, exception handling, streams and files.
Prerequisite(s): Transfer credit for (non-Java) Computer Science II.
3.00 credit hours Structures, techniques and algorithms for managing data. Topics include variations of linked lists; binary trees, B-trees and other types of search trees; advanced searching and sorting algorithms; graphs and graph algorithms; and analysis of algorithms. Programming required.
Prerequisite(s): CSC 161 and knowledge of C++ or Java; CSC 230 recommended.
3.00 credit hours (Same as: MED 215) Topics include the use of PHP and Ruby for server-side generation of content. Also covers HTML/CSS and Javascript for client-side presentation, SQL databases for information management and retrieval, management of shopping carts and client sessions and security. Extensive programming required.
CSC 225 - Web and Animation Programming with Flash
1.50 credit hours Course covers program control of Flash animation to build content-rich interactive Web pages. Topics include client-side scripting, plug-ins, environment and session variables, components, animation control with ActionScript, audio and video, interaction with HTML elements, usability and interface design.
3.00 credit hours (Same as: MTH 230.) Fundamental topics in mathematics and computer science including formal logic, proof techniques, sets, relations and functions, combinatorics, graphs, Boolean algebra, logic circuits and finite state machines.
Prerequisite(s): CSC 160; MTH 121 or higher. Core: Mathematics.
3.00 credit hours (Same as: MTH 231.) A second course in discrete mathematics that introduces more advanced topics as well as covering some of the material introduced in CSC/MTH 230 in more depth. Topics include growth of functions and complexity of algorithms; number theory; recursive definitions and algorithms; proof techniques; program verification; discrete probability; finite state automata; and formal grammars and language recognizers. Hands-on labs allow students to apply one or more course topics to build practical working systems.
3.00 credit hours (Same as: BIO 242.) An introduction to the field of bioinformatics. Computational methods for study of biological sequence data in comparative biology and evolution. Analysis of genome content and organization. Techniques for searching sequence databases, pairwise and multiple sequence alignment, phylogenetic methods and methods for pattern recognition and functional inference from sequence data. Database theory, information extraction, algorithm analysis and data mining are utilized.
3.00 credit hours Object-oriented design and implementation of large scale software using C++. Topics include inheritance, polymorphism, virtual functions, operater overloading and the STL. Extensive programming required.
Prerequisite(s): CSC 161 and knowledge of C++ or Java; CSC 210 recommended.
3.00 credit hours Design and analysis of algorithms. Classification of algorithms by time and space complexity. Algorithm design techniques such as divide and conquer, the greedy method and dynamic programming. NP-complete problems and approximation algorithms. Introduction to parallel algorithms. Programming may be required. Not available for credit to students who have previous credit for CSC 440.
Prerequisite(s): CSC 210; CSC 230; Junior standing or instructor consent.
3.00 credit hours System and application programming on Windows and the .NET platform using C#. Topics include Windows Forms and the Windows Presentation Foundation, interprocess communication, .NET network programming, ADO.NET, and security. Not available for credit to students who have previous credit for CSC 255 or CSC 431.
3.00 credit hours (Same as CSC 510.) An introduction to creating applications that run on smart phones, tablets and other hand-held devices, using the Android platform. Topics include Android OS and device hardware; XML interfaces and themes; activities and fragments; services and multi-threading; the SQLite database, multimedia; and an introduction to iOS and Objective C.
Prerequisite(s): CSC 161; Junior standing or instructor consent.
3.00 credit hours (Same as CSC 515.) Development of web applications using various client-side and server-side web technologies on the Java EE and .NET platforms. Topics include: HTTP protocols, the Model-View-Controller design pattern, Javascript, AJAX, Java Servlets, Java Server Pages, JSTL, ASP.NET MVC, ASP.NET web forms, JDBC and ADO.NET for database access and web application security. Extensive programming required.
Prerequisite(s): CSC 161; Junior standing or instructor consent.
3.00 credit hours (Same as: CSC 520.) An examination of approaches to computer system resource management. Topics include scheduling, memory management, file systems, I/O management, multiprocessing, security and protection. Programming may be required.
Prerequisite(s): CSC 161; CSC 220; Junior standing or instructor consent.
3.00 credit hours (Same as: CSC 525.) 2D and 3D graphical applications implemented in OpenGL. Includes graphics, display technologies and human factors. Extensive programming required.
Prerequisite(s): CSC 306; Junior standing or instructor consent.
3.00 credit hours (Same as: CSC 527.) Fundamental concepts, library facilities, and programming techniques that provide the foundation for application, systems, network and Internet programming on Linux and Unix systems. Course topics include the operating system kernel, process management, I/O, pipes, signals, sockets and shell programming. The course does not cover system administration. Extensive programming in C and C++ required. Students may not receive credit for both CSC 427 and CSC 490/590 Special Topics: UNIX/Linux.
3.00 credit hours (Same as: CSC 535.) Design and development of Windows game software. Topics include computer graphics, networking, event-driven programming, the Windows API, XNA, modeling tools, graphics engines for games and an introduction to C#. Extensive programming in required. Repeats CSC 490/590 Special Topics: Game Software.
Prerequisite(s): CSC 425; Junior standing or instructor consent.
3.00 credit hours (Same as: CSC 536.) Fundamental principles in the design, implementation and evaluation of human-machine interfaces with emphasis on human computer interaction. Topics include user psychology, theories of human learning and perception, audio and visual physiology, graphical user interfaces, task analysis and usability heuristics.
Prerequisite(s): CSC 160; Junior standing or instructor consent.
3.00 credit hours (Same as: CSC 553.) Methods, techniques, and tools to model and analyze systems. Topics include problem definition, the project life cycle, data acquisition, data flow and entity-relationship modeling, use cases and the use of project management CASE tools. Major project required.
Prerequisite(s): CSC 161; Junior standing or instructor consent.
3.00 credit hours (Same as: CSC 560.) Data modeling, and database design and implementation, with emphasis on the relational model. Includes SQL, PHP, JDBC, integrity, security, recovery, and concurrency issues, and business applications of database systems. SQL, PHP and JDBC programming required.
Prerequisite(s): CSC 161; Junior standing or instructor consent.
3.00 credit hours (Same as: CSC 564.). An introduction to data mining in the context of KDD (Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining), covering the three main phases of the KDD process: preprocessing, data extraction and data analysis. Includes data cleaning and preparation techniques; extraction methods such as deviation detection, classification, dependency modeling and clustering; statistical analysis methods; and visualization techniques,
Prerequisite(s): CSC 460; Junior standing or instructor consent.
3.00 credit hours (Same as: CSC 569.) Exploration of data communications and computer networks. Topics include network architecture, TCP/IP protocols, wireless and mobile networks and network security. Includes hands-on lab activities and an introduction to network programming.
Prerequisite or Co-requisite: CSC 220; Junior standing or instructor consent.
3.00 credit hours Students are introduced to the theory and methods for developing and maintaining secure systems and applications. Topics include secure infrastructures, intrusion prevention and detection, viruses and anti-virus software, software security, authentication, cryptography and legal and ethical issues.
Prerequisite(s): CSC 469; Junior standing or instructor consent.
CSC 487 - Parallel Processing and Concurrent Programming
3.00 credit hours (Same as: CSC 587.) A course in hardware, software and language aspects of parallel computing, focusing on the development of effective parallel algorithms and their implementation on a variety of parallel architectures and interconnection networks. Students may not receive credit for both CSC 487 and CSC 635.
Prerequisite(s): CSC 420; Junior standing or instructor consent.
3.00 credit hours The Computer Science capstone course allows students to apply the many skills they have acquired during their undergraduate studies by participating as a member of a team to design, develop and present a software solution to a substantive problem. Group process and leadership skills are addressed as well as ethical considerations important to computer science professionals.
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing; Computer Science major or minor. ACR: Leadership, Ethics and Values.
3.00 credit hours (Same as: HST 165, HTB 165.) An introduction to major themes in the cultural history of China and Japan. Foundational texts of East Asian philosophy, religion and literature are read and discussed in their historical context. Important works of East Asian art and film are viewed and analyzed. The goal is to develop a basic familiarity with the evolution of Chinese and Japanese civilizations from their ancient foundations to their modern manifestations.
3.00 credit hours A study of the cultural and social structures that have historically defined Japanese civilization and continue to shape the contemporary Japanese experience with regard to areas such as family, education, ritual, art, politics and economics.
3.00 credit hours This course surveys the basic principles of economic theory with a special emphasis on applications of economics to practical problems. Use of supply and demand analysis enables the student to better understand how the market system works. Included among other issues to be covered are inflation, unemployment, pollution, health care, international trade and income distribution. This course may not be taken after completing either ECN 250 or ECN 252.
3.00 credit hours An examination of economic thought with major concentration on the selected writings of economists from the mercantilists through the early 20th Century, such as Smith, Ricardo, Malthus, Marx, Veblen, Keynes and Schumpeter.
3.00 credit hours (Same as: BUS 241.) This course is designed to provide students with the ability to apply and interpret descriptive and inferential procedures, probability distributions, statistical sampling and design, hypothesis testing and regression. Primary objectives are to improve the statistical capabilities of students as well as their abilities to apply statistical concepts in a business setting. Note: Students may not receive credit for both ECN 241/BUS 241 and PSY 250.
Prerequisite(s): MTH 121 or higher or appropriate placement. Core: Mathematics.
3.00 credit hours Introduction to the theory of consumer choice, social and individual welfare, the behavior of business firms under pure competition and monopoly and applied microeconomic topics.
Prerequisite(s): MTH 121 or higher or appropriate placement. Core: Social Science. IAI: S3 902
3.00 credit hours Introduction to macroeconomic theory, with emphasis on factors which explain changes in national income, unemployment and inflation. Other topics include money and banking and fiscal and monetary policies.
Prerequisite(s): MTH 121 or higher or appropriate placement; ECN 250 recommended. Core: Social Science. IAI: S3 901
ECN 290 - Special Topics: Contemporary Issues in Economics
1.00-3.00 credit hours Topics vary depending on student interest and faculty expertise. Topics and prerequisites are announced in advance and placed in the course schedule. May be taken more than once with different content.
3.00 credit hours This course will analyze and explain the industry of sports from an economics perspective. Topics covered will include league competitiveness and collusion, what factors determine franchise profitability and market value and how central are these issues to owners’ decision making, revenue-sharing, player compensation, salary caps, free agency, antitrust issues surrounding both professional and collegiate athletics, as well as the economics of sports stadiums and arenas.
3.00 credit hours An application of microeconomics which involves analysis of the structure, conduct and performance of firms within industries. The empirical evidence and economic theory relating to pricing practices and policies under various market structures are also examined. Special emphasis is placed on the theory and precedents in U.S. anti-trust policy and the problems associated with the regulation of industry.
3.00 credit hours (Same as: PSC 324.) Analyses of the problems and prospects challenging the global community at a time of political and economic change through the study of the roles of industrialized countries, former socialist bloc states and the Third World. Attention is given to the interplay of political and economic power as components of planetary well-being.
3.00 credit hours The economic theory and policy pertaining to the market for labor. Stress on how the market determines employment and income and how human resources contribute to individual and national economic welfare.
3.00 credit hours The theory of international trade and the behavior of international institutions. Examination of how trade, trade restrictions and international monetary systems affect domestic business and economic prospects.
3.00 credit hours An examination of the economic role of the public sector in the United States with an emphasis on theory and policy analysis of the effects of government spending and taxation. Topics include the role of government intervention in the market, the tax system, income redistribution programs, social security and deficit financing, among other current policy issues.
3.00 credit hours An examination of the function of money, credit and financial institutions in the U.S. economy, and an analysis of Federal Reserve policy and its impact on the macroeconomy.
3.00 credit hours This course will analyze and explain various reasons why some countries are rich and some countries poor. Topics covered will include comparative economic development, poverty and inequality, economic growth theory, factor accumulation, technology, the role of government and NGO’s, culture, geography and institutions, among others. We will discuss how these factors are related and contribute to the overall success or failure of a country’s attempt to develop and grow its economy.
ECN 390 - Special Topics: Contemporary Issues in Economics
1.00-3.00 credit hours Topics vary depending on student interest and faculty expertise. Topics and prerequisites are announced in advance and placed in the course schedule. May be taken more than once with different content.
3.00 credit hours An economic analysis of consumers, firms and markets. Consumer theory includes indifference curve analysis with selected applications related to a wide range of consumer behavior. The costs and revenue decisions of the firm are analyzed within the context of standard assumptions about economic behavior.
3.00 credit hours An analysis of income, consumption, investment, interest and money in their relationships to the national economy, equilibrium and level of employment and prices.
3.00 credit hours This course focuses on the application of mathematics to the theoretical aspects of economic analysis. Topics may include equilibrium analysis, comparative statics, optimization problems and dynamic analysis.
3.00 credit hours This course provides exposure to the estimation and testing of economic models using statistical methods and appropriate empirical data. Emphasis is placed on model construction and the use of multiple linear regression for interpretation, analysis and forecasting.
3.00 credit hours An examination of the American business system, its role in the global economy and its responsibility to society. The course explores the various functions within business organizations. No credit toward graduation will be given if taken after the completion of one 200-level course in the Economics and Business Division.
1.00-3.00 credit hours Topics vary depending on student interest and faculty expertise. Topics and prerequisites are announced in advance and placed in the online schedule of classes.
1.50 credit hours Development of leadership, communication, decision making, group dynamics, problem solving, personal and planning skills through community based student generated programs. Evaluation is based on accomplishment outside of the traditional classroom setting. This course is open to all majors and may be taken twice for credit.
1.00-3.00 credit hours Topics vary depending on student interest and faculty expertise. Topics and prerequisites are announced in advance and placed in the online schedule of classes.
1.00-3.00 credit hours Topics vary depending on student interest and faculty expertise. Topics and prerequisites are announced in advance and placed in the online schedule of classes.
3.00 credit hours Examination of the structures that frame the work of teaching and learning in schools. Emphasis on the impact of curricular learning standards on teaching, learning and decision making. An overview of the profession, the Danielson Framework for Teaching, the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards, Common Core Standards and the expectations of the North Central College Teacher Education Program will be introduced in this gateway course. Required: 15 hours field experience.
Prerequisite(s): State of Illinois Background Check and TB Test.
3.00 credit hours Introduction to teaching methods including instructional and assessment strategies. Emphasis on direct teaching, interactive instructional strategies, and assessment strategies that develop the skills and processes needed to help K-12 students acquire foundational, conceptual and procedural knowledge.
Prerequisite(s): EDN 101; PSY 205; pass TAP 400 or qualifying ACT with writing; concurrent enrollment in EDN 201. Recommended GPA of 2.75.
1.00 credit hours This course is designed to provide students with an extended supervised field experience in an elementary, middle or secondary school classroom in a high need/diverse school setting. Students actively observe and assist the teacher in a variety of ways. Students are jointly supervised by the cooperating teacher and a supervisor from NCC. Students may co-teach or teach lessons if the cooperating teacher and supervisor determine that the student has the background knowledge and experience to be successful. Students are required to keep an ongoing reflective journal of the experience. A student may repeat this experience up to four times. In order to repeat the course, the student must enroll in the experience at a different school and/or grade level. Req: minimum 50 field experience hours.
3.00 credit hours Introduction to teaching methods including instructional and assessment strategies. Emphasis on direct teaching, interactive instructional strategies and assessment strategies that develop the skills and processes needed to help elementary students acquire foundational, conceptual and procedural knowledge.
Prerequisite(s): EDN 101; PSY 205; PSY 210; U.S. History; pass TAP 400 or qualifying ACT with writing. Concurrent enrollment in EDN 229 and EDN 260 (elementary education students).Recommended GPA of 2.75.
EDN 260 - Literacy I - Introduction to K-8 Literature and Foundations of Literacy
3.00 credit hours A foundational understanding of the nature of reading and the components of reading. Students will be introduced to various reading and learning theories and the relationships between the theories and effective reading instruction for students at 1-6 levels. This course will also focus on methods of using children’s literature for reading instruction as well as the understanding of genre, text structure and the selection of quality books.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 196. Concurrent enrollment in EDN 228.Recommended GPA of 2.75.
1.50 credit hours A foundation for the basic understanding of the reading and writing processes and applications of research-based instruction strategies to facilitate effective literacy learning in 6-12 classroom settings. The goal is to facilitate the student’s ability to increase middle and high school students’ performance in content areas through the understanding of the reading process, the demands of academic literacy and the characteristics of adolescent learners. Students in this course are exposed to targeted reading instructions for struggling adolescent readers as well as readers from linguistic and culturally diverse backgrounds.
EDN 302 - Practicum: General Middle School Methods
0.50 credit hours Provides students with a content-area field experience in a middle school classroom supervised jointly by an NCC supervisor and the classroom teacher. Students complete 25 hours of supervised field work, applying research-based methods to actual teaching situations in middle school settings. At least once during the term, an NCC supervisor observes the students as they conduct lessons and conducts a follow up conference in which the student and supervisor evaluate and discuss the lesson.
Prerequisite(s): EDN 200. Must be taken concurrently with one of the following: MUS 407 (Music education with instrumental emphasis). MUS 408 (Music education with choral emphasis) or HPE 311 (Physical education major).
3.00 credit hours Examination of management models and strategies, as well as school policy related to discipline. Emphasis on types of diversity and ways of making classrooms, curricula and instructional strategies suitable for a diverse student population.
3.00 credit hours Examination of management models and strategies, as well as school policy related to discipline. Emphasis on types of diversity and ways of making classrooms, curricula and instructional strategies suitable for a diverse student population.
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing; EDN 200 or concurrent enrollment.
EDN 324 - Foundations for Teaching Mathematics in the Elementary School
3.00 credit hours A foundation for the guiding principles and learning theories of teaching mathematics at the elementary and middle school levels. Emphasis is on the application of reasearch-based instructional strategies which facilitate students’ conceptual understanding, procedural fluency and mathematical reasoning skills in the mathematics classroom. Topics particular to mathematics education are addressed, such as use of precise mathematics language and development of effective assessment strategies.
Prerequisite(s): EDN 101; MTH 107; MTH 108; PSY 205 or concurrent enrollment; pass TAP 400 or qualifying ACT with writing. Concurrent enrollment in EDN 325.Recommended GPA of 2.75.