The College of Arts and Sciences Core Competencies

As you embark on your college experience at 91Porn (NEIU), you may have a clear idea of what you want to do after you graduate, or you may be hoping to figure out your future as you select classes that capture your curiosity. Or you may be somewhere in between. Wherever you find yourself on this spectrum, you’ll have an opportunity to explore, learn about possibilities, and expand your horizons as you chart your course. Even if or when you have a sense of the work you’d like to pursue after graduation, creating a path that prepares you for success can present challenges. As you look at the College of Arts and Sciences curriculum, you might wonder what happens in a Sociology or Anthropology class that can help you. You might think if you major in Biology, you can only be a medical doctor. And if you major in History or Political Science, does that mean you’d have to become an historian or a political scientist? What even are those jobs? Can you find a job as a Philosopher if you major in Philosophy? You may be surprised and heartened to discover the range of rewarding career paths College of Arts and Sciences programs open for our graduates. The College’s Career Readiness initiative will help you see these possibilities in concrete ways.

In short, understanding how the broad variety of disciplines in the College of Arts and Sciences can help forge robust career pathways can sometimes be less obvious than the pathways a degree in business or education can chart. One reason the career pathways are not always as obvious is because many disciplines< in the College of Arts and Sciences cultivate fundamental competencies and skills that foster flexibility and adaptability. Our disciplines do not simply train students with a specific job or technical skill that may quickly become outdated as technologies and industries change; rather they prepare students for lifelong success in a dynamic world characterized by rapid change and constant evolution. It’s simply not obvious all that you can do with degrees in the liberal arts and sciences, precisely because they open multiple career paths and equip students with flexibility. We are hopeful that the list of competencies listed below will help you to understand the skill set that you will acquire as a student in the College of Arts and Sciences. These core competencies will help you to make informed choices about which courses of study to pursue, and understand the preparation that you are receiving to do the valuable and meaningful work the world needs.

And beyond the specific content of your coursework in and outside of your major, NEIU College of Arts and Sciences graduates, our students tell us, bring to the world rather unique abilities that differentiate them from other college graduates. Because students at NEIU enjoy close working relationships with our faculty and often are able to interact with them in less formal and more humane ways, they find when they enter the workplace they are able to interact with authority, maturity and self-advocacy and overall understand how to navigate relationships with workplace hierarchies with integrity. This competency may be hard to articulate and track in your coursework, but as with all the competencies below, we hope this document will help you to articulate all the skills you are developing and what distinguishes you as a NEIU College of Arts and Sciences graduate!

Download the CAS Core Competencies PDF

Experimentation, Data Collection, and Analysis

The world we live in presents us with huge amounts of information everyday. This happens in our jobs, our interactions with people, and in the information we consume through our daily activities. Having the ability to collect, evaluate, and organize that information is a key skill in the modern world. How we use that information to investigate questions, determine our opinions, test hypotheses, and reach conclusions are all a part of Experimentation, Data Collection, and Analysis.

If you have learned and practiced these skills in your courses, you are able to:

  • Use techniques of research and data collection that are appropriate to your area of study
  • Generate, organize, and store data in a way that allows you and others to access and use the data
  • Evaluate data based on numbers and measurements (quantitatively) as well as based on description and things that cannot be measured (qualitatively).
  • Evaluate data from multiple perspectives while accounting for your own personal biases
  • Explain data and interpret findings to tell the story that exists within the data
  • Assess the strengths and weaknesses of possible solutions and recommendations

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Critical thinking, simply put, means not accepting things at face value. It is an umbrella skill that refers, in part, to the ability to assess any claim or perspective for its truth value or effectiveness in understanding the world. Critical thinking also encompasses the skills of analyzing problems and designing effective solutions. In our contemporary world where misinformation is rampant and the social challenges we face abound, it is easy to see why employers value the skills of critical thinking and problem-solving. Throughout your coursework, you will have many opportunities to hone your critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

As you practice these skills, you will be able to:

  • Evaluate an issue or problem based on multiple perspectives, recognizing that there may be more than one point of view
  • Recognize unknowns and limitations of problems and strategies
  • Develop criteria to examine an issue and evaluate alternative courses of action
  • Respect evidence and logic
  • Select and implement solutions to complex problems

Ethical Reasoning and Decision-Making

Think of how the values that people hold impact the decisions that they make on a day to day basis. Being aware of and considering our own values, ethics, and morals as well as those of other people in our decision-making is an important skill that will allow you to honor your own values and the values of others as you make decisions that not only impact yourself, but others as well. Ethics, values, and morals are key human characteristics that influence decisions. Being able to identify, appreciate, and incorporate an understanding of these characteristics in all aspects of our lives–and in any workplace or industry– is a key skill that is emphasized throughout your education in the Arts and Sciences at NEIU.

If you have skills related to Ethical Reasoning and Decisions Making, you can:

  • Assess your own personal and moral values and perspectives as well as those of others
  • Consider the short- and long-term consequences of actions and the ethical principles that apply to the situation before making decisions
  • Know how to seek common ground and also how to assess when doing so is morally intolerable (e.g., when it would compromise fundamental principles of justice)
  • Understand the roles of integrity and ethics in decision-making
  • Analyze and reflect on how moral values are communicated through art and design
  • Identify ethical issues that arise due to new areas of science and/or technology

Innovation and Creativity

As a student, you recognize that our environment is evolving (e.g., work during and after Covid) and that people need to adapt and offer ideas to continue to grow and improve. Instead of being rigid or fixed, those who engage in creative and innovative processes welcome the opportunity to adapt and disrupt traditional ways of doing business and can shift from conventional ways of thinking, imagine possibilities and try out new ideas.

As you develop competencies in innovation and creativity you will be able to:

  • Challenge existing processes and propose alternatives without being constrained by established approaches or anticipated responses of others
  • Employ your knowledge, skills, abilities, and sense of originality to solve problems
  • Express a willingness to take risks to expose creative ideas in order to bring forward new work

Oral and Written Communication

You have to think only a little bit to recognize that the ways we communicate with and express ourselves to others change over time. We podcast. We text. We tweet. We didn’t twenty years ago. And the ways we communicate, if we are to do so effectively, change according to context and audience. No matter what kind of work you are doing in the world and regardless of the workplace in which you find yourself, you will need to be able to communicate with–and hence understand–all kinds of different people and to do so in different forms and “languages.” Employers profoundly value this ability. Different disciplines within the Arts and Sciences feature—and require—people know how to present information and arguments in different forms, such as charts, graphs, and other visual modes, and even know how to deploy particular technologies in disseminating communications.

Those competent in oral and written communication:

  • Consider relationships with the audience and the social and political context in which you communicate, as well as the needs, goals, and motivations of all involved
  • Demonstrate proficiency in relevant language and technical skills
  • Ensure that communication is functional and clear
  • Recognize and adapt to technological developments in oral and written composition
  • Employ storytelling as a way to persuade and promote understanding
  • Present information and represent ideas in different formats
  • Recognize that multiple languages represent different ways of perceiving the world, not just different ways of communicating the same information

Active Community Participation and Engaging a Diverse Community

Many competencies that you will acquire in the liberal arts and sciences which prepare you for career success. But, really, these skills help you succeed in life in general and play a role in shaping the world around you, from your family life to your neighborhoods to the nation and the globe! To participate in public life and influence the world around you, you need to be able to understand a culturally diverse world, the respective interests of different groups of people (such as the needs of our children and of older adults), the landscape of social inequality, and more. Participating actively to influence the world you want requires a number of skills –communication, ethical reasoning, creativity, teamwork, and so on.

Through your in-class experiences, co-curricular activities and opportunities such as field experiences, you will have plenty of occasions to be an active community participant and engage with a diverse community and, as such, you will be able to:

  • Assess, acknowledge, and respect community stakeholders
  • Recognize how social structures and systems historically have and presently can create and perpetuate inequality and exclusion
  • Understand, appreciate, and engage multiple ways of thinking, ways of life, and value systems across cultures
  • Employ and inhabit different modes of analysis and different “languages” for understanding the world.
  • Comprehend the impact of your actions in relation to other people as well as the natural and built world
  • Learn to recognize and negotiate competing interests and participate actively in the life of one’s communities with an understanding of the common good

Teamwork and Leadership

How many times have you worked in a group or as part of a team to accomplish a task? How did the different individuals and their personalities influence the work that you accomplished? You have probably experienced this situation many times in both your classes and outside of school. As you progress through your education and career, you will encounter teamwork and collaboration again and again. Learning how groups work, the different roles that individuals play when working together toward a common goal, and understanding your own role as part of a team are all important skills that you will use throughout your education, career, and personal interactions. Learning these skills during your education will also help you to appreciate how disagreements or conflicts are handled in groups, how your own actions influence how groups work together to achieve a goal, and how the role of group leaders and others influence how well a team works together.

If you have developed these skills, you are able to:

  • Understand your own roles and responsibilities within a group, and how they may change in differing situations
  • Influence others without necessarily holding a formal position of authority
  • Leverage the strengths of the group to achieve a shared vision or objective
  • Acknowledge and manage conflict toward solutions
  • Take responsibility and action when necessary

Technological Fluency and Information Literacy

Think of the different ways that we receive information now compared to ten, five, or even just two years ago. Technology has had a dramatic impact on the amount and types of information we receive. Learning the skills that allow you to adapt and learn new and emerging ways to receive information is key to remaining informed and aware. Along with that, being able to understand that not all information is created equally in terms of reliability, biases, the motivations of the content creators, and credibility is another key skill that you will learn in your courses. Being able to use multiple technologies to obtain information, being adaptable when new technologies emerge, and being able to take a deeper dive into where information comes from are all skills related to Technological Fluency and Information Literacy.

If you have learned and practiced skills related to technological fluency and information literacy, you can:

  • Assess sources of information for reliability, potential biases, and relevancy
  • Identify and assess how information is generated and/or vetted
  • Demonstrate agility when looking for information
  • Use technologies responsibly
  • Adapt to evolving technology landscape

Self-Awareness and Self-Improvement

Knowing yourself, your strengths, your limits, and your potential may not sound like an important skill learned in your college education; however, your courses, professors, and your time at NEIU have improved your strengths, helped you to find and challenge your own limits, and discover your potential. These skills also apply to your relationships with others and how you will continue to grow, improve, monitor and self-reflect throughout your life.

If you are skilled in Self-Awareness and Self-Improvement, you:

  • Demonstrate resilience and persistence in the face of a difficult task
  • Identify your feelings and appreciate how they may influence interactions and decision-making processes
  • Build meaningful relationships
  • Take the perspective of others during a conversation
  • Demonstrate curiosity and seek out information and events that will allow for personal growth
  • Recognize your strengths and be receptive to feedback that will allow for professional development
  • Challenge and comfortably navigate power differences