Career Preparation and Success

1. Career Development Curriculum

All undergraduate students complete required career readiness coursework tailored to their academic path and life stage.

• For first-time undergraduates:
  Students may participate in the Braven Career Accelerator or NLU’s Career Development courses beginning in their sophomore year, with continued support through junior-year internship preparation and senior-year internship experiences.

• For adult and transfer students:
  Flexible options such as Braven or asynchronous online career courses are available to accommodate diverse schedules and needs.

2. Personalized Career Coaching

Students receive individualized support from career advisors who work alongside faculty and academic teams.

• One-on-one advising and in-class career support

• Access to NLU’s Career Bridge technology and job search tools

• A holistic Career Success Team to guide students through placement and post-graduation planning

3. Employer Engagement & Work-Based Learning

We actively connect students with employers and hands-on opportunities to prepare them for the workforce.

• Strong employer partnerships for internships, job placements, and work-based learning

• A required internship to boost real-world readiness and career outcomes

• Professional attire (suit) scholarships

Spanning the duration of the student’s NLU journey, career courses accelerate career outcomes by helping students build job materials like resumes and LinkedIn profiles, develop critical skills such as interviewing and networking, and gain access to the professional networks and employers that will provide students with opportunities during college and beyond.  Each UGC major requires field work, an internship or a capstone (with an accompanying credit bearing class)  to ensure students have the opportunities to practice and reflect on their skills and engage in professional experiences that will make them market competitive at graduation.

NLU career courses focus on student strengths, interests, and values and support students to articulate their individual career choices and identify the skills and experiences they will need to be successful in their chosen field.  Career courses are asset-based and help students identify and expand the knowledge and networks they already have.  CAR faculty guide students to translate their personal, academic, and work experiences into unique career stories and professional brands.

CAR 214: Creating and Communicating the Professional Brand (5CR)

Students communicate their professional brand through job materials,  interviews, and networking and participate in a culminating mentor event with professional volunteers.

CAR 202: Creating Professional Identity (2CR)

This asynchronous career course guides students through career exploration and the construction of their professional portfolio.

CAR 203: You the Professional (3CR)

Also an asynchronous course, CAR 203 helps students tailor and refine their portfolio materials and develop networking and interviewing skills.

BRV 200:  Braven Accelerator (5CR)

One component of a national career fellows program in which small cohorts of students are assigned to professional volunteers from across industries, supporting students to hone career goals and develop job materials and interview skills.

CAR 295: Career Service Learning (5CR)

Students collaborate in teams to solve a problem facing a partner non-profit organization.  In 2022 CAR 295 students served 12 prominent Chicagoland organizations such as Urban Alliance, YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, the Illinois Prison Project, and World Relief.

CAR 218: Internship Workshop (0CR, prereq for CAR 490)

Workshop guides students to revise their portfolio materials, hone interview skills,  and complete internship applications in preparation for the CAR 490 Internship Course.

CAR 490: Internship Course (5CR)

supports internship and capstone students as they  reflect on their field experiences and apply acquired skills and self-knowledge to the post-collegiate job market.  Course explores workplace culture, salary negotiation, goal setting, and leveraging the internship experience.

Braven, a nonprofit focused on empowering students in their transition from college to strong first jobs, launched its partnership with NLU in 2018, welcoming a class of 45 undergraduate students in Chicago.  In winter of 2022 Braven served 188 NLU students from both the Chicago and Wheeling campuses and expanded to include 30 transfer students.  

Braven participants complete the Braven Accelerator, a hybrid course that involves asynchronous modules and projects and synchronous meetings with a cohort of 7-10 students, paired with an industry professional.  After students complete the Accelerator, Braven continues to support its fellows with career advising, mentoring, and networking opportunities.   70% of NLU Braven fellows say that Braven was one of the  most valuable experiences they have had and 81% of  fellows said that they expanded their network as part of Braven.

NLU prioritizes field experience and engagement with industry professionals as critical to the undergraduate experience. According to the Winter 2022 NACE Quick Poll, eight out of ten responding employers said that internships provided the best return on investment as a recruiting strategy. NLU therefore requires undergraduate students to complete at least 100 hours in an approved internship (or capstone alternative) or field placement. NLU career classes support students in applying for internships and translating the internship experience into full-time employment. 

Dr. Uzoma Obidike,
Director of Career Development & Assistant Professor of Career Development

Theodore Barnes,
Assistant Professor of Career Development 

Jamie Turner,
Assistant Professor of Career Development

Everything we do lays the groundwork for a career.

Higher education should inspire and accelerate the next step of a student’s career. Career Bridge is designed to foster meaningful connections between students, alumni and employers, sparking opportunity and making career preparation seamless.

Visit the Career Bridge