Located in the heart of Natchitoches, the School of Social Sciences and Applied Programs at Northwestern State University offers a dynamic range of undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs designed to launch students into meaningful, purpose-driven careers.
Students can pursue degrees in Criminal Justice, Unified Public Safety Administration (6 different concentrations), and History — as well as a Master’s Degree in Homeland Security.
Concentrations and certificates include Pre-Law and Paralegal Studies, Remote Systems Science and Technology, and Public Policy and Administration. The school also provides opportunities to explore cultural and interdisciplinary minors such as Creole Studies, Black Studies, and American Indian and Indigenous Studies. A post-master’s certificate in Global Security and Intelligence is also available through the School of Social Sciences and Applied Programs.
Explore Our Programs
with options such as the Pre-Law & Paralegal Studies concentration—equipping students for law school or roles in the legal industry
preparing students for leadership across emergency management, law enforcement, public safety, EMS, and safety services, with specialized
where students engage with advanced, real-world challenges and security strategies through structured study, research, and analysis
providing multidisciplinary training in aerial, terrestrial, and underwater remote systems—an excellent resume-enhancer through hands-on learning
Providing multidisciplinary training in historical research, archival methods, and digital history tools—an excellent résumé-enhancer through hands-on projects and field experiences.
A minor you can take with any major, drawing on the traditions of ethnic studies with a focus on the experiences, histories, perspective, culture and scholarship of African American, African, and African Diaspora peoples.
A minor you can take with any major, drawing on the traditions of ethnic studies with a focus on Western Hemisphere Indigenous cultures, experiences, history, languages, and law.
The Minor in Creole Studies at Northwestern State University can be paired with any major, offering a rich, interdisciplinary foundation in the traditions of ethnic and cultural studies. Students examine the Indigenous cultures, histories, languages, and legal systems that have shaped the Western Hemisphere, with particular attention to Louisiana Creole heritage and its global connections.
Pre-Law and Paralegal Studies Concentration
The School of Social Sciences & Applied Programs offers a Pre-Law and Paralegal Studies concentration within Criminal Justice. Prepares students for the unique challenges and pressures of law school or for a career as a paralegal (a nonlawyer specialist who performs substantive legal research, analysis, and writing under the supervision of a lawyer).
Pre-Law and Paralegal Studies Minor
The School also offers a minor for any student at NSU. Graduates have legal research and writing skills and knowledge of substantive law. Prepares students for the unique challenges and pressures of law school or for a career as a paralegal (a nonlawyer who performs substantive legal research, analysis, and writing under the supervision of a lawyer).
Hands-On Learning & Campus Resources
SSAP provides a range of specialized facilities and partnerships to enrich your education:
Explore artifact conservation, cataloging, fieldwork techniques, and preservation science
Offers NSU students real-world experience through archaeological and historical research projects in northwest Louisiana
Southern Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal of the South is a peer reviewed journal published twice a year from the Southern Studies Institute. The School of Social Sciences and Applied Programs at Northwestern State University houses the institute.
Williamson Museum
The Williamson Museum at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, is a quiet gem of cultural heritage and scholarship. Originally founded by Professor George Williamson as a natural-history museum, it was reborn after a devastating fire in 1965 and reestablished in Kyser Hall in 1971.
