Professional licensure disclosures

The Northwestern College accounting program meets all of the requirements for sitting for the CPA exam in Iowa. More information about licensure and exams is available on the National Association of State Boards of Accounting ( NASBA) website. Northwestern has not made a determination whether the curricula of the accounting program meets the educational requirements for licensure or certification in any states or territories other than Iowa.

For more information, contact:
Vonda Post
Professor of Accounting
712-707-7014
vonda@nwciowa.edu

Learn more about Northwestern’s accounting program and accreditation.

The Northwestern College Master of Arts in Counseling degree with the concentration in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) is an entry-level graduate counseling professional degree. The CMHC program is 60 credit units and designed to meet the educational requirements for professional counseling licensure in most states. The program is presently aligned with the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).  In some states, additional educational requirements are necessary to meet professional licensing requirements. In other states, the CMHC program as it is offered may meet those states professional licensing requirements. Determination regarding professional licensure eligibility associated with this program are within the purview of each U.S. state and territory. All students applying to, or enrolled in, the M.A. in Counseling program should review their state’s requirements to ensure the Northwestern College program will meet all licensure requirements. Additionally, prospective and current students should keep in mind that licensing and authorization requirements vary by state and that relocating during the course of a program to another state could impact whether they should continue in their course of study, meet the eligibility requirements of their new state, and/or receive financial aid funding.

Initial Licensure

The Northwestern College undergraduate education program leads to an Initial Teacher License in the state of Iowa. State education licensing and certification offices across the nation provide provisions of reciprocity for those teachers who have an out-of-state license. Students seeking licensure in a state outside of Iowa are advised to consult the Education Initial Professional Licensure Disclosures – Outside of Iowa page for current information on whether Northwestern College has determined if any education program offered by NWC meets licensure in the state of interest.

Online Endorsements

Online endorsement programs offered by Northwestern College meet licensure requirements in the state of Iowa. Northwestern has not determined whether its online endorsement programs meet licensure requirements in all 50 states. Consult the Education Endorsement Licensure Disclosures – Outside of Iowa page for current information on known determinations for our endorsement programs and state licensure requirements outside of Iowa. In compliance with the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement, Northwestern’s licensure official will make every reasonable effort to determine for any prospective student whether an online endorsement program leads to licensure in a state other than Iowa. Contact online@nwciowa.edu to inquire. 

To request specific teacher licensure information, please contact:
Carrie Thonstad
Licensure Official
carrie.thonstad@nwciowa.edu
712-707-7352

Learn more about Northwestern’s undergraduate education programs, graduate education programs, and program accreditation.

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree awarded by Northwestern College is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, approved by the Iowa Board of Nursing, and recognized in all 50 states.

Professional licensure/certification

Program graduates are eligible to take the national licensure examination for nurses (NCLEX-RN). Iowa is a member of the Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC), an agreement between states that allows nurses to have one license but the ability to practice in other states that are part of the agreement.

Learn more about Northwestern’s  Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) program and online  RN-to-BSN program  accreditation.

State License
The Northwestern College Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). Successful completion of Northwestern's PA program fulfills the education requirements for licensure in all 50 states. The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) maintains a directory of state licensing boards, as well as a document summarizing the requirements for licensure in each state. Applicants and students are encouraged to review these sites to determine the eligibility requirements for the state license they wish to obtain upon graduation.

Learn more about Northwestern’s physician assistant program and program accreditation.

Questions about admission requirements or licensure as a PA can be emailed to physician.assistant@nwciowa.edu.

Professional certification
All graduates of the Northwestern College PA program are eligible to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination (PANCE) upon successful graduation.

Accreditation
The ARC-PA has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to the Northwestern College Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Northwestern College. 

Accreditation-Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding Accreditation-Provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students. Accreditation-Provisional does not ensure any subsequent accreditation status. It is limited to no more than five years from matriculation of the first class. The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at  http://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-northwestern-college/.

The Northwestern College social work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education ( CSWE). To become a Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker (LBSW) requires the completion of a bachelor's degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program, a state bachelor’s-level licensing examination, and in some states, additional post-degree supervised hours of experience. According to the CSWE, “Licensing of social work practitioners is under the authority of a designated office in each individual state. All 50 states and the District of Columbia require that a social worker sitting for a licensing exam be a graduate of a CSWE-accredited program.”

Licensees may sit for a state licensure board exam upon graduation from a CSWE-accredited program. For any state requiring an Association of Social Work Boards ( ASWB) Social Work Licensing Exam, applicants must first complete a degree from a CSWE-accredited program. 

Contact information for individual state licensing boards can be found on the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) website or through an internet search for a licensing board for a particular state.

According to ASWB’s website, some states do not offer a bachelor’s-level license in social work and instead require a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. These states include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. The following states offer a registered or certificate in social work with no examination requirement: Louisiana, Nebraska and New Jersey.

Northwestern College has not made a determination of whether the curricula of the social work program meets the educational requirements for licensure or certification in any states or territories other than Iowa.

For more information, contact:
Dr. Valeries Stokes
Chair of the Social Work Department
712-707-7084
vonda@nwciowa.edu

Learn more about Northwestern’s  social work program and program  accreditation.