Northwest Nazarene Univeristy consists of seven academic colleges: College of Arts & Humanities; College of Behavioral & Social Sciences; College of Business; College of Education; College of Natural & Applied Sciences; College of Nursing; and College of Theology & Christian Ministries. Our engineering degrees prepare students for the field, graduate school but, most importantly, to use their design skills to change the world.
Established in 1913, Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) is a nonprofit comprehensive Christian university founded upon a liberal arts philosophy of education. The campus is situated on 90 acres in Nampa, the third largest city in Idaho with over 100,000 residents, and is located 18 miles west of Boise, the state capital. NNU maintains a strong, mutually beneficial and positive relationship with the city of Nampa. The campus, with its 34 buildings, has been carefully planned for maximum use and development. In addition to the Nampa campus, NNU offers face-to-face graduate programs in Idaho Falls (Social Work) and Twin Falls, Idaho (Counseling). Programs offered by the University vary from traditional programs to accelerated delivery adult and professional programs and graduate programs, from face-to-face to fully online programs.
As one of eight regional colleges and universities in the United States affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene, NNU is the university for the Northwest Region, which includes Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and parts of Nevada. Approximately 32% of NNU undergraduate students claim “Nazarene” as their church background and the other 68% belong to a variety of different Christian denominations, other religions, or indicate no religious affiliation. While a majority of undergraduate students come from the Northwest Region, students from 32 states and 19 countries attend NNU. Graduate programs include students from 37 states and 30 countries.
NNU offers programs leading to 16 degrees (AA, BA, BS, BSN, MA, MDiv, MBA, MAcc, MAT, MEd, MS, MSN, MSW, EdS, EdD, and PhD). Undergraduate degrees include 64 majors and 8 co-majors covering 80 areas of study. Graduate degrees include 24 areas of emphasis in six departments: business, counseling, education, nursing, social work, and theology. The Center for Professional Development offers two certificate programs and a variety of non-academic, professional continuing education courses and workshops that qualify for professional development credits and/or continuing education units (CEU), depending on the subject matter. NNU also offers concurrent credit for high school students and an online course of study program for Nazarene ordination.
Northwest Nazarene University is consistently recognized for its excellent programs, distinguished faculty, and exceptional student outcomes by multiple organizations that independently evaluate the quality of colleges and universities throughout the nation. In 2021, NNU was again named in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 Best Regional Universities in the West colleges rankings and in the Princeton Review’s Best Colleges in the West rankings. Additionally, NNU was recognized by Colleges of Distinction—an organization that assesses colleges and universities on student engagement, quality of teaching, vibrancy of the college community, and successful outcomes of graduates—as a 2020-2021 “College of Distinction,” “Idaho College of Distinction,” and a “Christian College of Distinction.” Further, Niche.com has honored NNU as one of the “Best Christian Colleges in America” and Zippia.com has ranked NNU as #2 in Idaho for “Best Colleges for Jobs” based upon job outcomes for graduates. For those interested in our doctoral education program, Intelligent.com ranked NNU as the #1 program in the nation!
Graduates from our program have a nearly 100 percent placement rate when applying to graduate schools and joining the work force. Our professors will work closely with you both inside and outside of the classroom and lab, and you'll receive hands-on training with excellent lab and fab equipment in the new Thomas Family Health & Science Center.
