The area programs focus on the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest, the Americas and the world. The college offers these educational opportunities through campus programs and the reservation-based program that targets community building through designing a curriculum that responds to the educational goals of the Indian nations they serve. In addition to these two academic programs, emphasis is placed on learning through student involvement in the activities of the Longhouse Education and Cultural Center and the Northwest Indian Applied Research Institute. On campus, yearly coordinated study programs require that students begin their studies by understanding the basic principles and concepts of the treaty relationship between the Tribal Nations and the U.S. Government.
Participants examine political, social, economic and cultural issues related to indigenous history.
Their studies explore a continuum that begins in pre-Columbian times and examines the global effects of colonialism and the political and cultural revitalization movements of the contemporary era. Off campus, the reservation-based program emphasizes community building within Native American communities where the classes are held. The yearlong coordinated study program offers participants the opportunity to be effective inside or outside their reservation. Material is taught using the tribal perspective and issues related to tribal communities are often the topics of discussion. The Longhouse Education and Cultural Center represents a living, contemporary cultural link to the Indigenous Nations of the Pacific Northwest.