Academic Information

Click on any of the following links for information:

• Degrees Offered
• Double Majors
• Community-Based Learning
• Articulation Agreements
• Academic Minors
• Wellehan Library
• Academic Advising
• Degree Requirements

Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Fine Arts

Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Major Programs Leading to the Bachelor of Arts Degree

Biology
Classics
Contract Major
Criminal Justice
English
English and Secondary Education
Environmental Studies
History
History and Secondary Education
Mathematics
Mathematics and Secondary Education
Philosophy
Political Science
Psychology
Sociology
Sociology with Social Work Concentration
Theology
Writing and Publishing

Major Program Leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree

Fine Arts

Major Programs Leading to the Bachelor of Science Degree

Biochemistry
Biology
Biology/Pre-Dental/Pre-Medicine/Pre-Pharmacy/Pre-Physician Assistant/Pre-Veterinary
Biology/Pre-Optometry
Biology/Pre-Pharmacy
Biology and Secondary Education
Business Communications
Chemistry
Chemistry and Secondary Education
Communications with Journalism/Public Relations Concentration
Communications with New Media Concentration
Contract Major
Elementary Education
Environmental Science
Exercise Science/Exercise Specialist
Exercise Science/Fitness Leader
Health & Wellness Promotion
Marine Science
Physical Education/Teacher Education
Special Education and Elementary Education
Sports Communications
Sports Management
Sports Management with Coaching Concentration

Major Programs Leading to the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Degree

Accounting
Business and Sports Management
Finance
Human Resource Management
International Business
Management
Marketing

Major Program Leading to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree

Nursing

Students may enroll in a double major, but anyone considering such a decision should be fully aware of the advantages and disadvantages. Permission is required of the Department and the Office of Academic Affairs to pursue a double major. The availability of courses, however, can be assured only for the primary major.

All majors should be declared by the end of the sophomore year. Appropriate forms may be obtained from the Registrar’s Office. Students with two majors must complete all of the degree requirements of the College as well as all department requirements for both majors. If a student successfully completes the requirements for two majors, both majors will be listed on the transcript. The primary major will determine the degree awarded.

Community-Based Learning at Saint Joseph’s College uses course content to engage students within their school and communities while challenging students to learn firsthand about community, democracy, diversity, justice, civil society, social responsibility, leadership and critical thinking.  Students and faculty partner with schools, businesses, organizations, and agencies to solve problems as part of their academic studies, transforming them from passive recipients to active participants in their education and communities while providing a deeper understanding of theories and course content.  Learning continues to occur through an array of reflection activities and assignments that help students connect their experiences with the central ideas, hypotheses, theories, and methods they are studying. The integration of this experiential component into course content reinforces our Core Values and furthers the Mercy tradition of service on which the College was founded.

 

The College has transfer articulation agreements for students interested in programs at:

• Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences for Pharmacy and Post-Graduate Physician Assistant Program;
• Salus University for Optometry.

Additionally the College has a transfer articulation agreements with the following institutions:

• York County Community College to accept transfer students from that institution who are enrolled in or have completed the Liberal Studies Degree program.
• Southern Maine Community College to accept transfer students who have completed the Business, Communications, Criminal Justice, Fine Arts, and Marine Science Degree programs.

For more information regarding these programs, contact the Office of Admission or the Office of Academic Affairs.

Biology
Business Administration
Chemistry
Classics
Communications
Criminal Justice
English
Environmental Science
Fine Arts
Gender Studies
History
Journalism
Marine Science
Mathematics
Philosophy
Political Science
Psychology
Secondary Education
Social Justice
Sociology
Sports Management
Sustainability Studies
Theology
Writing

Wellehan Library is located on the second floor of the Heffernan Center; it is accessible by elevator for patrons with physical disabilities. During the academic year, the Library is open 7 days/81 hours per week, and the physical facility offers study space (both quiet and small group) and access to technology (computers, wireless network, printers, copier/scanner.)

Wellehan Library fosters academic success and personal growth by providing and facilitating use of library resources and services designed to meet the teaching, learning, and research needs of the College community in a manner consistent with its mission and core values.

Resources

• Physical materials - Books, DVDs, journals, newspapers
• Online resources - Ebooks, research databases, journals, and newspapers are accessible both on and off-campus.
• Website - The Library’s website is a gateway to searching for resources and information and also includes a comprehensive range of helpful tutorials and guides.

Services

• Interlibrary loan - Should the library not have the material a patron needs, items may be borrowed from other libraries in the region, throughout Maine, and across the country.
• Professional reference and research assistance is available in person as well as via chat, email, and telephone.
• Information literacy instruction - Developing skills in how to find, analyze, evaluate, and use information is vitally important for academic success.  Librarians provide formal instruction by teaching tailored information literacy sessions in classes throughout the College.

The 4-Year College prides itself on the quality of its student advising. The academic advising program is under the direction of the Office of Academic Affairs. The Registrar, in consultation with Department Chairs, ensures that each student is assigned a faculty advisor and is properly advised. The primary responsibility of faculty advisors is to properly advise students in course selections.

Candidates for degrees must have completed the requirements listed below:

1. All first-year students are required to complete the First-Year Experience Seminar.
2. A minimum of 128 semester hours and a cumulative average of 2.0
3. For all of its students, the College requires the Core Curriculum for the 21st Century. In conjunction with the major, the Core Curriculum is the basis for lifelong learning and an enduring liberal education. This curriculum:

• enhances the foundation skills of writing and quantitative reasoning;
• explores different ways of asking questions and approaching knowledge;
• develops social, civic and environmental understanding for the world of the 21st century;
• grounds self-knowledge and builds values;
• commits faculty and students to the search for truth and justice.
  

  Inner Core of Knowledge, Understanding and Insight for the 21st Century (28 credits)

  The courses of the Inner Core:

• study the antecedents and developments of civilization in the West;
• explore the interrelationships among persuasive writing, thinking and speaking;
• probe the challenging and significant themes literature;
• examine the metaphysical and epistemological foundations of human life;
• apply ethical theories to contemporary ethical problems;
• investigate the phenomenon of religious faith as an enduring concern of the human community;
• consider contemporary issues in science.

Inner Core 28 credits

Concentration and Integration of Learning (20 credits) These elective courses allow students to develop and deepen the knowledge, understanding, and insight they explored in the Inner Core.

Elective Courses 12 credits

Additional Elective Courses 8 credits

* Students in a Bachelor of Science program may take one foreign language course for additional elective credit.

IV.  The heart of the College’s Honors Program is the Honors Core Curriculum which is a special Honors version of the Core Curriculum for the 21st Century. In conjunction with the major and enhanced Honors programming, the Honors Core Curriculum provides a basis for lifelong learning and an enduring liberal education. This curriculum:

• emphasizes group, collaborative work in and out of the classroom;
• develops critical and reflective thinking;
• promotes close student interaction with some of the College’s best faculty;
• provides an ethical and moral sense through its service learning projects; 
• reflects on the fundamental problems of human existence;
• commits faculty and students to the search for truth and justice.

Honors Inner Core of Knowledge, Understanding and Insight for the 21st Century (24 credits)

The common Honors Courses of the Inner Core:

• analyze the fundamental events, themes, and issues that have shaped the course of civilization in the West;
• explore the foundational issues of philosophy and theology;
• investigate the ecological challenges to the global environment;
• enhance crucial skills of writing, thinking, persuasion, and public speaking;
• interpret and study important texts of literature.

Honors Inner Core 24 credits

Concentration and Integration of Learning (24 credits)
These elective courses allow students to develop and deepen the knowledge, understanding, and insight they explored in the Inner Core.

Elective Courses 16 credits

Additional Elective Courses 8 credits

* Students in a Bachelor of Science program may take one foreign language course for additional elective credit

V.  *Foreign Language Students in a Bachelor of Arts program must complete 8 semester hours of a foreign language.
 

VI.  Completion of an academic major. An academic minor is also required for History, Philosophy, Psychology and Theology.

32 semester hours must be earned at Saint Joseph’s College.

* Students for whom English is a second language can waive the foreign language requirement through CLEP or another standardized test to indicate proficiency. This waiver only releases the student from the requirement, not from the number of credits for the degree.