Academic Information

Click on any of the following links for information:

• Degrees Offered
• Double Majors
• Articulation Agreements
• Academic Minors
• Wellehan Library
• Academic Advising
• Degree Requirements

Bachelor of 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
Chemistry
Classics
Communications with Journalism Concentration
Communications with Multimedia Concentration
Communications with Public Relations/Advertising Concentration
Contract Major (BA or BS)
Criminal Justice
English
English and Secondary Education
Environmental Studies
History
History and Secondary Education
Literature & American Culture
Mathematics
Mathematics and Secondary Education
Philosophy
Political Science
Psychology
Sociology
Sociology with Social Work Concentration
Theology

Major Programs Leading to the Bachelor of Science Degree

Biology
Biology/Pre-Dental/Pre-Medicine/Pre-Pharmacy/Pre-Physician Assistant/Pre-Veterinary
Biology/Pre-Optometry
Biology/Pre-Pharmacy
Biology and Secondary Education
Chemistry
Chemistry/Pre-Engineering — Chemical
Chemistry/Pre-Engineering — Civil
Chemistry/Pre-Engineering — Environmental
Chemistry and Secondary Education
Elementary Education
Environmental Science
Exercise Science/Exercise Specialist
Exercise Science/Fitness Leader
Marine Science
Physical Education/Teacher Education
Sports Management
Sports Management with Coaching Concentration

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

Accounting
Finance
International Business
Human Resource Management
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 Office of the Registrar. 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.

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;
Manhattan College for the Engineering Program;
Pennsylvania College of Optometry.

Additionally the College has a transfer articulation agreement with York County Community College to accept transfer students from that institution who are enrolled in or have completed the Liberal Studies Degree program.

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

Biology
Business Administration
Catholic Studies
Chemistry
Classics
Communications
Criminal Justice
English
Environmental Science
History
Journalism
Marine Science
Mathematics
Philosophy
Political Science
Psychology
Secondary Education
Sociology
Theology
Writing

Wellehan Library is located on the second floor of the Heffernan Center. It is accessible by elevator for patrons with physical disabilities. The library also provides a special needs workstation that allows visually and cognitively impaired students to use print and electronic resources to do research independently and at their own pace.

Wellehan Library has holdings of more than 100,000 books and subscribes to over 400 magazines, journals, and newspapers. In addition, the library provides access to a growing collection of online databases. These databases, which cover many disciplines and often provide full text online, may be accessed from anywhere on or off campus.

Any student enrolled at Saint Joseph’s College may borrow library items with a current photo ID. He or she may also use the ID to borrow items at libraries affiliated with the Greater Portland Alliance of Colleges and Universities (GPACU). This group includes Maine College of Art, Southern Maine Community College, University of New England, and University of Southern Maine. Students may also use their IDs to request items from academic, public, school, and health sciences libraries from across the state of Maine via Maine InfoNet. Wellehan Library’s extremely active Interlibrary Loan program allows students, faculty, and staff to borrow books, articles, and audiovisual materials from across the country and around the world.

While access to quality materials is vital, knowing how to find, use and evaluate them is equally important for academic success. Recognizing this, the library staff provides formal and informal information literacy instruction to students, staff, and faculty in a variety of ways. Library staff members are available to provide reference assistance every hour that the library is open, helping students to learn how to choose among library resources, to search for information, and to evaluate search results. Librarians also provide more formal instruction by teaching tailored information literacy sessions to classes throughout the College. Tutorials, course guides, and other helpful materials are available via the library’s Web page to assist students during the hours that the library is closed.

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. A minimum of 128 semester hours and a cumulative average of 2.0
    
2. 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.

3. 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.

4. *Foreign Language
   Students in a Bachelor of Arts program must complete 8 semester hours of a foreign language.
    
5. 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.