Academic Resources

Click on any of the following links for information:

• Greater Portland Alliance of Colleges & Universities
• Honors Program
  • Selection
  • Minimum Standards
• Study Abroad
• Contract Major
• General Education
• Academic Advising

The five Greater Portland institutions of higher education Maine College of Art, Saint Joseph’s College, Southern Maine Community College, University of New England and University of Southern Maine have established the Greater Portland Alliance of Colleges & Universities (GPACU) as a means of enriching and expanding educational opportunities for their students as well as for the people of Greater Portland. As a first step in linking our resources, Alliance members established a cross-registration program. It allows students to take classes at colleges other than their own for no additional tuition.

To be eligible, the Saint Joseph’s student must:

• be matriculated and in good academic standing;
   
• not be a first-semester freshman;
   
• have approval of appropriate academic authorities;
   
• meet all other requirements of the College.

Each student is limited to three courses per year and a total of five over the period of the student’s undergraduate studies.

Other activities and services that have been developed by GPACU include library borrowing program, jointly sponsored events and conferences, and international student exchange programs.

The Honors Program is open to qualified students from all majors. It consists of Honors sections of the Inner Core courses (24 credits) of the Core Curriculum: Honors HY 101 and 102 Western Civilization I and II (first-year), Honors TH 100 Introduction to the Judeo- Christian Tradition (sophomore year), Honors PH 200 Philosophy and Ethics (sophomore year), Honors ES 300 Ecology and the Environmental Challenge (junior year), and Honors HP 402 the Capstone Seminar (senior year).

The Honors Core Curriculum courses allow the faculty to teach, and the students to learn, at a challenging depth and breadth. The classes enhance discussion, encourage wide reading and deep study, promote individualized instruction, and engage in field research and class trips.

The Honors Program provides students with numerous opportunities for personal enrichment, including concerts, plays, museum exhibits, and other cultural events. It also sponsors social and recreational activities.

The Admission Office, working with the Director of the Honors Program, considers for the Honors Program every incoming first-year student. Invitations are extended on the basis of a student’s record of achievement and potential for academic success as indicated by such factors as high school GPA, SAT scores, etc. It is also possible to be admitted into the Honors Program by individual request after a student has completed one semester of course work. The Honors Committee will consider each request, placing particular emphasis on college performance and faculty recommendations.

Honors students are expected to excel with grades of B- or better in the Honors courses. A student with a grade lower than a B- will be placed on probation. A student with a second grade below a B- will no longer be eligible to remain in the Honors Program.

Studying abroad allows students to experience different societies, cultures, and economies. Saint Joseph’s College offers both individual and summer group options for studying abroad which can accommodate nearly any major. Students interested in studying abroad should contact the Study Abroad Coordinator for programs and procedures.

Saint Joseph’s College is a member of the International Student Exchange Program, a network of over 100 institutions of higher learning in more than 30 countries.

Students with a minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA may apply to participate in an exchange for either a semester or an entire academic year through ISEP. Students placed in an ISEP exchange pay their usual SJC tuition, room and board and receive the same, at no additional cost beyond the $300 ISEP placement fee, at their host institution abroad. For additional information regarding the program, students may consult the ISEP Web site at www.isep.org

Saint Joseph’s also provides students with the possibility to apply for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

The Fulbright fellowship allows graduating seniors with a minimum 3.5 GPA to develop a dream project which can range from the sciences and humanities to the professional programs and the creative arts, plus opportunities for teaching and business administration. Should a student’s application be accepted, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program will pay both travel and a stipend to the student the academic year after their graduation in order to allow them to complete their project in participating countries in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. For more information, students may consult the Fulbright U.S. Student Program Web site at www.iie.org/fulbright.

A student who wishes to design his or her own interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary major in place of a discipline major may contract for such a major. A contract major is an individualized and coherent plan of study of 40 or more hours of course work that a student, working with faculty, designs.

• The Vice President for Academic Affairs and the 4-Year College Educational Policies Committee shall approve each contract major. The Vice President for Academic Affairs shall assign a faculty advisor.

• To apply for a contract major, students shall have at least sophomore status with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.3.

• A Contract Major form must be completed with the signature of a sponsoring faculty member.

• Each course that is part of the contract major must be scheduled to be taught during the following three years.

• No Graduate and Professional Studies courses, with the exception of summer residency courses, may be part of the contract major.

• No more than two (2) named core curriculum courses or two (2) independent study courses may be included.

• The College requires that a student obtain a C or better in all course work required for the contract major.

• All other graduation requirements shall be met.

Degree Requirements

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 signiicant 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
   EH 101		College Writing		4 credits
   EH		One course (at or above the 200 level)		4 credits
   ES 300		Ecology and the Environmental Challenge		4 credits
   HY 101-102		Western Civilization I and II		8 credits
   PH 200		Philosophy & Ethics		4 credits
   TH 100		Intro to the Judeo-Christian Tradition		4 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
   Mathematics		One course		4 credits
   Philosophy		One course		4 credits
   Theology		One course		4 credits

   
   

   Elective Courses — 12 credits
   Mathematics		One course		4 credits
   Philosophy		One course		4 credits
   Theology		One course		4 credits
   Additional elective Courses — 8 credits
   One each from two different areas (total of eight credits):
   English				4 credits
   Fine Arts				4 credits
   History				4 credits
   Language *				4 credits
   Science				4 credits
   Social Science				4 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 relective thinking;

   • promotes close student interaction with some of the College’s best faculty;

   • provides an ethical and moral sense through its service learning projects;

   • relects 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
   Honors ES 300		Ecology and the Environmental Challenge		4 credits
   Honors HY 101-102		Western Civilization I and II		8 credits
   Honors PH 200		Philosophy & Ethics		4 credits
   Honors TH 100		Intro to the Judeo-Christian Tradition		4 credits
   Honors HP 402		Capstone Experience		4 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
   English		One course		4 credits
   Mathematics		One course		4 credits
   Philosophy		One course		4 credits
   Theology		One course		4 credits
   Additional elective Courses — 8 credits
   One each from two different areas (total of eight credits):
   English				4 credits
   Fine Arts				4 credits
   History				4 credits
   Language *				4 credits
   Science				4 credits
   Social Science				4 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 proiciency. This waiver only releases the student from the requirement, not from the number of credits for the degree.

The 4-Year College prides itself on the quality of its student advising. The academic advising program is under the direction of the Ofice 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.