University Information

The University of St. Thomas is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org; 312-263-0456), an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

All University of St. Thomas education licensure programs within the School of Education are approved by either the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (651-539-4200) or Minnesota Board of School Administrators (651-582-8754).

The following programs have specialized accreditation that are discipline-based or associated with national professional associations:

• The baccalaureate degree programs in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer engineering, and civil engineering in the School of Engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (410-347-7700).
• The School of Law is accredited by the American Bar Association (202-662-1000).
• The Bachelor of Science degree program in chemistry is approved by the American Chemical Society (800-227-5558).
• The Counseling Psychology Doctorate program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (202-336-5979).
• The Masters’ degree programs in the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity are accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (412-788-6505).
• The University of St. Thomas is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (813-769-6500).
• The Health Care Master of Business program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management (301-298-1820).
• The baccalaureate and Master’s degree programs in the School of Social Work are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (703-683-8080).
  The University of St. Thomas is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (703-437-0700).
• The University of St. Thomas is registered with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education pursuant to sections 136A.61 to 136A.71. Registration is not an endorsement of the institution. Credits earned at the institution may not transfer to all other institutions. Contact information for the Minnesota Office of Higher Education is:

1450 Energy Park Drive, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55108-5227
Phone: (651) 642-0567
Toll Free: (800) 657-3866
Fax: (651) 642-0675
https://www.ohe.state.mn.us/

The program to assess student learning is an integral part of the university’s commitment to excellent teaching and effective learning. The assessment effort is sustained by the faculty and is fully supported by the administration. Information is systematically collected and examined both to document and improve student learning. The assessment program itself is routinely updated, and the information gained from the assessment process becomes part of on-going curricular development.

The University Learning Assessment Committee supports a university-wide learning assessment structure that encourages appropriate processes for all programs with stated student learning objectives. The committee consists of a designated assessment coordinator (faculty or administrator) from each school or college; two additional faculty members duly elected by the faculty; one adjunct faculty member appointed by the Adjunct Faculty Council; the University Learning Assessment Analyst; the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs or designee; the Vice President for Student Affairs or designee, and the Associate Vice Provost for Libraries & Online Education or designee. The committee is chaired by the Associate Vice Provost for Accreditation, Assessment, and Curriculum.

Currently, all curricula for majors and the undergraduate core curriculum are routinely assessed. Thus, students are asked from time to time to participate in testing, surveys, interviews, or other methods of collecting data for assessment purposes.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The University of St. Thomas was founded in 1885 by Archbishop John Ireland, less than a year after he was installed as St. Paul’s third bishop. What began as the St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary – with 62 students and a faculty of five – has grown to be Minnesota’s largest independent university with three campuses and more than 10,000 students.

Built near a river bluff on farmland that was still considered “far removed from town” in the late 1800s, the university’s main campus is nestled today in a residential area midway between the downtowns of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

In its first decade, St. Thomas was a high school, college and seminary; students enrolled in either the preparatory, classical or theological departments. In 1894 the theological department moved to an adjacent campus where it became The Saint Paul Seminary. The preparatory and classical departments, meanwhile, remained on the original campus and became the College of St. Thomas.

The classical department gradually grew to a four-year college curriculum. The first baccalaureate degrees were conferred in 1910 and St. Thomas was officially accredited in 1916. The preparatory department became the St. Thomas Military Academy, a high school that moved to a suburban campus in 1965.

After 92 years of all-male enrollment, St. Thomas became coeducational in 1977. Today, 50 percent of the undergraduates and 55 percent of the graduate students are women.

Coeducation, coupled with new graduate programs as well as new campuses, contributed to St. Thomas’ growth over the past three decades. Enrollment increased from under 2,500 students in 1970 to 10,245 today. The undergraduate program currently enrolls approximately 6,240 students.

Long-standing graduate programs in business, education, professional psychology and social work offer degrees at the master’s, specialist, and doctoral levels.

St. Thomas’ original “classical” and “theological” departments came together once again in 1987 through an affiliation between the seminary and university. Together they created the School of Divinity, which offers graduate degrees in pastoral studies, divinity and theology. St. Thomas is also home to the undergraduate St. John Vianney Seminary.

In 1990, recognizing the many changes and the addition of graduate programs to the institution, the name of the College of St. Thomas was changed to the University of St. Thomas.

The university’s main, 78-acre campus anchors the western end of St. Paul’s historic Summit Avenue.

In 1992 the university opened a permanent campus in downtown Minneapolis, which is home to the Dougherty Family College, the School of Law, and programs in the Opus College of Business, the School of Education, and the Morrison Family College of Health

The Bernardi Residence in Rome, which opened in 2000, is a remodeled residential estate on the banks of the Tiber River. Serving as a home to students on the university’s core semester program and the Center for Catholic Studies' Rome program, the Bernardi Residence is also available for conferences, study tours and housing for faculty, students, and visitors to Rome.

Inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition, the University of St. Thomas educates students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely, and work skillfully to advance the common good.

Convictions

As a community we are committed to:

1. Pursuit of Truth
   We value intellectual inquiry as a life-long habit, the unfettered and impartial pursuit of truth in all its forms, the integration of knowledge across disciplines, and the imaginative and creative exploration of new ideas.
2. Academic Excellence
   We create a culture among faculty, students and staff that recognizes the power of ideas and rewards rigorous thinking.
3. Faith and Reason
   We actively engage Catholic intellectual tradition, which values the fundamental compatibility of faith and reason and fosters meaningful dialogue directed toward the flourishing of human culture.
4. Dignity
   We respect the dignity of each person and value the unique contributions that each brings to the greater mosaic of the university community.
5. Diversity
   We strive to create a vibrant diverse community in which, together, we work for a more just and inclusive society.
6. Personal Attention
   We foster a caring culture that supports the well-being of each member.
7. Gratitude
   We celebrate the achievements of all members of our community in goals attained and obstacles overcome, and in all things give praise to God.

The university’s mission and convictions and our objectives for undergraduate education provide the framework for the Undergraduate Vision Statement.

The strengths of the undergraduate program are embodied in four commitments:

1. A commitment to the Catholic identity that informs its liberal and professional education;
2. A commitment to a common liberal arts foundation that serves as the core of the education in which all St. Thomas undergraduates participate;
3. A commitment to the integration of the liberal arts and career preparation, fostering in students a dedication to work for the common good;
4. A commitment to the underlying unity of the human person with an emphasis on the spiritual, intellectual, ethical and social development of all students. These commitments are manifested in the following features of the undergraduate program:
   1. A strong core curriculum for all students that exposes them to enduring, transcultural human truths, provides for multicultural exploration, and encourages integration that crosses disciplinary boundaries;
   2. A comprehensive and strong set of major and minor fields that meet the increasing demands of career competency and interdisciplinary development, while maintaining a common liberal arts core curriculum;
   3. An energetic, expert and diverse faculty who show their concern for the total development of students through extensive time and effort spent with them, and through their eagerness to involve students in the work of their fields through joint research projects, practicums, and service to the community;
   4. A faculty who model for students a love of learning through continual efforts to enhance teaching effectiveness, ongoing professional engagement, and collaboration with their colleagues in teaching, research and other program initiatives;
   5. A faculty who demonstrate a commitment to service through their willingness to serve as role models for students, demonstrating that compassion for others and lifelong dedication to service are ordinary aspects of being an educated, responsible citizen;
   6. A strong support and professional staff throughout the university committed to fostering the social, spiritual, and intellectual development of students through co- curricular activities, with a special focus on cultivating leadership ability.

As it looks to the future, the undergraduate program seeks to maintain these distinctive manifestations of its key commitments and to:

1. Build on the strengths of our Catholic identity by promoting dialogue between faith and reason and by enabling students to acquire an organic vision of reality which integrates faith and secular learning;
2. Increase efforts to cross departmental and disciplinary boundaries in order to enhance further the integration of liberal arts and professional education, faith and practice, principles and techniques, and education and service;
3. Emphasize more the preparation of students for a life of service in an increasingly diverse world through the development of integrated service learning opportunities for students;
4. Stress the importance of global awareness by encouraging study abroad opportunities, increasing participation in faculty and student exchanges, and increasing involvement with the university’s urban community;
5. Increase efforts to diversify the student body, the faculty, the staff, and the curriculum to reflect the diversity of the broader society;
6. Emphasize the integration of technology in teaching, and the development of computer literacy for all students;
7. Continue our strong emphasis on preparing students to think analytically, write and speak clearly, reason quantitatively, participate in a democratic society,
8. Contribute to the health of their communities and the environment, and know the natural world and their own and other cultures;
9. Continue to foster in our students an appreciation for the dignity of all human persons, created in the image of a just and loving God.

College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences includes undergraduate programs in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences, plus a number of interdisciplinary programs.

Opus College of Business

The Opus College of Business has seven departments offering undergraduate curricula in an interdisciplinary setting.

The Dougherty Family College offers and Associate of Arts degree with a major in liberal arts.

School of Education

The School of Education offers undergraduate courses and curricula for elementary and secondary teacher licensures.

School of Engineering

The School of Engineering offers fully accredited degree programs in mechanical and electrical engineering. The School is committed to developing complete engineers who have a sound Liberal Arts foundation combined with extensive hands-on experience and strong technical skills. (more information is available at www.stthomas.edu/engineering/)

Morrison Family College of Health

The Morrison Family College of Health offers undergraduate curricula for social work, health and exercise science, and nursing.

College of Arts and Sciences

Master’s-level programs are offered in Art History, Catholic Studies, English, Music Education, and Spanish.

Opus College of Business

The Opus College of Business offers seven degree programs at the graduate level. It is home to a variety of centers offering credit and noncredit seminars and continuing-education programs.

St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity

The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity offers master’s-level degrees oriented to theological study and the practice of ministry.

School of Education

Graduate study leading to certificates, master’s, educational specialist, and doctoral degrees is offered.

School of Engineering

St. Thomas graduate engineering programs have served students and regional industries since 1986. The School of Engineering offers graduate degrees in manufacturing engineering, mechanical engineering, systems engineering, technology management, and regulatory science. (more information is available at https://engineering.stthomas.edu/)

School of Law

The School of Law was reopened in 1999 after a 66-year hiatus. The first class of 120 students was admitted in fall 2001. Full accreditation by the American Bar Association was granted in 2006.

Morrison Family College of Health

The Morrison Family College of Health offers master's- and doctoral-level degrees in social work and counseling psychology.

The Undergraduate program follows a 4-1-4 calendar. The 4-1-4 calendar consists of a fall semester during the months of September through December, a four-week January term, and a spring semester during the months of February through May. Each Spring and Fall semester consists of approximately 14 weeks of classes and a four-day examination period.

Regular Semesters -

During the fall and spring semesters, a student normally enrolls in 16-18 credits.

The January Term -

Students may enroll in a maximum of four credits in a January term.

Summer Sessions -

The university offers two six-week sessions, one eight-week session and one twelve-week session during the months of June through August. A student may enroll in a maximum of eight credits a given session, with a maximum of sixteen credits for the summer.

Please note, the Dougherty Family College A.A. is not in the summer or J-term.

The University of St. Thomas is a private, coeducational, Catholic, liberal arts university.

The university offers 5 bachelor’s degrees, 118 major fields of study, and 62 minor fields of study. The university offers 59 graduate master degree programs, 1 juris doctor, 3 doctoral, 1 specialist, and 61 graduate certificates. It also offers 10 graduate-level joint- or dual-degree programs.

Please visit www.stthomas.edu/about for helpful information about the University of St. Thomas.

Further details regarding student persistence (outcomes and retention) can be found under the Student Outcomes section of our Required Disclosures to Students – Policies page (https://www.stthomas.edu/policies/required-student-disclosures/index.html).