Engaged Students

At St. Mary’s, unique opportunities abound. Students study archaeology in Greece; investigate marine biology in our fresh and saltwater labs; paint, draw, and sculpt in our art studios; or try out for theatrical productions. The possibilities are endless and students coming to St. Mary’s with numerous interests are not limited in their studies, but are encouraged to explore many different disciplines...

World-wide Learning

• Research puts students in the driver’s seat. At St. Mary’s, many students earn academic credit doing individual research and independent study projects in collaboration with a faculty member. First- and second-year students often join ongoing projects while advanced students pursue their interest under the mentorship of a favorite professor. Recent projects include: The Effects of Family Dynamics on Aggression, Nondestructive Coral Health Monitoring, Improving Science Literacy Among Elementary School Children, U.S.-Cuban Relations: Where Do We Go From Here?, The Emergence of A Political Theater in South Africa, and Defining a New Internet Language

• Study Abroad at St. Mary’s is a serious subject. Unlike many colleges that expect you to sort out the details for yourself, St. Mary’s designs unique international programs that truly explore other cultures. Study interpretations of Shakespeare in England, history in China, or archaeology in Greece. Our ever-growing list of programs includes destinations in Senegal, Germany, Belize, the Caribbean, Thailand, France, and the Gambia.

• Contributing to the sense of community that defines St. Mary’s, many students go beyond campus to contribute to the surrounding area. Working in local schools, aiding those in need, and preserving the environment, students find service instructive and rewarding. In addition, many department offer service learning in conjunction with school work, allowing students to earn academic credit as they make a difference in their community. St. Mary’s students have completed service learning projects with: America Reads, Christmas in April, St. Mary’s Hospital, and Local Schools. They also provide tutoring for the GED and for at-risk youths.

Great Teaching

With a low student/faculty ratio, small, discussion-based classes, and an excellent core curriculum, St. Mary’s offers a remarkable liberal arts education. As the honors college of the State of Maryland, the undergraduates are held to a higher level of expectation from the faculty and students are offered the kinds of academic opportunities, challenges, and results usually reserved exclusively for students in honors programs...

Chart Your Own Course

• St. Mary’s College is one of only two public honors colleges in the nation. That means you’ll receive an education comparable to the best private liberal arts colleges, but at about one half of the cost. St. Mary’s Core Curriculum introduces students to the liberal arts tradition, exposing them to the breadth of human knowledge and teaching them the important skills of effective reading, writing, and critical thinking.

• St. Mary’s is a leader in interdisciplinary study. Interdisciplinary options include African and African Diaspora Studies, Asian Studies, Environmental Studies, Museum Studies, Neurosciences, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. A list of courses includes offerings like: Sexuality and Modernity, Studies in Genre: The Female Coming-of-Age Novel, The History of Apartheid, Introduction to African Dance, The Tale of Genji and The Story of the Stone, and Buddhist Art of Asia.

• The St. Mary’s Project is a year-long, 8-credit, independently designed and executed course of study that serves as a capstone experience for a student’s time at St. Mary’s. Working in close conjunction with one or more professors, the St. Mary’s project provides opportunity to explore an idea or question that intrigues the student. Many projects are interdisciplinary, bringing together threads from earlier classes taken across the curriculum. Many are highly personal, involving creative or innovative work that ties together four years of study in a meaningful way. Past projects include: “A Defect of the Confederation: The Crisis of Virginia’s Western Cession,” “Geospecific 3-dimensional Databases for Real-Time Visual Simulation,” “Economic Aid for Women-Centered Cultures,” “A Miracle Manifested: A New Vision of Public Education,” and “Patients versus Patents: The Economics of Essential Medicines in Poor Countries.”

Academic Programs
Anthropology, Art and Art History, Asian Studies, Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, English, International Languages and Cultures, History, Human Studies, Student-Designed Major, Mathematics, Music, Natural Science, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Public Policy Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology, Theater Film and Media Studies (TFMS)

Minors
Art History, Art Studio, Biology, Computer Science, Economics, Educational Studies, Film and Media Studies, History, International Languages and Cultures, Mathematics, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, Theater Studies

Cross-Disciplinary Study Programs
African and African Diaspora Studies, Asian Studies, Democracy Studies, Environmental Studies, Museum Studies, Neurosciences, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Pre-Professional Programs
Pre-Dentistry, Pre-Engineering (3-2 program with U. Md. School of Engineering) Pre-Law, Pre-Medicine, Pre-Optometry, Pre- Pharmacy, Pre-Veterinary Science, Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), Nursing (3-1 or 3-2 program with Johns Hopkins Univ.)

Vibrant Community

St. Mary’s College has the most residential campus in the state, with nearly 90% of the students living on campus. With a busy waterfront campus, a strong intramural and varsity athletic program, over 100 different student-run clubs and organizations, a newly renovated gymnasium, new river center, and Washington D.C, Baltimore and Annapolis within a two hour drive from campus, students find plenty to do...

Wave of Friendship

• St. Mary’s is an active community of friendly people and aspiring scholars.  Lecture series and guest speakers help bring innovation to the campus.  The annual Margaret Brent Lecture and Carter G. Woodson Lecture bring speakers of notable accomplishments to campus to speak about gender and race issues, while the Goodpaster Lecture in Leadership and Honor brings an important national leader to campus each fall to speak with students.  Past speakers include… Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist David S. Broder, U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes, Mario Livio of the Space Telescope Science Institute, President of the Gambia Alhaji Yahya Jammeh, and co-founder of Black Panther Party Bobby Seale.

• Whether you play on a Seahawk varsity team, join a club sport, or organize friends on an intramural team, athletics are a major aspect of campus life.  St. Mary’s fields 16 varsity teams in NCAA Division III competitive play.  Our nationally ranked sailing team competes against powerhouses like the U.S. Naval Academy, Georgetown, and Harvard, and has won ten national titles.  Additionally, there are more than 20 club and intramural sports, ranging from cheerleading and crew to fencing and Ultimate Frisbee.  Over 70% of the students participate in varsity, club and intramural sports.

• Students shape and direct campus life through student government and campus organizations.  That’s why you’ll find specialty clubs like the sunset club, travel club, Take One! Improv, and the dance club.  With more than 100 campus organizations, there’s a group for almost every interest. Don’t see a club that you’d like to join?  Get some people together and start a new one.

Successful Outcomes

The education provided from a strong liberal arts institution like St. Mary’s College of Maryland will prepare graduates for the challenges that they may face in graduate school and the work force. St. Mary’s boasts the highest graduation rate of any state-supported college or university in Maryland and, within a year of graduation, two-thirds of St. Mary’s graduates seeking employment have a job directly related to their field...

A Class Act

• Interested in advanced studies? St. Mary’s is the place for you. About 60% of our students enroll in graduate or professional school after graduation. Our graduates choose some of the most of prestigious programs in the nation; a small sampling includes: Duke University of Law, Scripps Research Institution, College of William and Mary, Carnegie Mellon, University of Chicago, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Cornell School of Veterinary Medicine, Columbia School of Medicine, and University of Virginia.

• Even in a less than stellar job-market, St. Mary’s alumni succeed in the workplace. Within a year of graduation, 66% of St. Mary’s alumni seeking employment have a job directly related to their major. A small sampling of St. Mary’s employers includes The Daily Reporter, Lockheed Martin, US Department of Labor, NASA, the Washington Post, and the Peace Corps.