SAINT JOSEPH'S COLLEGE

Division of Graduate and Professional Studies
Standish, Maine

Distance Learning Program

Saint Joseph's College offers the adult learner an opportunity to integrate formal education in the liberal arts tradition with professional experience. The Graduate and Professional Studies Program provides academic options in a variety of disciplines leading to undergraduate and graduate certificates and to associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees. Students may also choose individual courses for personal goals and/or industry continuing-education requirements. Each option is designed to reflect the special nature of Saint Joseph's commitment to its students. The Graduate and Professional Studies Program currently enrolls about 4,400 active students; approximately 8,500 Saint Joseph's alumni have earned their degrees through the distance program.

Delivery Media

Distance education courses through the Division of Graduate and Professional Studies and the Department of Nursing are available online via the World Wide Web, using WebCT. This integrated on-line platform is a flexible learning system where students have access to course content, study tips, resources tailored to the individual course, and various communication tools. Instructors use asynchronous instruction, so students enjoy a highly flexible, accessible mode of education that allows them to complete their programs of study where they reside, completely on their individual schedules. Upon enrollment, students receive the necessary texts and materials for their courses, including course access instructions. (Some courses are available in a text format for students with limited Internet access. Interested students should contact the Admissions office for more information.) All online courses require a computer with Internet access. Faculty members assist each student with their studies through a combination of written feedback on assignments, telephone consultations, and e-mail. An academic adviser is assigned to work with each student from enrollment through graduation. Most undergraduate and graduate degree programs require attending the two-week summer program at the campus in Maine.

Programs of Study

The Division of Graduate and Professional Studies offers the following degree programs at the graduate level: a Master of Science in Education (33 credits) with specializations in teaching and learning and administrative management, intended for teachers and/or administrators interested in initiating or enhancing a career in K–12 education, community college, or adult education ; a master's degree in health-services administration (42 credits) for senior management roles in complex health-care organizations, with specializations in health-services administration, long-term-care administration, and practice management; and a Master of Business Administration (42 credits), with a specialization in quality leadership. Graduate certificates include programs in health-services administration (15 credits), long-term care (15 credits), and medical practice management (15 credits).

Saint Joseph's College is a Roman Catholic, liberal arts college that nurtures intellectual, spiritual, and social growth in students of all faiths and all ages. Saint Joseph's was founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy and chartered by the Maine Legislature in 1915. It is the Catholic college of Maine. Saint Joseph's grants degrees in fulfillment of the educational ideals of the Sisters of Mercy, founded by Mary Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. Approximately 1,000 students reside and study at the 350-acre campus, situated on the shore of Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine, a half hour from Portland, Maine's largest city, and 2 hours north of Boston

In 1976, distance education was introduced at Saint Joseph's to serve the needs of nontraditional adult learners in the U.S. and abroad. The distance education program at Saint Joseph's College is one of the largest and most established of its kind in the country. With nearly three decades of experience of providing distance education to adult students, the College has the procedures and polices that work for busy professionals interested in furthering their education.

Saint Joseph's College is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges to award baccalaureate and master's degrees. The nursing program is approved by the Maine State Board of Nursing, Augusta, Maine, and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The long-term-care administration program is accredited by the National Association of Boards of Examiners of Long-Term Care Administrators.

At the undergraduate level, the Division of Graduate and Professional Studies offers the following degrees: the Bachelor of Science (128 credits), offering majors in business administration, with specializations in banking through a joint venture with the Center for Financial Training, and in management; general studies (a degree-completion program for adult students transferring a minimum of 30 credits), with specializations in adult education and training, business administration, criminal justice, human services, information technology management, and psychology; health-care administration; long-term-care administration; professional arts (a degree completion program for licensed health-care professionals), with specializations in adult education and training, health-care administration, human services, information technology management, and psychology; and radiologic science (a postcertification baccalaureate degree for radiology technicians). A Bachelor of Arts (128 credits) is also available at the undergraduate level, with majors in liberal studies and adult religious education. The Division also offers eight majors within the Associate of Science degree (66 credits), including adult education and training, business administration, criminal justice, general studies, human services, information technology management, management, and psychology.

Undergraduate certificate programs (18 credits) are available in adult education and training, business administration, Christian tradition, health-care management and advanced health-care management, information technology management, long-term-care administration and advanced long-term-care administration, and professional studies (selfdesigned). The Division of Graduate and Professional Studies also offers the non-credit Lay Ministry Foundation Program, a series of five courses created to help meet the needs of churches in an era of increasing lay participation. Students who would like to take individual courses at either the graduate or undergraduate level may enroll as continuing education students.

The Department of Nursing offers the following programs through distance learning: Master of Science in Nursing (39 credits), with specializations in nursing administration, and in nursing education; graduate certificate programs (18 credits) in nursing and health-care education and in nursing administration and leadership; a Bachelor of Science in Nursing for RNs (129 credits), which can also be earned in the RN to M.S.N. program (a curriculum that allows students to more rapidly progress through the B.S.N. and M.S.N. requirements and earn both degrees).

Special Programs

The Division of Graduate and Professional Studies has developed partnerships with numerous organizations and corporations to provide educational opportunities to their employees throughout the country at multiple locations. (For more information, students should visit http://www.sjcme.edu/partner.) Saint Joseph's College is a member of Service-members Opportunity Colleges (SOC), which guarantees transfer of credit for military personnel completing courses from other SOC schools. The Division is also a member of eArmyU, the Navy College Program Distance Learning Partnership, and Troops to Teachers and assists active and nonactive military personnel in their educational pursuits.

Credit Options

The Graduate and Professional Studies Program acknowledges the value of certain formal learning and career-based experience. For most programs, the College follows the American Council on Education guidelines in granting transfer credit for courses of study from accredited colleges or universities with a grade of C or better; ACE/PONSI-approved credit; ACE-approved military training and experience credits; CEUs earned through professional seminars, workshops, internships, and in-service education classes as elective credit; and CLEP, ACT/PEP, and DANTES exams. The total number of credits that can be awarded varies depending on the program.

Faculty

Nearly 200 full-time and part-time faculty members serve students in the Graduate and Professional Studies Program. Many teach in the residential program at Saint Joseph's College as well as in distance education. Each online instructor is required to complete a comprehensive five-week online training program to develop and refine the necessary skills to teach in an online environment. All instructors excel in their fields and have substantial experience with nontraditional students. Students communicate with faculty members via e-mail, phone, fax, and/or regular postal mail.

Admission

Admission requirements vary by program of study. Prospective students should contact the Admissions Office for the Graduate and Professional Studies Program at 800-752-4723 (toll-free) with specific questions about admission requirements. Information can also be obtained from the Web site.

Tuition and Fees

For the 2004–05 academic year, tuition is $220 per credit hour ($660 per 3-credit course) at the undergraduate level. Graduate course tuition is $275 per credit hour ($825 per 3-credit course). Application fees are $50 for degree programs and $25 for certificate programs and continuing education. An annual technology fee of $100 is also required of students in all degree programs and includes a copy of Microsoft Office. A complete fee schedule is available at the College's Web site.

Financial Aid

Students may be eligible for the Federal Pell Grant and/or Federal Stafford Student Loan. Applying for financial aid is an individualized process requiring consultation and evaluation. For more information and assistance, students should call the Financial Aid Office at 800-752-1266 (toll-free).

CONTACT

Admissions Office
Division of Graduate and Professional Studies
Saint Joseph's College
278 Whites Bridge Road
Standish, Maine 04084-5263
Phone: 800-752-4723 (toll-free)
Fax: 207-892-7480
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.sjcme.edu/gps

Applying

For most programs, students are accepted on a rolling-admissions basis and, therefore, can apply and begin their studies at any time during the year. Students can apply and enroll in their first course(s) over the telephone by contacting the Admissions Office or online at http://www.sjcme.edu/gps.