Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

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Degrees Offered at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota appears in our ranking of 50 Great Affordable Colleges in the Midwest.

Saint Mary’s University is a private liberal arts college that offers a wide range of accredited degree programs in traditional and online formats. Most of the online offerings at SMU are master of arts programs in the humanities and social sciences. Several accredited online bachelor of science degree options are also available. On campus, SMU offers a complete selection of associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. With 59 degree majors and many specializations available within each major, SMU offers students a valuable opportunity to experience university life while pursuing a career in government, academia or industry.

Because SMU is regionally accredited, students who graduate from one of the bachelor’s programs at SMU can enroll in any graduate program at another accredited university. Credits from courses at SMU can easily be transferred to other universities for undergraduate transfer students. The goal of SMU is to educate the business leaders, teachers, nurses and social scientists of the next generation, and all students have access to cutting-edge learning tools and technology online and on campus. While online students are not required to travel to the campus, they can do so if they wish to take advantage of the state-of-the-art resources provided for all students of SMU.

Many students enroll at SMU to take advantage of the bachelor’s completion program, which is offered online and on campus. This program is designed for busy adult students who are looking for a way to finish a degree they started earlier in life. SMU makes it easy to keep up with coursework while working full-time and taking care of family life and personal responsibilities. Online courses run on the same schedule as residential courses. From the bachelor of business administration to the bachelor of science in nursing, the online undergraduate programs are designed to be challenging and rewarding.

SMU offers 15 graduate programs online, including master of science programs in accountancy, cybersecurity and business intelligence and analytics. The online graduate school offers a wide range of master of arts programs in subjects such as educational leadership, health and human services administration, organizational leadership, public administration, special education, and others. Online business students can pursue an accelerated master of business administration, which takes three semesters to complete. Education students can enroll in the online Master of Education in Learning Design and Technology.

There are over 120 degree options available at SMU, and a special focus is placed on the online programs to ensure a rigorous education. The majority of degree programs at SMU are residential undergraduate programs, including bachelor’s completion and associate’s degree programs. SMU offers a full range of accredited master’s degree options for residential students. The academic departments at SMU include business, nursing, social sciences, and liberal arts. Classes have a 16:1 ratio of students to faculty, on average, so all students are guaranteed to receive personal attention and direct feedback from professors.

SMU is a nationally renowned research university with a track record of innovative ideas in business, social work, education, and organizational leadership. Graduate students who want to participate in cutting edge research at the master’s and doctoral levels have the opportunity to take advantage of valuable research experience at SMU. Graduate research is endowed by generous donors and funded by federal grants, so students and supervising professors have a high degree of autonomy in their research. From organizational psychology and business analytics to special education for children with autism, the research conducted at SMU is often groundbreaking and impactful.

About Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

SMU was founded in 1912 as one of the six Catholic Lasallian schools in the United States. The Lasallian tradition is a Christian religious tradition of education that has its roots in France of the 18th century. Lasallian education puts an emphasis on inclusive self-empowerment that relies on family support and communal pedagogy. In 1933, SMU became accredited to award bachelor’s degrees by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Throughout the postwar years, SMU expanded its degree offerings to include several graduate programs in divinity, medicine, law, dentistry, and the humanities. In 1969, women were admitted to SMU for the first time, and a small class of women enrolled in degree programs that year. The coeducational mission of SMU gradually expanded to create a balanced student body with equal numbers of men and women.

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Accreditation Details

SMU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The HLC is a regional accrediting body that is federally approved to accredit universities throughout the midwestern United States. Regional accreditation is more rigorous than national accreditation, so college credits earned at SMU are certain to transfer to other accredited universities without any problem. Several programs and departments at SMU are also programmatically accredited. Psychology degrees are accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). The marriage and family therapy program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy (CAMFT). The School of Nursing is accredited by both the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (CANAEP).

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Application Requirements

SMU is a private nonprofit college with a competitive admissions process. Incoming freshmen must include a high school transcript or proof of a GED with their applications. Transcripts should include GPA, class ranking, course schedule, and class size information. Undergraduate transfer and bachelor’s completion students must submit an official college transcript, and graduate students must show proof of a bachelor’s or master’s degree from an accredited university. To speed up the application process, students should include SAT, ACT or GRE test scores with their applications. Graduate students must submit written recommendations from professors at the time of application.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition costs at SMU are about $32,575 for in-state and out-of-state students of all degree programs. When the cost of food, room, board, and personal expenses is included, the cost of education increases by $12,000 to $20,000. Applicants can visit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) website to apply for federal Pell Grants and low-cost loans. Federal aid awards are based on the financial need of the student’s family. Up to the entire cost of education can be covered by federal student aid. Subsidized federal loans do not need to be repaid until the student drops below half-time enrollment for three months. Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota offers scholarships and other forms of financial aid through the office of student financial services.