University of St. Thomas

st thomas university accreditation

University of St. Thomas Degree Programs

The University of St. Thomas appears in our ranking of the 50 Great Affordable Colleges in the South.

Traditional undergraduates have a wide variety of opportunities to study diverse fields at the University of St. Thomas. Most of these degrees comprise 120 total credits. Most of the credits are core requirements with electives and major classes comprising roughly half of the degree. Undergraduates can minor in many of the fields, too, or pursue certificates or dual degrees if they wish.

There are more than 50 graduate programs available, and these include brick-and-mortar classes, online classes, and hybrid degrees. Students may strive for a Master of Arts, Master of Science, or Doctorate. Additionally, they may pursue dual degrees, which include the Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration.

Representative degrees from each level of study at the University of St. Thomas include:

Bachelor of Science in Biology: Students complete 24 credits of basic biology and chemistry during their first two years of study. Thereafter, the students will take courses that are more and more advanced until they complete their capstone research project. Students are encouraged to complete research along the way, often in conjunction with their professors.

Master of Arts in Instrumental Music Education: The core courses of this degree comprise 17 credits and include Foundations of Music Education, Perspectives in Music Theory, and Teaching and Learning. Students must perform on their main instruments even as they learn the pedagogy of each of the instruments in a school band. At the end of their studies, students must present an oral defense and take a comprehensive oral examination.

Doctorate of Social Work: This is an online doctoral program, and it is the first designed specifically to teach students to become professors themselves. It is presented online because most of the students who pursue it are already in the workforce and need flexible classroom times. The courses demand a great deal of research, and students must receive approval from their advisers and the dissertation committee before proceeding.

At the University of St. Thomas, the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship provides exceptional high-school students with opportunities to study at the university. They learn creativity and how to implement those creative solutions to their home communities. The university provides these opportunities because it believes in building communities through such conscientious entrepreneurship.

About the University of St. Thomas

The University of St. Thomas was founded as a Catholic seminary in 1885. The inspiration for its name came from the patron saint of students: St. Thomas Aquinas. Nine years after its founding, it expanded to include a liberal-arts program in addition to the seminary education. Originally, the university awarded two-year degrees and didn’t start awarding four-year degrees until 1915. From 1906 to 1922, military service was mandatory for all students.

During the Depression, the university suffered financially, but the University of Notre Dame stepped in and helped out during the crisis. The university began issuing graduate degrees in 1950. It became coeducational in 1977. In 2001, the law school reopened after more than 70 years of being shut down during the Great Depression. Today, it is the No. 124 National University as chosen by U.S. News and World Report.

The University of St. Thomas Accreditation Details

The university’s regional accreditation comes from The Higher Learning Commission. The school’s academic accreditations come from a varied list of organizations, which include the:

  • Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Inc.
  • American Bar Association
  • American Chemical Society
  • American Psychological Association
  • Association of Theological Schools
  • Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
  • Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management
  • Council on Social Work Education
  • National Association of Schools of Music

The University of St. Thomas Application Requirements

The university accepts roughly eight in 10 freshmen applicants. Students must submit letters of recommendation, an essay, and their full high-school transcripts. SAT and ACT scores can be self-submitted for the application process, but once students choose to attend and begin signing up for classes, the university must have the official scores sent by the testing company.

Graduate students must have the previous applicable degree from a regionally accredited college or university, and each graduate degree has its own other requirements. Some degree programs require the Graduate Record Examinations, Miller Analogies Test, or Graduate Management Admission Test, so students should check the website of their chosen degree program to ensure that they know all of the requirements for their degrees.

Tuition and Financial Aid

There are many tuition rates at the University of St. Thomas. Students should check the website for complete clarification, but the following are general rates for most students. Semester tuition for undergraduates is $22,390. Fees come to about $1,000. Rooms cost between $2,500 and $4,500, depending on the residence hall chosen. Not counting commuter plans, meal plans cost between $900 and $2,200 per semester. These meal plans include various packages of meals and on-campus “bucks” for other purchases. The top plan is for unlimited meals.

Graduate tuition is complicated because some fields charge by the credit hour while others charge by the semester. The website gives a comprehensive list of all levels of graduate tuition.

Financial Aid is given after students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The FAFSA is the form the university and the government use to determine the amount of need-based aid to which the student is entitled. Students may also choose to apply for private aid, most of which is merit-based and not need-based, but any awards students receive will be counted as assets on the FAFSA and will affect the amount of need-based aid awarded.

Usually, financial aid of any kind is awarded as a combination of scholarships, loans, and grants. Need-based loans are subsidized, which means they generate no interest while a student is enrolled. Other loans are unsubsidized and accrue interest from the beginning. They also accrue interest on the interest.

The University of St. Thomas has seen much adversity throughout its existence, but its combination of perseverance and innovation have seen it through and seems still to be the school’s cornerstone.