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The Curriculum

Informed by the mission of the university, the curriculum of the University of Saint Mary seeks to prepare graduates to engage in the challenges of a complex, changing world with confidence in their ability to reason systematically, to communicate ideas clearly, to view the world locally and globally, and to make effective decisions that are morally and spiritually grounded.

We challenge each student to take responsibility for his or her own education within a caring community of faculty, staff, and student learners so that curiosity, intellectual rigor, and appreciation of the arts and sciences flourish.

Learning Goals for the 21st Century Applied Arts Areas of Investigation

University of Saint Mary students will engage the following areas of investigation (Adapted to USM from “Learning Goals for the 21st Century,” AACU, Greater Expectations Initiative):

  • The human imagination, expression in literature and the arts, and other artifacts of cultures;
  • Inductive and deductive reasoning to model the natural, social, and technical world especially through, but not limited to, mathematics, the natural sciences, the behavioral sciences, information systems, and technology;
  • The values, histories, and interactions of social and political systems across global cultures, with emphasis on American democracy;
  • Spirituality, faith, and the wholeness of the human person, understanding interconnections of the mind, heart, and hand;
  • Ethical and moral dimensions of decisions and actions.

Learning Outcomes Integrated Through the Areas of Investigation

University of Saint Mary graduates will:

  1. Demonstrate the ability to investigate and assess information to develop knowledge.
  2. Demonstrate the ability to use, integrate, analyze, and interpret complex information and connect theory and practice to draw new and perceptive conclusions.
  3. Demonstrate the ability to evaluate information from disparate sources, to transform information into meaningful knowledge to solve or accept complex issues.
  4. Demonstrate the ability to use English language conventions accurately to construct coherent written and oral arguments.