Overview
The Vibrant Catholic Community at Franciscan University Shapes the Hearts and Minds of the Future
Franciscan University of Steubenville is a vibrant Catholic community of students and talented educators who share a passion for seeking knowledge and truth. The university shapes the hearts and minds of future leaders of the Church by forming students to live for Christ in their vocation.
At Franciscan University, people love being around each other, and they enjoy life. Students receive a great education that helps them become leaders for the Church and nation. In this Ohio university, students grow as individuals and continually delve deeper into the richness of the Catholic faith. Students are led to Christ by professors, the households, and the friars. Being a student at Franciscan is life-changing for many students. Life in this community allows students to grow deeper in their faith and develop strong bonds with some of the greatest people they will ever meet. Many students grow in their Catholic faith while growing in their knowledge of the business and theology fields.
Franciscan University of Steubenville offers an academically challenging and passionately Catholic environment that draws students from all over the world. The student body comprises 2,400 undergraduate and graduate students hailing from California to Florida and from Ireland to India. They are all attracted by the university's distinctive integration of faith and reason.
Founded in 1946 by Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular, Franciscan University of Steubenville takes to heart Christ's call to St. Francis of Assisi to "rebuild my Church." The university sees its mission as educating and forming men and women of hope to be a transforming presence in the Church and the world. The many friars serving this mission lead faculty, staff, and students in living the Franciscan charisma of ongoing conversion in the power of the Holy Spirit from the classroom to the chapel to the athletic field.
Liberal Arts, Professional, and Preprofessional Academics Are Offered by Franciscan University of Steubenville
A comprehensive university offering liberal arts, professional, and preprofessional programs, Franciscan University of Steubenville has over forty undergraduate and seven graduate degree programs taught by Fulbright scholars and world-renowned faculty members such as Dr. Scott Hahn and Dr. Alan Schreck.
Franciscan University of Steubenville is home to the largest undergraduate theology program in the United States and the only catechetics major in North America. Theology and catechetics, along with nursing, education, and business, rank among the most popular courses in the curriculum. This Ohio Catholic University's growing science programs are housed in a modern 43,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art science facility. Top students in any major can take part in the Honors Program and engage the questions of the ages through close reading of the Great Books of Western Civilization. Other outstanding programs include the Pre-Theologate Program for men discerning the priesthood and the country's only Human Life Studies Minor.
Those who love travel love Franciscan University's study-abroad program in Gaming, Austria, where students study and live in a beautifully restored medieval monastery nestled in the foothills of the Austrian Alps. A four-day class schedule, ten-day break, and pilgrimages to Rome and Assisi provide exciting opportunities to experience first-hand the living roots of Catholic history, art, culture, and faith.
Both in Austria and in Steubenville, faith households - small groups of male or female students - foster true Christian friendship and positive peer support in a family-like atmosphere.
Student Life at Franciscan University Is Academically Challenging and Passionately Catholic
Confession, daily Mass, round-the-clock Eucharistic adoration, Festivals of Praise, Works of Mercy and Missions of Peace, and evangelistic outreach are key ways students deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church. More than 700 attend the three daily Masses in Christ the King Chapel.
NCAA Division III athletics, rugby, and intensely competitive intramural sports programs emphasize the "student" in student-athlete and seek to develop Christian virtue along with athletic expertise. A diverse array of cocurricular activities rounds out the Franciscan University experience and makes for an interesting and enjoyable social life.
Franciscan's success in preparing students to engage and impact the culture as Catholics in their chosen career and vocation has achieved national recognition from sources that include the America's Best Colleges list from "U.S. News & World Report," "Barron's Best Buys in College Education," and "The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College."
Franciscan University of Steubenville is academically challenging and passionately Catholic. Students are invited to visit the Franciscan University Web site for more information.
