St. Mary's College of Maryland

St. Mary's Designated a Public Honors College

St. Mary's College of Maryland is a public, state-supported, coeducational college dedicated to providing an excellent education in the liberal arts tradition. There are 1,978 full-time students, of whom 851 are men and 1,127 are women. Almost 90 percent of the students live on campus in dorms, suites, apartments, and townhomes. Housing on campus is guaranteed for 8 semesters for all full-time students. In 1992 the college was designated the State of Maryland's Public Honors College in recognition of the academic excellence of its faculty and students. Every St. Mary's student participates in the intellectual and social life of the college. St. Mary's combines the educational and personal advantages of a small private college with the affordability of a public institution. Active learning and the development of critical thinking are encouraged in the discussion-oriented format made possible by modest class sizes. Student leadership in academic, cultural, and social spheres is aided by the community atmosphere, and opportunities are greater than at larger schools.

Maryland Location Offers Many Benefits

St. Mary's College of Maryland is situated along the banks of the St. Mary's River. Watermen harvest oysters and crabs from the St. Mary's, Potomac, and Patuxent rivers and the Chesapeake Bay; wild swans, ducks, and Canada geese winter in the creeks of St. Mary's County. Among the waterfront facilities are a boat house, river center, ocean kayaks, rowing shells, and a fleet of sailboats. The Patuxent River Naval Air Station, the county's largest employer, is a naval aircraft testing facility, attracting over 100 contactors that sponsor internships to SMCM students. It is an environment that is alive, providing fresh air and space, conveniently located just 75 miles south of Washington, D.C.

St. Mary's College of Maryland Athletics

The athletic facilities include a field house, lighted tennis courts, a baseball field, an outdoor track, and a stadium for field hockey, soccer, and lacrosse. The athletic facility includes an aquatic center with two indoor swimming pools including an Olympic-sized pool, a basketball stadium, a fitness center, an aerobic center, additional team rooms, and a rock-climbing wall. The college's teams compete in NCAA Division III and the Intercollegiate Sailing Association. Varsity sports for men are baseball, basketball, cross country, lacrosse, sailing, soccer, swimming, and tennis; for women, varsity sports are basketball, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, sailing, soccer, swimming, tennis, and volleyball. The college's sailing teams are especially noted for their national recognitions. Club sports available for both men and women include track, equestrian, fencing, golf, rowing, rugby, sailing, soccer, and Ultimate Frisbee.

Diverse and Deep Course of Study

The undergraduate course of study at the college provides both diversity and depth, leading to a broad understanding of the humanities, arts, and sciences. All students must complete the core curriculum requirements in addition to the requirements for a major field of study. The core curriculum requirements are designed to develop skills in critical thinking, information literacy, written communication, and oral communication, as well as promote the capacity for integration and synthesis of knowledge across disciplines. The core curriculum begins with first-year students completing a seminar of unique topics in every discipline designed by the faculty. In addition, students will fulfill the experiential component of the core by completing an internship, taking a service-learning course, or studying abroad. History, anthropology, and archaeology students can take advantage of the college's relationship with Historic St. Mary's City, the fourth permanent English settlement in the New World and Maryland's first capital. Many experts consider this area to contain the most abundant and earliest undisturbed artifacts of any American seventeenth-century town. A strong music program provides advanced training in composition and piano performance and a jazz ensemble, percussion ensemble, choir, chamber vocal group, wind ensemble, and chamber orchestra for classical performances.

Independent Study and Internship Opportunities

Independent study for credit is possible in every major, allowing students to investigate subjects not covered in normal course offerings. There is also an opportunity for students to design their own majors using components from several majors to create an interdisciplinary, individualized program of study. Internship programs for academic credit are available for junior- and senior-level students. Within these semester-long internships, students find ways to explore their career and scholarly interests. In recent years, St. Mary's interns have worked in state and federal government offices and laboratories, in the news media, in museums and art galleries, in commercial organizations, and in positions abroad. In a number of cases, internships have led either to full-time employment after graduation or to graduate or professional study.

Experienced Faculty Mentors Students

Faculty appointments and promotions are made on the basis of commitment to undergraduate teaching, an interest in new approaches to education, and academic and scholarly achievement. The faculty members have experience in a wide range of activities, including government, business, research, environmental studies, civil rights, theater, musical performance, and writing. Since 1982, St. Mary's College has had 23 Fulbright Scholars on its faculty and staff. Ninety-nine percent of the regular full-time faculty members hold a doctorate or other terminal degree in their field. A student-faculty ratio of 12:1 and average class size of 16, the relatively small size of the college, and the informal atmosphere all encourage close and personal relationships between students and faculty members. Faculty members serve as academic advisers and also provide much informal counseling and individual attention to students' academic and personal development outside of the formal structure.