Mount St. Mary's University Viewbook 2023

OUR MOUNTAIN HOME

On our peaceful mountain campus, students are immersed in rigorous academic offerings, active and exciting social experiences, and enriching spiritual and leadership opportunities that prepare them for meaningful careers and lives bound to make an impact on the world.

As a Catholic university, Mount St. Mary’s graduates ethical leaders who are inspired by a passion for learning and lead lives of significance in service to God and others.

TRAILBLAZERS OF YESTERDAY AND TODAY

TRAILBLAZERS OF YESTERDAY AND TODAY

Mountaineers blaze trails that change lives. Among the trailblazers in our 214-year history are the founders of Operation Smile and of Boys Town, the first female president of an NBA franchise, New York City’s first archbishop, the first Black female neurosurgeon resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and the first American-born martyr.

We find the intersection of our passions and our talents here. We delve into what’s in our minds and in our hearts so we can launch careers and lives that matter.

We learn voraciously. We compete ferociously. We serve selflessly. We explore boundlessly and grow faithfully. We turn possibility into reality. From the minute we arrive and every moment that follows, we live significantly.

A SHARED PATH

Every Mountaineer takes common courses in our sequential Core curriculum, based on the Catholic intellectual tradition and rooted in the liberal arts. When we look back on our four years at graduation, we’re amazed at where the Core has taken us. Integrated into every academic major, and including leadership development and cultural components, we gain a true liberal arts education in all of its dimensions—communication and analytical skills, cultural content and character formation. Our emphasis on ethics in the curriculum makes us unique among U.S. News best colleges in the North.

We contemplate corporate social responsibility in business, practice patience and compassion in a fifth grade classroom, and explore ethics in scientific research. The Core helps us hone the critical thinking and creative problem solving skills that we will need throughout our careers. We are Mount made.

DUAL DEGREE AND GUARANTEED ADMISSION PROGRAMS

Students who qualify are guaranteed admission into the following partnership programs:

Law (3/3 Dual Degree Program) with the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law

Nursing (Dual Degree Program) with University of Maryland and Shenandoah University

Osteopathic Medicine (4/4 Dual Degree Program) with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

Athletic Training Master of Science degree with Bridgewater College Athletic Training Master of Science degree with Thomas Jefferson University –Health Science majors may qualify for 3/2 Program

B.S./M.S. in Biotechnology (5-Year Program) at Mount St. Mary’s University

B.S./Master of Business Administration (5-Year Program) at Mount St. Mary’s University B.S./Master of Sport Management (5-Year Program) at Mount St. Mary’s University

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS

The College of Liberal Arts (CLA), the largest school within Mount St. Mary’s, enables you to make connections through freely exploring human achievement. We critically examine the past and discover ways to build upon it. Through CLA courses, we better understand ourselves and our diverse world in order to transform it. We gain a fuller understanding of the pursuit of knowledge, culture and leadership.

With majors, minors and special programs in all areas of the humanities, we develop a greater ability to synthesize, articulate and create. Employers, including intelligence agencies, public relations firms, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, recognize this quality in CLA graduates across all programs, from criminal justice to theology and from German to philosophy, politics and economics (PPE).

CLA programs will inspire and challenge you. Small classes, caring professors, knowledgeable students and abundant leadership opportunities create a transformative environment that will move you toward a better version of yourself, one who interacts productively with the world.

At SPARC 2022, I had five research presentations to give in one day and pulled it off successfully, I proved to myself that I could do what everyone else knew I was capable of, and it was a great summation of my three years at the Mount to see all of my hard work appreciated.

EMMY JANSEN , English and Conflict, Peace and Social Justice Marketing Assistant, BB Communications Agency

RICHARD

The Richard J. Bolte, Sr. School of Business has an impeccable reputation for producing successful business leaders. This reputation is backed by our programs’ specialized accreditation through the International Accreditation Council for Business Education.

While in the program, you’ll study economics, marketing, information systems, business law, accounting, strategy, corporate finance and social responsibility. This variety of coursework will allow you to pursue careers from consulting to business development to sales and marketing and beyond. If you choose the international business concentration, your learning experience will be truly global with class excursions to Yantai, China, and Mumbai, India.

You’ll be taught by doctoral-level and professionally experienced faculty who help bring academic theory to life. We go beyond classrooms and textbooks and dive into real-world solutions, experiential learning and the ethical application of business decisions. Among the professional opportunities offered are internships at BlackRock, Fidelity, Ernst & Young, KPMG, the Washington Commanders, Old Glory Rugby, M&T Bank and Matera Argentina. You don't even have to leave campus to gain experience in running an impactful business; our on-campus Saxbys Cafe is run by a team of students participating in the Saxbys Experiential Learning Platform (E.L.P). We also are home to the Palmieri Center for Entrepreneurship and the Center for Integral Ecology, Economy and iMpact.

The Mount connected me with exceptionally capable and caring mentors harboring extensive work experience in the career field I have chosen. Most of my professors asked to keep in touch after I graduated and are always willing to pick up the phone when I have a question.

LYDIA CHANCE, Accounting Operational Accountant, Leidos

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

Students committed to careers in education seek out Mount St. Mary’s School of Education for numerous reasons. Rigorous programs and close interaction with acclaimed faculty ensure that you’ll leave the Mount ready to make a difference in a rapidly changing educational environment.

We place an emphasis on classroom-based action research, which lends a truly progressive perspective to our approach to education. The Mount has earned national accreditation for its education programs through the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.

Majors and Minors Offered

English

Interdisciplinary Minors

Mathematics – Certification in Secondary Education (7-12)

Social Studies – Certification in Secondary Education (7-12)

Spanish/French/German Certification in Education (P-12)

JENNA LEWAREN , Elementary Education Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, Germany

The School of Education set me up tremendously for my future teaching career.

Enrollment in the School of Natural Science and Mathematics has exploded, rising by 30% in the last several years. Here you’ll find some of the most advanced scientific research imaginable—from Ebola to biochemistry, sustainability and beyond. Our newest majors include cybersecurity, neuroscience and data science.

We are known for our wide array of majors and programs, low-student-to-faculty ratio and mentoring faculty. Faculty sit at the research bench with students. Science majors also receive additional instruction in chemistry through a recitation program designed to improve student mastery of course material. Senior psychology majors present posters that reflect many hours of work on a faculty-mentored research project. The halls of Coad Science Building are abuzz throughout the summer with students conducting summertime research projects.

The Mount has equipped me with the skills I needed to get a well-paying job and the connections with faculty and other students that I can lean on whenever I need them.

SERGIO VILLAFANE , Computer Science and Cybersecurity Junior Software Engineer, Red Alpha

HERE FOR YOU FROM DAY ONE

Center for Student Engagement and Success (CSES)

CSES connects you with the campus services, programs and offices you need to ensure a smooth journey from your first day on campus through graduation.

Mount 101 Summer Bridge Program

Begin your Mount experience early. Mount 101 is a two-week, pre-orientation program that helps prepare you for campus life. You’ll take two 3-credit courses, participate in community building activities, explore areas off campus through field trips, and make friends who will be by your side for four years and beyond.

COMMITTED TO YOUR SUCCESS

The Mount is a caring, inclusive community that offers one-onone attention and mentoring. Our faculty and staff have your back, offering resources to put you on the path to becoming your best self academically.

Writing Center

Our award-winning Writing Center offers tutorials, short courses and workshops to all students looking to improve through critical and analytical writing skills on both a short- and long-term basis.

Learning Services

Learning Services offers a purposeful, learner-centered environment that supports the academic development of students of all abilities and academic challenges. Here you can sign up for our internationally certified peer tutoring program, attend study strategies and skills sessions and receive disability support.

CHALLENGE YOURSELF… IT’S THE CLIMB

Honors Program

Students take a series of courses featuring close faculty-student interaction in small class settings (even smaller than our average class size of 18). This unique experience integrates curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular learning in your major and interdisciplinary study. Your honors experience culminates in an intensive research project in your major and a presentation at the SPARC Festival during senior year.

Competitive Fellowships

If you are ready to take your academic success to the next level, the Office of Competitive Fellowships is there to help you with the application process for highly competitive and prestigious fellowships and scholarships, such as the Fulbright, Marshall, Rhodes, Goldwater, Department of Defense SMART and Gates Cambridge Scholarships. Mount Fellows also participate in enriching discussions with guest speakers and receive support for summer internships and other learning opportunities.

ROTC

From protecting our country from foreign threats, to helping rebuild communities after natural disasters, ROTC/Military Science cadets go on to serve their nation and create a safer world for all.

Serving God and Her Community Through Cancer Research VERONICA BALICK

As a US-UK Fulbright Scholar, Veronica Balick, who also received a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, earned a master's in Cancer Immunology and Biotechnology at the University of Nottingham. Now she is continuing her studies in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at George Washington University, where she is pursuing a doctorate in cancer biology. She credits the Mount’s faculty, especially in the Department of Science, with providing excellent preparation for graduate school and future research.

“There are very few places other than the Mount where science undergraduates can have such amazing classroom and research experiences. We also are equipped with the philosophical and ethical knowledge that will help us to make a difference in these fields.”

MOUNT PROUD

Opening Opportunities

AMANDA YEUNG

Amanda, a cybersecurity and data science major and member of the Mount’s nationally ranked bowling team, hit the biggest “strike” of her life when she was awarded a Department of Defense Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship. The award provides full tuition for up to five years, mentorship, summer internships, a stipend and full-time employment with the Department of Defense after graduation. Following graduation and the internship process, she will work at the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Amanda’s tip for female students in STEM: Join the Women in Computing Club, advised by Assistant Professor Rebecca Portier.

“Professor Portier helps us out in so many ways, with finding an internship and job prep, providing many opportunities of office hours, motivational talks and more.”

CARRYING THE MOUNT TO MADAGASCAR

Nathaniel Bald

One of the first Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Fellows in Madagascar, Nathaniel excelled in the role and was asked to remain in Africa to help pilot a Fulbright ETA Mentor Program. He is mentoring and building a Fulbright ETA community in Madagascar and four other African countries, training English teachers in Madagascar, and guest teaching at local schools and visiting English clubs across the island.

“I can see the profound effects and immense benefits my education is now producing as I invest in other educators. In Mount CARiTAS, the Mount looks at ways that we can serve those who serve. How do we empower, enable and support others who work directly with students and in the community to make them more effective, efficient and motivated educators?”

The people make the Mount so special, from the students, who I feel lucky to consider my second family, to the incredibly supportive faculty who have become my mentors. I knew from my first visit to the Mount that I wanted to be a part of such a close-knit, welcoming community.

MARY YENCA, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Doctoral Student in Chemistry, Texas A&M University

I had wanted to conduct research on invasive mussels since my freshman year. During the summer of 2021 and throughout my senior year, Dr. Sakowski helped me bring this research project to life. It was really fun visiting quarries to collect samples and learning a wealth of new knowledge from Dr. Sakowski.

Biology

I chose the Mount because the faculty care about the students’ success, and I was attracted to the pre-law program.

JADÉ CURTIS, Communication and Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) Graduate Student, Widener

MARISSA LAWSON,

and Environmental Science Legal assistant to a patent attorney with plans to attend law school and focus on scientific legal issues

Commonwealth Law School

FINDING A FIT IN GLOBAL FINANCE

PAIGE BUCHANAN

Fixed Income Strategy Analyst, BlackRock

The summer before her senior year, Paige interned at BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, where she found a perfect fit for her innovation, problem solving and creative thinking skills as well as her interest in global finance. Each morning she met virtually with business leaders or with other teams to focus on market trends, Federal Reserve policy, and international relations happening across the world that affected different funds and clients. Upon graduation, she joined BlackRock as a fixed income strategy analyst.

“One of the most meaningful experiences here at the Mount was going on a study abroad trip with Dr. Michael Barry in Russia for our International Economics class. Dr. Barry has been a mentor to me in research and class. I could not be more grateful for all the time and effort he has given me over the past couple years.”

PASSPORT RECOMMENDED PASSPORT RECOMMENDED

Get outside your time zone and your comfort zone. Whether it is for a semester, the summer, or a few intensive weeks of studying abroad, traveling out of the country gives you a new perspective on the people and the cultures of the world around you. You’ll learn about how you fit into the big picture.

Study Abroad Opportunities

Athens, Greece

Berlin, Germany

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Cuenca, Ecuador

Dublin, Ireland

Florence, Italy

London, England

Madrid, Spain

Prague, Czech Republic

Salzburg, Austria

San Jose, Costa Rica

Tours, France

Service Abroad Opportunities

An overseas adventure while helping others! Cusco, Peru

Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica Toledo District, Belize

In many ways, my study abroad experience in Florence, Italy influenced my decision to apply for a Fulbright grant and attend graduate school abroad in Rome.

ANNE FREDERICK , Italian and Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) Inaugural Fulbright-LUISS Scholar earning a master’s in international relations at Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli in Rome

APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Palmieri Center for Entrepreneurship

This innovative student hub develops your critical thinking skills. Utilizing a combination of analytical learning, mentorship and real-world experiences, you can learn to apply this new entrepreneurial thought process to starting a business, solving a real-world business problem or working with others to achieve high-impact, team-driven results.

i LEAD

The Institute for Leadership Ethics, Achievement and Development (iLEAD) offers a leadership certification program and hosts the Mount’s chapter of the National Society of Leadership and Success.

SPARC F estival

The Scholarship, Performance, Art, Research and Creativity (SPARC) Festival is a campus-wide celebration of the academic achievements of our community. Modeled after an academic conference, students share their work during poster sessions, lightning talks, honors project presentations, performances and more.

HELPING TO MAXIMIZE YOUR POTENTIAL

HELPING TO MAXIMIZE YOUR POTENTIAL

You may already know what you want to do in life. Or maybe you haven’t even decided on a major yet. Either way, you’re in a great position.

Counselors at the Career Center will work with you to design a personalized, four-year career action plan. They will take you from building your resume to applying for internships and finally to accepting a job offer or preparing for graduate school. The Career Center offers major exploration tools, resume workshops, networking events and mock interviews. Each year you’ll have the chance to participate in our annual large-scale Career Fair on campus.

The Mount has hidden gems all over, with special connections and wonderful networking opportunities. If you take full advantage of what is offered, you will 100% be headed toward great things.

GISELLE OBIAKOR, Cybersecurity Principal Cyber Information Assurance Engineer, Northrop Grumman

CAREER SUPPORT FOR LIFE

Wherever you go and whatever you do, you’ll always have access to our Career Center to help you advance professionally.

As a student and an alum, you’ll have connections to 18,000 Mountaineer alumni in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and more than 30 countries.

Handshake, our comprehensive, remote-friendly careerservices platform, connects students and alumni to more than 400,000 employers—including every Fortune 500 company—for internships and jobs.

INTERNSHIPS

INTERNSHIPS

To get a great job, it helps to complete great internships. Your hands-on learning experiences allow you to turn your coursework into real work.

Your advisors and counselors will help you find an internship that’s right for you—locally, across the country or on the other side of the world. You’ll find Mount students interning at organizations like Estée Lauder, Morgan Stanley, National Institutes of Health, Washington Commanders, National September 11 Memorial & Museum, Prudential, Walt Disney World, NASCAR, Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, Bank of America, and so many more!

American Express knew that Collins Nji was right for the company nearly from the beginning of his summer internship in New York City. Within six weeks, the company offered the computer science major employment upon graduation!

My internship at the United States Federal Reserve System truly gave me a lens into my professional future in the world of finance. This opportunity allowed me to emphasize and bring to life my work ethic and compounding love for learning.

MAX DAVIS, Business with Concentration in Finance Investment Analyst, Prudential Financial

Weeks of Welcome

Weeks of Welcome kicks off the school year—two weeks of fun designed to introduce new students to the Mount community and let returning students reconnect. Take adorable pictures for the Gram at goat yoga, gorge on Maryland crabs, laugh too hard at a comedy show, discover why bingo is big at the Mount, and make lots of new friends.

Block Party

This is your time to get involved! You can sign up for some of our 70+ clubs and organizations at the Block Party. Challenge yourself to explore new options, and if you don’t see a club you like, you can always start one!

FamilyFest

It’ll be nearly impossible to tell your family about everything you’re doing at the Mount. FamilyFest is the perfect opportunity to share your experiences with them. You can hike our campus trails, enjoy lunch from a food truck, take in performances by our Visual and Performing Arts students, and introduce your parents to your favorite professors.

Homecoming

At Homecoming, you’ll experience what it means to be a Mount Maniac. Dance the night away at the formal dance, complete with a live DJ and a photo booth. Go wild at the men’s and women’s basketball games and then join in paying tribute to our athletic greats being inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame.

HOUSING

On-campus housing is guaranteed for all first-year students. You’ll have no shortage of new friends who will help you feel right at home.

First-year students live in Sheridan Hall, Pangborn Hall, Bradley Hall or the Terrace Complex. All students have the perk of free laundry, parking and WiFi.

The Mount offers four integrated living-learning communities (ILLCs) where you can explore mutual connections and interact with peers and faculty members around topics related to your common academic interests.

The Honors ILLC connects gifted first-year students in the pursuit of shared goals and interests with faculty in co-curricular activities and lectures that complement their coursework. Students will need to be accepted to the University Honors Program in order to apply to live in the Honors ILLC.

The Invictus ILLC focuses on understanding the experiences of racial minorities in U.S. society, understanding the students’ own identity in the context of our society, and building community among a cohort of first-year students of color.

The Living With the Land ILLC helps first-year students connect the material from the Mount’s core courses to intentional ways of living in community, caring for the environment, engaging in fulfilling work and leisure, and growing in virtue.

Women in STEM ILLC students interact with science faculty, upper-level students and professionals. Community members will be surrounded by other students with interest in STEM and experience a support system to help foster success.

YOU BELONG HERE

From your best friends to your greatest mentors, you will meet people during your time at the Mount who give you the confidence and support to live significantly.

Ranked among the top universities in the North for ethnic diversity, our campus community provides an opportunity for students to learn from each other and develop the cultural competency necessary to succeed in a diverse workplace and society.

With more than 70 clubs and organizations, including a newspaper, literary magazine, radio station, and television production studio, you’ll certain to find your jam. Join an academic club, a service organization or a special-interest group from anime to Latin dancing. Get involved with the Black Student Union, Student Organization of Latinos or Asian Culture Club. We offer so many opportunities to grow beyond the classroom.

GROW FAITHFULLY GROW FAITHFULLY

At the heart of our Catholic commitment is the belief that every person is a gift. As a Catholic university, we are called to inspire students to discover their passions and callings, to embrace learning, to play an active role in the community and to lead lives of significance in service to God and others. Students seeking spiritual guidance can turn to the university chaplain and the Center for Campus Ministry.

We are home to many sacred spaces that serve as living examples of our commitment to our faith and as places for the Mount community to reflect and pray.

The Chapel of the Immaculate Conception is the center of spiritual life on campus— the celebration of Mass sustains and enriches the faith of the university and seminary. The awe-inspiring chapel was built more than 100 years ago.

Many students frequently visit the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, an idyllic shrine for spiritual reflection located at the top of Mary’s Mountain.

SERVE SELFLESSLY SERVE SELFLESSLY

Committed to thinking of service in our community as central to the activities of a university, the Mount is ushering in a deeper focus on community service in academics and campus life, through the new Center for Service. Programs include Mount Table food pantry, CORE Leadership Program, Community Advancement Resources in Training Assessment and Service (CARiTAS), and Special Olympics, among others. Our biggest volunteer activity each year is the Special Olympics Maryland Fall Sports Fest, held on campus for 30-plus years and powered by more than 200 student volunteers each year.

Freshman year I was a CORE Leader and a freshman ambassador. Sophomore year I became the secretary of the Maryland Student Legislature. Junior year I joined the V.O.I.C.E. Executive Board and also became the vice president of Women in Business. All of these activities have a common thread, servant leadership. I have always strived to be in service to others.

NIA BROWN , Business With Concentration in Management Technical Consulting Customer Engineer, Microsoft

THIS IS EMMIT

S. BURG

Athletics are a big part of the Mount experience, so you’ll often find yourself losing your voice on the sidelines at the PNC Sports Complex.

Who knows, maybe you’ll be among the 37% of students who represent the Mount as an NCAA Division I athlete. Whether you’re a student-athlete or a diehard fan, we could be your ticket to March Madness. Our men’s and women’s basketball teams have had multiple recent trips to the NCAA tournament, and you could be the one to help us get there again.

STAY ACTIVE STAY ACTIVE

Our Division I student-athletes aren’t the only competitors on campus. Premier, club and intramural sports keep us active and moving. You’ll make your teammates proud—and have some fun while you’re at it.

Premier Sports – Men’s Rugby and Esports

National champions at the club level in 2016, the men’s rugby team now competes against nationally ranked teams at the highest level offered by USA Rugby. Mount esports, established in 2019, has competitive teams playing League of Legends, NBA2K, Overwatch, Rocket League and Super Smash Bros. Plus, the gaming haven in Purcell Hall is open to all students.

Club Sports

Club sports teams generally practice two to three times a week and play other colleges and universities throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The teams are run by student leaders working alongside a coach/advisor.

Intramural Sports

Students, faculty and staff have fun playing against one another in a variety of sports leagues and tournaments. Although winning the coveted intramural champion T-shirt is always a goal, the program’s points of emphasis remain sportsmanship and building a sense of community.

Couple our success rate with the connections you’ll make, the experiences you’ll have, and a fuller sense of who you are—and your education at the Mount is likely the most important investment you’ll ever make.

FINANCIAL AID

We know that determining how to pay for college will be one of the biggest decisions you and your parents will make. We don’t want a financial barrier to keep anyone from the opportunity to pursue a life of significance, so we offer generous financial aid, scholarships and grants to help you come to the Mount and do just that.

FAFSA

To get started, you only need to fill out one financial aid form, the FAFSA— and you can do it online. It takes students, on average, less than 30 minutes. Make sure you complete the FAFSA prior to our deadlines.

FAFSA School Code: 002086

Early Action Applicants:

Students who apply to the Mount and file their FAFSA by Dec. 1 will be eligible to receive their financial aid award letter by mid-Jan., pending any additional information requests by the Financial Aid Office.

Financial Aid Priority Deadline:

Students who apply to the Mount and file their FAFSA by Feb. 1 will be eligible to receive their financial aid award letter by Feb. 15. If you are a Maryland resident, applying and submitting your FAFSA by Feb. 1 will also make you eligible to receive Maryland state grants.

Grants and Scholarships

You can also apply for scholarships and grants offered by the Mount. For a full list, including application requirements, visit msmary.edu/scholarships.