Learning in the Lasallian Tradition

Learning at Saint Mary’s University is active, collaborative, and contextual, and is supported by a Lasallian commitment to serve the needs of individual learners.

The Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs provides relevant and rigorous academic experiences for adult learners through an integration of practical, professional, and ethical education offered in dynamic and caring environments. The academic program of the Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs offers coursework from the undergraduate through the doctoral level. Each school supports the individual learning expectations of each student and acknowledges the wealth of experience and prior learning that each adult learner brings to the classroom.

A relevant and rigorous education produces graduates who seek to deepen and expand their disciplinary knowledge and enhance their skills through critical thinking by:

• framing vital questions clearly;
• evaluating relevant information and its sources;
• demonstrating respectful engagement with others’ ideas, behaviors, and beliefs;
• assessing the congruence between personal norms and ethical principles;
• applying diverse frames of reference to decisions and actions;
• resolving issues based on evidence weighed against relevant criteria;
• developing a subject, including relevance, logic, grasp of subject, and depth of discussion; and
• communicating with clarity and coherence.

This is the intellectual and empathic foundation for leading ethical lives of service and leadership.