St. John’s University

St. John's University was founded in 1865 by The Most Reverend John Loughlin, the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Brooklyn. Reverend Loughlin reached out to the Congregation of the Mission, a branch of the Vincentian Fathers, to develop a college where the city's youth could receive a solid education. In response to Reverend Loughlin's request, the Vincentian founders purchased three farms in north-central Brooklyn to serve as the day college, which opened in 1870 with 47 students and six faculty.

In 1906, the school became St. John's University when the state of New York granted it university status. In 1908, the School of Pedagogy began which later became the School of Education. Construction began on the Schermerhorn Street building in 1928 to accommodate growing enrollment. In 1971, St. John's University merged with Notre Dame College to establish the Staten Island campus.

Today, St. John's University is a private, coeducational Roman Catholic university with locations in Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan and Oakdale, New York as well as campuses in Rome, Italy and Paris, France. The school offers more than 100 programs of study at the undergraduate and graduate level. There are more than 15,700 undergraduate and almost 5,000 graduate students who attend the university.

St. John's University Accreditation Details

St. John's University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. In addition, the following programs and colleges have earned special accreditation:

• St. John's College of Liberal Arts and Science – American Library Association, American Psychological Association, Council on Academic Accreditation for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.
• The School of Education – Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs, Teacher Education Accreditation Council
• The Peter J. Tobin College of Business – Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
• College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences – Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology and the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Studies
• College of Professional Studies and the School of Law – American Bar Association

St. John's University Application Requirements

Undergraduate admission requirements vary depending on the program the student plans to enter. For all programs, students must have an SAT score of 1092 out of 1600 in Math and Critical Reading. The average GPA accepted is an 88 or 3.3 on a 4.0 scale. An online application must be submitted as well. Essays and recommendation letters are not required for admission but they are recommended. All essays should be approximately 250 words and should provide more information about the student than can be learned from the application. The Pharmacy program essay should include information on why the student is applying to the program and recommendation letters are required before a student may be accepted.

Graduate application requirements are dependent on the program the student plans to enter. Students must have a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university before applying for graduate study at St. John's University.

There is a specific online application for any students wishing to earn an online degree and each program has specific requirements for what must be submitted with the application.

St. John's University Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition for undergraduate students attending at the Manhattan, Queens or Online Campus is $1,262 per credit hour. For those campuses, the Peter J. Tobin College of Business has a per credit hour cost of $1,316 and the Pharmacy program has a cost of $1,446 per credit hour. The cost per credit hour for students who attend the Staten Island campus for undergraduate studies is $917 and the Peter J. Tobin College of Business in Staten Island is $970 per credit hour. The Staten Island Adult Learner Program is $560 per credit hour.

Graduate tuition at St. John's University ranges from $1,145 per credit hour to $1,375 per credit hour depending on the program chosen. The School of Law has a per credit hour tuition rate of $1,903 for the undergraduate Juris Doctorate degree. Graduate law school degrees range in cost per credit hour between $1,776 to $2,220.

Financial aid is available in the form of grants, scholarships, work study and student loans. In order to qualify for financial aid, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The school also accepts veterans benefits and employer-funded tuition.

St. John's University Online Degrees Available

Bilingual Education Extension

The Bilingual Education Extension is a graduate level program that requires completion of 15 credits. It is designed for those who have earned a teaching degree who wish to pursue a career educating those for whom English is a second language. Students with or without New York State Certification for Teaching are required to complete:

• Foundations of Bilingual and Second Language Education
• Psychology and Sociology of Language and Bilingualism
• Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages: Theory and Practice
• Teaching Strategies in the ESL and Bilingual Classroom: Science, Mathematics and Social Studies
• Methods of Language and Academic Assessment for English Language and Exceptional Learners

Gifted Education

The Gifted Education program at St. John's University meets the requirements of the New York State Education Department's Gifted Certificate Extension. This is required of any teacher who wishes to teach gifted students. It is designed to prepare teachers with a solid background of expertise in educating students with exceptional learning needs. The program provides information on incorporating rich cultural, social, political, educational and scientific resources as well as developing expertise in educating students from a broad range of backgrounds. Federal aid is not available for the program. Students must complete the following courses:

• Identification of the Gifted and Talented
• Introduction to Designing Programs, Curriculum and Materials for the Gifted and Talented
• Teaching Creative Thinking and Problem Solving to Gifted and Talented Students
• Professional Collaboration and Leadership in Gifted Education

Global Development and Social Justice

The Master of Arts in Global Development and Social Justice is a two-year program seeks to provide the knowledge and tools necessary to students who wish to address social justice and human rights advocacy on a global level. Through Catholic Social Teaching, students develop an understanding of critical areas in social justice that includes causes of poverty and the social programs that are designed to eliminate areas of injustice throughout the world. Students take six credits First Summer in Rome, 24 credits in distance learning and three credits Final Summer in Rome. Three classes are taught in a classroom setting while two courses are taught at the Rome campus. All others are taken online. The final course is taken on the Rome Campus as well and consists of a Seminar and Capstone project.

School Building Leadership

The graduate program in Educational Administration provides students with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in the administration of public and private schools. The program creates leaders who are well-grounded in theory to support efforts that deal with issues and problems in a school setting. The program is offered completely online that also provides District-Leader Advanced Certificate requirements as set by the New York Department of Education.

Teaching Children with Disabilities in Childhood Education, Master of Education

The Department of Human Services and Counseling offers a 33-credit hour program which qualifies students for initial certification in the state of New York as a teacher of students with disabilities. Students must complete all state mandated external examinations in order to apply for the graduate level program.

St. John's University offers students options in law and in education in an online format that allows them to meet family, social and employment obligations while still pursuing their educational goals.