University of St. Mary
The University of St. Mary (USM) is a private liberal arts university located in Leavenworth, Kansas. It was established by The Sisters of Charity as the St. Mary’s Institute in 1859.
From its original location in downtown Leavenworth, the school moved to its present location and adopted the name St. Mary’s Academy.
It was renamed St. Mary’s College in 1923 and finally adapted its present name in 2003 as it expanded its curriculum and physical campus. St. Mary’s originally accepted female students and became co-educational only in 1988.
Aside from its main campus, the University of St. Mary also maintains three other campuses. These are the Overland Park Campus in Overland Park, Kansas which offers accelerated degree completion and graduate programs; the Wyandotte County Campus located inside Providence Medical Center which hosts master’s degree programs and degree completion programs all year round; and the Sacred Heart Campus in Shawnee, Kansas which offers the Masters in Art Education and an online program. St. Mary Online provides complete information about the online programs offered by USM.
The University of St. Mary is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. It offers 26 undergraduate programs, 5 graduate programs, and online programs.
The offered majors and minors for undergraduate programs include Accounting, Applied Psychology, Art, Biology, Biomedical Devices, Business Administration, Chemistry, Child Development, Education, Coaching, Communication, Criminology, Elementary Education, English, Global Studies, Healthcare, Informatics, History, Information Technology, Interdisciplinary Studies, Liberal Studies, Mathematics, Medical Laboratory Science, Music, Nursing, Pastoral Ministry, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Secondary Education, Spanish, Sport Management, Theatre, and Theology. Several Pre-Professional programs are also offered.
Graduate programs at the University of St. Mary
Consist of the Master of Business Administration in 5 concentrations including Healthcare Management, Finance, Marketing and Advertising Management, and General Management; M.A. in Counseling Psychology; M.A. in Education; and the M.A. in Teaching. The Doctorate program is provided through the Doctor of Physical Therapy. The university offers three-degree programs online including the Master of Arts in Teaching, the R.N. to Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and the Master of Business Administration.
Military students can apply for educational benefits through the Veterans Administration. Students who are enlisted in the military, a member of the reserves or a veteran can have their military experience assessed for eligibility for transfer credits.
USM is a member of the Yellow-Ribbon Program and the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Consortium. It also has various institutional scholarships to offer traditional students.
The University of St. Mary is a member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division II Level. Its teams are known as the Spires.
The university fields teams to compete in men’s baseball, basketball, football, and soccer as well as women’s basketball, soccer, volleyball, and softball.
There are about 886 students enrolled across the four campuses of USM and online. Male/female ratio is 47%:53%. There are at least 33 states from the US and 7 foreign countries represented in the student body.