Special Programs

Nelson Wolff Law Early Admission Program

The Nelson Wolff Law Early Admission Program offers advantages to motivated, talented students who plan to attend law school and graduate in less time. The program allows qualified undergraduate students in certain degree programs to earn both a bachelor's degree and law degree in just six years, instead of the usual seven. To be eligible, a student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or better and earn at least a 158 on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).

St. Mary's students in the program enter law school after completing their third year of undergraduate study. Students' first year of law school will complete the final 30 hours of the undergraduate program, so that students complete both degrees in six years. Included undergraduate degree programs are criminology, english,international relations, philosophy, political science, sociology and speech communication. For more information, visit the Undergraduate Catalog

The University's strategic planning document, Vision 2012, called on the University to advance academic quality and innovation by considering combined and accelerated degree programs such as this one. The law school and the Graduate School also offer numerous combined J.D. and master's degree programs.

For more information about this program, please contact:
Milo Colton, Ph.D., J.D.
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Assistant Professor
Phone: (210) 436-3519
Email: mcolton@stmarytx.edu

Honors Program

http://www.stmarytx.edu/honors/

The Honors program serves a diverse community of students who have proven themselves especially talented, skilled and successful in their academic careers. Our mission is to attract such students to St. Mary's University and to provide them with a challenging and rewarding program—a program which (1) complements their professional development with courses in the Catholic intellectual and liberal arts traditions, (2) encourages them to engage critically in the self-conscious formation of their worldview, and (3) prepares them to succeed after graduation to make a positive difference in the world.

MARC U*STAR Program

http://www.stmarytx.edu/marc-ustar/

The Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research (U*STAR) is sponsored by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). MARC U*STAR provides underrepresented students majoring in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, physics or engineering science opportunities to complete research training and work alongside faculty mentors in the biomedical sciences. Undergraduate students participating in the MARC U*STAR program are provided with academic and research support to prepare them for Ph.D. programs in the biomedical sciences.

McNair Scholars Program

http://www.stmarytx.edu/mcnair/

Are you interested in attending graduate school and possibly pursuing a doctoral degree? St. Mary's University specifically targets first-generation, high financial need minority college students and prepares them for graduate school as part of the McNair Scholars Program. The McNair Scholars Program is named after NASA Astronaut Ronald E. McNair, Ph.D., who died in the 1986 Challenger explosion.

In the program, St. Mary's University provides scholarly and research activities and funding to help qualified students prepare for graduate school.

The McNair Scholars Program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and is open to all qualified student applicants.

Military Science

http://www.stmarytx.edu/rotc/

Army ROTC is a college elective that focuses on leadership and management training. St. Mary's Army ROTC offers students the opportunity to learn and grow in a variety of ways. The program of instruction challenges each cadet in the battalion in both indoor and outdoor settings; cadets participate in classroom instruction while also engaging in world class physical fitness training, land navigation, marksmanship, rappelling and other military activities. Cadets learn management and leadership skills not available in other university programs. Army ROTC contributes to a variety of job skills applicable to any profession, career or job, while instilling in each cadet a sense of confidence, discipline, and personal responsibility. Moreover, each cadet gains the satisfaction of being part of a select group of great Americans dedicated to American values and service to the Nation.

PREP

http://www.stmarytx.edu/vpaa/?go=prep_info

The Prefreshman Engineering Program (PREP), founded by Dr. Manuel Berriozábal in 1979, identifies achieving middle and high school students with an interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and provides an academic curriculum to increase their potential for careers in these areas.

Study Abroad

http://www.stmarytx.edu/studyabroad/

Study abroad programs combine the traditional classroom with experiential learning. Students have the opportunity to experience firsthand the culture, history, art, business and everyday life in a host country that otherwise is familiar only through photography or videos. With this direct interaction, you begin to understand the intricacies and complexities of how other people, outside of the United States, think, live and work.

Undergraduate Research

http://www.stmarytx.edu/uro/

Students at St. Mary's have an opportunity to participate in undergraduate research and impact the world of science. Undergraduates are conducting cutting-edge research and using critically emerging technology in bioengineering and biology.

The University also sponsors the St. Mary's University annual Research Symposium and Creative Activities Exhibition, which fosters scholarly dialogue among students and faculty. Presenters at the exhibition display an assortment of projects including scientific investigations, analytical reviews or projects, innovations/inventions, honors theses, senior projects and original works of art, media, poetry or writing.

Marianist Universities Student Exchange Program

http://www.stmarytx.edu/marianist-exchange/

The purpose of this exchange program is to allow students at Marianist universities the opportunity to study in a Marianist environment that is culturally and geographically different from their home university.