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Academics
The combination of the Skyhawk Core Curriculum and major programs of study promote a strong liberal education that challenges students of diverse backgrounds to enter into intellectual, social, and moral discovery. The synergy between the Core Curriculum and the high-quality academic programs offered through the Thomas and Donna May School of Arts & Sciences and the Leo J. Meehan School of Business gives our Stonehill graduates the essential tools to create meaningful lives, rewarding careers, and participatory citizenship.
The Stonehill curriculum cultivates a student-centered environment that is nurtured by small classes and enriching student-faculty relationships. Major and minor programs of study emphasize depth of knowledge and practice in a particular discipline. While students must complete requirements within the major or minor, they also have the flexibility to explore academic opportunities unique to their own educational plans. Such opportunities include the honors program, internships, international experiences, interdisciplinary concentrations, community-based learning opportunities, directed study, and independent research.
Thus, the outcomes of the academic program include enhanced content knowledge in “core” disciplines; demonstrated competency in skills crucial to success in all major programs; the ability to integrate knowledge across disciplines; dexterity in teamwork and collaboration; the ability to reason well and to apply reasoning skills to ethical questions; an appreciation for diversity of persons and cultures; and expertise in at least one academic discipline. This foundation will serve graduates well in any career or post-baccalaureate study they pursue.
Completing the Stonehill academic program is an exciting way to develop skills and knowledge, to experience human and natural diversity, to build critical and creative thinking and leadership abilities, and to discover the value of civic engagement.
The Curriculum
The academic program introduces the student to the various disciplines of a liberal education and prepares the student for graduate studies or a professional position in a fashion that both enriches the student and benefits society. Recognizing that each person is unique in ability, inquisitiveness, interest, and aspiration, the program provides the student with the opportunity to select electives in addition to courses required for the Core Curriculum and for the major.
Stonehill students design their own education by selecting courses from the Stonehill curriculum. The parts of the curriculum include: the Skyhawks Core Curriculum, the Major, the Minor and/or Interdisciplinary Minor (optional), and Electives.
The Skyhawk Core Curriculum
The Skyhawk Core Curriculum fosters inquiry, exploration, and discovery, anchored in the Holy Cross Catholic social justice tradition of compassion and concern for the dignity and welfare of every person. With a flexible foundation in the liberal arts, our students partner with a team of faculty and advisors to develop the skills, knowledge, and character to think, act, and lead with the courage to help create a more just and compassionate world.
See the Skyhawk Core Curriculum program page for more information!
The Major
Higher education should both facilitate intellectual growth and equip students to take their place as responsible members of society. Students are to prepare themselves for some field of graduate or professional study, or for a more immediate career in such areas as teaching, government, business, industry, or social service.
Accordingly, students select an area of major concentration in view of postgraduate or career plans. The goal of the major is for students to acquire skills and investigate intellectual questions, methods, and issues in considerable breadth and increasing depth in a specific field or area of study. Degree candidates must declare, and be accepted in, a major field of study prior to enrollment in their last 45 credits.
Students may enroll in two majors, subject to the approval from the Office of Academic Services and Advising, in consultation with the respective Department Chairpersons or Program Directors. In some cases, students may need to enroll in more than 120 credits in order to satisfy the requirements of both majors.
Students who satisfactorily complete two majors will receive one degree from the College, with this exception: if a student satisfactorily completes the requirements for two majors, whether before or after the student’s official graduation, a second degree will be awarded only if the second major is in a different degree program (B.A., B.S., or B.S.B.A.) from the first major. The student will be given the option of selecting which degree will be granted at Commencement.
Disciplinary Minor (Optional)
Students may choose to complete up to two disciplinary minors. These minors may be closely related to a student’s major, selected as an alternative field of specialization, or chosen simply for personal enrichment. Generally, a disciplinary minor is no more than six courses and ensures that a student pursues an area of study in some breadth and depth beyond the introductory level and outside of the major.
Interdisciplinary Minor (Optional)
Interdisciplinary minors give students the opportunity to explore, in some depth, a well-defined question or topic beyond the major. The interdisciplinary minor provides students with maximum flexibility to propose a course of study, comprised of classes and other academic experiences, as a path to conduct an interdisciplinary inquiry that may or may not be related to the major or disciplinary minor. Students submit a proposal for an interdisciplinary minor that will include no less than four and no more than five courses.
Electives
The elective component constitutes the last part of the Stonehill curriculum. Here the student exercises considerable discretion in designing a program of study. Elective courses may be used to deepen knowledge of familiar areas or to explore new areas of educational inquiry.
Moreau Honors Program
The Moreau Honors Program at Stonehill College challenges and enlivens students by providing an enhanced experience of the curriculum through specially designated honors courses taught by the most gifted professors at the college. Honors courses are designed to stimulate independent thought by combining rigorous academic standards, classroom discussion, and experiences of group and independent learning. The program also includes co-curricular components that encourage service and leadership. Through an enhanced learning experience in smaller classes, the program aims to lead students into lasting habits of reflection and a life of the mind. The program also emphasizes student leadership and peer mentoring, especially through the Honors Advisory Council, made up of honors student representatives who, with the Director, guide the Moreau Honors Program.
The program is named for and inspired by the educational principles of Basil Moreau, C.S.C., founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, which sponsors Stonehill. Moreau wrote that “the mind will not be cultivated at the expense of the heart” (Circular Letter No. 36). For this reason, the program places emphasis on service learning, involvement at Stonehill and beyond, and community building among Honors students.
Participation in the Moreau Honors Program is designed to achieve the following additional and extended outcomes:
- Increased intellectual growth and independent thinking;
- Development of effective leadership qualities;
- Recognition of a sense of place within a community of scholars;
- Ability to conduct independent research in the context of scholarship in the discipline; and
- Exploration and setting of goals beyond Stonehill College.
Honors Program Curriculum
Program Director
Edward McGushin
May Hall 240
508-565-1316
emcgushin@stonehill.edu
Courses in the Moreau Honors Program are limited to 20 students (first-year, 100-level courses are limited to 16), ensuring that each is taught in a seminar style that invites vigorous participation. Faculty encourage Honors students to become engaged in course material through ongoing dialogue and presentations, and thus to become active rather than passive learners.
First-year students accepted to the College as Moreau Honors students will complete a minimum of five Honors courses (of at least three credits each) plus the HON 100 - Honors Introductory Seminar and HON 400 - Honors Senior Seminar :
- In their first semester, Honors students will take at least one Honors core humanities course.
- In their second semester, Honors students will take the HON 100 - Honors Introductory Seminar . This one-credit course introduces the importance of leadership, intellectual curiosity, and service to the Stonehill community and will offer opportunities to enhance community life of the college (e.g., volunteer work, inviting speakers to the college, organizing faculty lecture series, helping coordinate visits by noteworthy guests, planning entertainment and cultural events, and bringing about changes in College policies on a variety of issues, etc.).
- To complete the requirement for five Honors courses, students may take Honors courses that satisfy either Core Curriculum or major/minor requirements or serve as general electives. Honors language courses count for no more than one honors requirement. One and only one of these courses can be a non-Honors course for Honors Program credit. A Moreau Honors student who completes the IDEAS seminar and facilitates an IDEAS course may receive credit for a single Moreau Honors 3-credit course. Contact the Honors Program Director for more information.
- In the senior year, Honors students will take , a one-credit course in the spring in which they will share in a series of conversations, workshops, and presentations that articulate and assess the outcomes of their academic career at Stonehill.
Moreau Honors students in the Notre-Dame 3+2 Engineering Program have to take three Honors courses (no conversions are permitted), plus the HON 100 - Honors Introductory Seminar and the HON 400 - Honors Senior Seminar .
Moreau Honors students must have a 3.5 cumulative grade-point-average (GPA) and graduate cum laude to graduate with a Moreau Honors Scholar designation.
Honors Program Resources
- The opportunity to apply for Honors Leadership Grants of up to $500, normally during the junior or senior year, to fund leadership or expanded academic opportunities (e.g., independent and/or thesis research conducted under the mentorship of a faculty member, presentations at professional conferences, academic or leadership extensions related to international study);
- Priority course registration;
- Small, seminar-style Honors courses;
- Special transcript notations;
- Recognition at graduation;
- Academic advising from Honors faculty and the Honors Program Director; and
- Letters of verification that describe the Honors Program and list Honors coursework completed by the student.
For more information about the Moreau Honors Program, contact The Honors Program Director.
Pre-Professional Advising
Pre-Health Professions Advising: Pre-Health Professions Advising provides guidance to those students with an interest in a career as chiropractor, dentist, nurse/nurse practitioner, occupational therapist, optometrist, pharmacist, physical therapist, physician, physician assistant, podiatrist, veterinarian or other health professional.
Stonehill does not offer a major in any one of the pre-health disciplines. Students pursuing one of these career paths usually major in one of the sciences (biochemistry, biology, chemistry, health science, or neuroscience). However, a major in a non-science discipline is certainly a viable option. Regardless of the major you choose, what is important is that you take the courses that are prerequisites for the professional schools to which you intend to apply as well as those that will sufficiently prepare you to take the appropriate standardized entrance examination (e.g., MCAT, DAT, OAT, PCAT).
Andrew Leahy, Director of Career Development, is the primary Pre-Health Professions Advisor. He will work closely with you to ensure that you are well-informed about and prepared for the application process for professional school. Developing a strong working relationship with Andrew will ensure that you develop an appropriate four-year academic plan that not only includes the necessary prerequisite courses but also valuable clinical (e.g., shadowing, internship, work, and volunteer) and research experiences. He can also discuss with you the affiliation agreements that Stonehill College has with certain graduate programs. Students are not obligated to attend our affiliated schools and are able to apply to the programs of their choice.
Craig Kelley, Associate Vice President for Academic Operations, will work with pre-health professions school applicants during the application process and, when necessary, to arrange interviews with Stonehill’s Pre-Health Professions Advisory Committee and to coordinate the writing and submission of composite Committee Letters of Evaluation.
Pre-Law Advising: A formal advising program for students interested in law school is coordinated by the Pre-Law Advisor, Prof. Robert Rodgers, Professor of Practice in Political Science & International Studies. There is no required academic program for pre-law students.
Pre-Theology Advising: Advising is available for students who are interested in preparing for lay leadership positions in a parish or ecclesial community, or who are interested in preparing for a career in academic theology in secondary or higher education. Rev. Stephen Wilbricht, C.S.C., Professor of Religious Studies and Theology, will advise students in the graduate school application process.
Teacher Licensure Advising: Stonehill College Education Department is a MA State and NASDTEC approved program leading to MA teaching licensure. The NASDTEC Interstate Agreement facilitates movement of educators’ credentials between most other states. Specific requirements differ for each state therefore students are encouraged to consult with Allison LeClair, Assistant Director of Accreditation and Assessment, to facilitate this process.
Integrating Democratic Education at Stonehill (IDEAS) is an interdisciplinary, student-centered program that fosters engagement and active learning by creating an environment for students to share their passions, wisdom, and knowledge with one another. The IDEAS Program is organized around peer-facilitated courses. These one-credit pass/fail elective classes are intended to complement, rather than replace, students’ traditional academic experiences. Indeed, one of the program’s main goals is to enhance student engagement in classes outside of the IDEAS Program.
IDEAS classes begin in the spring of the preceding academic year, when rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors can apply to be course facilitators. During the fall semester, facilitators meet several times with the faculty and student co-directors to discuss learning objectives, syllabus design, class activities, and lesson plans. Course enrollment takes place during the add/drop period in the late fall, when students can sign up through myHill on a first-come basis. Enrollment is limited to no fewer than four and no more than eight students in order to promote discussion and engagement. During the spring semester, IDEAS courses meet for approximately two hours per week over 13 weeks; students are required to attend and participate in each class meeting.
Ultimately, the IDEAS Program aspires to offer classes that are academically rigorous and engaging. In recent years students have facilitated classes on topics including the chemistry of baking, gender dynamics in popular culture, student activism and social justice, constitutional debates, culture and ethnicity, science and spirituality, and understanding stress reduction strategies such as yoga. Students can enroll in only one IDEAS course for credit each spring. Students may take up to three IDEAS classes (for a total of three credits) over their time at Stonehill.
For more information on IDEAS, contact Prof. Shane Savage-Rumbaugh, Director and Professor of Studio Arts.
Honor Societies
ALPHA ALPHA ALPHA Founded in 2018, Tri-Alpha is the National Honor Society for First-Generation college students. Students qualify for induction upon achieving above-average academic performance and neither of the student’s parents, stepparents, nor legal guardians completed a bachelor’s degree in the U.S. As of 2023, the society has nearly 1,000 chartered chapters across the U.S., and Canada. Staff Advisor: Omar Rodriguez
ALPHA KAPPA DELTA The International Sociology Honor Society recognizes academic excellence in the study of sociological theories and research methodologies, as well as the application of this knowledge to understanding social problems and social justice. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Jungyun Gill
ALPHA MU ALPHA The national marketing honor society for qualified marketing majors. Membership status in Alpha Mu Alpha is available to individuals who attend a college or university having an established AMA collegiate chapter, and/or who attend a regionally or nationally accredited institution. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Eddie Rhee
ALPHA PSI OMEGA Campus chapter, ZETA SIGMA, of the National Honor Society in Theatre Arts. Recognizes outstanding achievement by students in educational theatre. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Matthew Greene
BETA ALPHA PSI Founded in 1919, Beta Alpha Psi is an honor organization at Stonehill for Accounting majors and Master’s Degree candidates in Data Analytics. There are over 300 chapters on college and university campuses with over 300,000 members initiated since Beta Alpha Psi’s formation. All chapters are AACSB- and/or EQUIS-accredited. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Alex Yen
BETA GAMMA SIGMA BGS is the international honor society for AACSB-accredited schools, which are the top 5 percent of business school programs around the world. From the pool of Beta Gamma Sigma chapters, only the top 10 percent of undergraduate students, the top 20 percent of graduate students, and some of the most accomplished business practitioners are eligible to be recognized as a member. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Ginger Meng
EDWIN H. SUTHERLAND CRIMINOLOGY HONOR SOCIETY The Edwin H. Sutherland Criminology Honor Society recognizes students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement in Criminology and fosters a community of young scholars dedicated to enhancing their understanding of the causes, prevention, control, and treatment of crime and delinquency. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Pamela Kelley
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY Founded in 1974, the NHS is the only international honor society specifically for Finance majors. NHS recognizes scholastic achievement through induction of students who have demonstrated superior scholarship. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Michael Mullen
KAPPA DELTA PI Founded in 1911, the Kappa Delta Pi (KDP), Honor Society in Education was the first discipline-specific honor society to welcome teachers who were women or people of color. KDP was founded to celebrate and embrace all teachers of excellence as an inclusive organization. Its membership is limited to the top 20 percent of those entering the field of education. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Stephen Pinzari
KAPPA MU EPSILON Founded in 1931, Kappa Mu Epsilon (KME) is a specialized honor society to promote the interest of mathematics among undergraduate students. Its motto is simply to “Develop an appreciation for the beauty in mathematics.” Members are students of mathematics and other closely related fields who have attained academic distinction. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Timothy Woodcock
LAMBDA EPSILON SIGMA Stonehill Honor Society that recognizes academic accomplishments and fosters scholarly activities. Members selected from all major areas of concentration on the basis of academic accomplishment. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Jennifer Swanson
LAMBDA PI ETA Lambda Pi Eta (LPH) is the National Communication Association’s official honor society at four-year colleges and universities for Communications majors. LPH represents what Aristotle described in Rhetoric as three ingredients of persuasion: logos (Lambda), meaning logic; pathos (Pi), relating to emotion; and ethos (Eta), defined as character credibility and ethics. LPH has more than 500 active chapters at four-year colleges and universities nationwide. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Anne Mattina
NU RHO PSI Nu Rho Psi is the National Honor Society in Neuroscience, founded in 2006 by the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience and now an independent honor society. Membership is by invitation and is open to undergraduate and graduate students who are making the study of Neuroscience one of their major interests and who meet the other academic qualifications. Charters have been awarded to a select 110 chapters (including Stonehill) in all regions of the United States. Faculty Advisor: Prof. John McCoy
OMICRON DELTA EPSILON As one of the world’s largest academic honor societies, Omicron Delta Epsilon honors outstanding academic achievement in Economics. Its mission is to establish closer ties between students and faculty in Economics within colleges and universities, and among colleges and universities. There are approximately 700 active ODE chapters worldwide. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Mark Kazarosian
PHI ALPHA THETA Established in 1921, Phi Alpha Theta (PAT) is an American honor society for undergraduate and graduate students and professors of History. The society has over 400,000 members, with some 9,000 new members joining each year through 970 chapters nationwide. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Todd Gernes
PHI LAMBDA UPSILON Phi Lambda Upsilon was founded as an Honorary Chemical Society in March 1899. This was the first honor society dedicated to a single scientific discipline. Over its more than 120-year history, Phi Lambda Upsilon has grown into an organization comprising seventy-three chapters and more than 60,000 members. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Marilena Hall
PI SIGMA ALPHA As the national Political Science Honor Society, Pi Sigma Alpha recognizes and promotes high academic achievement in the field of political science. Founded in 1920, the society’s inductees include one president, three Supreme Court justices, dozens of members of Congress, and many outstanding political science majors who demonstrated academic excellence and a passion for politics and policy. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Rob Rodgers
PSI CHI Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology (founded in 1929), was created to acknowledge excellence in scholarship and to advance the scientific study of psychology. It is an organization that recognizes scholastic achievement, as well as encourages leadership and research within the field of psychology. To date, Psi Chi has more than three-quarters of a million members. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Erin O’Hea
SIGMA DELTA PI Founded in 1919, Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, is a non-profit organization that honors those who excel in the study of the Spanish language and in the study of the literature and culture of the Spanish-speaking world. Members foster an understanding, appreciation and respect for the peoples, cultures, and societies of the Spanish-speaking word. The society honors those who have promoted and reinforced a better understanding of the contributions of the Spanish-speaking world. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Juan Carlos Martín
SIGMA IOTA RHO Founded in 1984, Sigma Iota Rho promotes and rewards scholarship and service among students who have demonstrated exceptional academic performance and engagement in International Affairs. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Rob Rodgers
SIGMA TAU DELTA Sigma Tau Delta is the International English Honor Society that recognizes high achievement in the study of English language and literature. With over 770 active chapters located around the world, more than 7,500 members are inducted annually, Sigma Tau Delta celebrates and promotes the study of English language and literature. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Scott Cohen
SIGMA ZETA Founded in 1925, Sigma Zeta is a national undergraduate honor society to encourage and foster scholarly activity and recognize academic scholarship in the natural and Computer Sciences and Mathematics. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Rachel Monyak
THETA ALPHA KAPPA Founded in 1976, Theta Alpha Kappa recognizes the academic achievements of students in Religious Studies and Theology. Since then, Theta Alpha Kappa has chartered more than 350 chapters in higher educational institutions throughout the United States. It is the only national honor society dedicated to recognizing academic excellence in religious studies and theology for undergraduate and graduate students. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Shari Lowin
UPSILON PHI DELTA Upsilon Phi Delta (UPD) is a United States honor society for college students and individuals in the field of Healthcare Administration. The society was formed in 1965 to recognize and support academic excellence by health administration students and to advance the profession. UPD is a member of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration, which oversees its operations. Faculty Advisor: Prof. Mitch Glavin
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