St. John’s College (Annapolis, MD)
St. John’s College at Annapolis is a private liberal arts college well known for its ultra-rigorous, Great Books–only curriculum. The school was initially founded in 1696 as King William’s Preparatory School. The prep school eventually added a collegiate charter in 1784, making St. John’s is one of the oldest higher-education institutions in the nation. Since 1964, it has had a sister campus in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
In 1937, St. John’s decided to implement the Great Books Program, a curriculum it follows to this day. The Great Books Program is a four-year course of study, which requires students to read the original texts that have made the greatest contribution to Western Civilization in such fields as philosophy, theology, history, mathematics, science, music, poetry, and literature.
Everyone at St. John’s takes four years of a foreign language, four years of math, four years of interdisciplinary study, three years of life science, and a year of music. Additionally, all students are required to attend a school-wide lecture on a weekly basis. Students are allowed only two electives, which cannot be taken until the winter semester of their junior year.
Class sizes at St. John’s College are not allowed to exceed 20 students, with an average class size of 14. There is currently an eight-to-one student-to-faculty ratio.
St. John’s College (Annapolis) is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
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