ANNA MARIA COLLEGE
PAXTON, MASSACHUSETTS
The College
Anna Maria College, a private, comprehensive, four-year, coeducational Catholic college, was founded in 1946 by the Sisters of Saint Anne in Marlboro, Massachusetts. In 1952, the College moved to its current 180-acre campus in Paxton, Massachusetts. Originally a women's college, the College has been coeducational since 1973. The 600 full-time undergraduate students come from thirteen states and eleven other countries.
The College is a close-knit community. Small class sizes allow for mentor relationships to develop between faculty members and students. Freshman and sophomore classes generally have between 13 and 20 students; some upper-level classes have as few as 5 students. Faculty members teach and advise students based on their knowledge of each person as an individual, and classes are never taught by graduate assistants.
Criminal justice is the most popular program on campus, followed by education (early childhood, elementary, secondary, art, and music), business administration, social work, and psychology. The College also offers special majors such as fire science, music therapy and art therapy. Five-year programs are available in business administration (B.B.A./M.B.A.), psychology (B.A./M.A.), criminal justice (B.S./M.A.), education (B.A./B.S./M.A./M.S., emergency management (B.S./M.S.), fire science (B.S./M.S.), occupational and environmental health and safety (B.S./M.S.), and pastoral ministry (B.A./M.A).
The College is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the Council on Social Work Education, and the National Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences. The College is also approved by the American Bar Association, Massachusetts Department of Education, and the National Association for Music Therapy.
More than 70 percent of Anna Maria College's undergraduates reside on campus in the residence halls. Students enjoy a full social life both on campus and within the college-town atmosphere of nearby Worcester. A professional theater group, the New England Theatre Company, is in residence at the College. Annual events enjoyed by all students include the Variety Show, and Winterfest, Harvest, and Spring Weekends.
The College's NCAA Division III athletic program offers intercollegiate competition for men (baseball, basketball, cross-country, golf, and soccer) and women (basketball, cross-country, field hockey, soccer, softball, and volleyball). Intramural athletics and the coed club sport of cheerleading are also available to students who do not wish to participate on varsity teams.
The College is linked to the Internet. More than 500 computer hookups link classrooms, offices, the Academic Computing Center, computer labs, the library, and all residence hall rooms.
Location
Anna Maria College is located on a 180-acre wooded campus in Paxton, Massachusetts, 8 miles from downtown Worcester. The city offers numerous professional and cultural opportunities; Boston, Providence, and Hartford are only an hour away.
Local attractions include big-name entertainment and minor league hockey at the Worcester Centrum; art, history, and science museums; classical music performances at Mechanics Hall; the Worcester Common Fashion Outlets; theater; and day and night skiing at Wachusett Mountain.
Majors and Degrees
Anna Maria College offers a four-year curriculum of undergraduate instruction leading to the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts in art, art and business (interdisciplinary program), art therapy, teacher of visual art (N8, 512), Catholic studies, English, graphic design, history, human development and human services, humanities (interdisciplinary program), legal studies/paralegal, music, pastoral studies, psychology, public policy, social work, Spanish, studio art, and teacher preparation/licensure (available through the education program); Bachelor of Music in music education, music education and music therapy, music therapy, and performance (piano, voice); Bachelor of Science in business administration/management information systems, computer information science, criminal justice, environmental science, fire science, and health science; and Associate in Arts in business administration.
Academic Programs
When the Sisters of St. Anne founded Anna Maria College in 1946, their mission was to increase access to quality education, educational innovation, and respect for service to others through the development of the total human being. That mission has not changed in more than fifty years. As a Catholic college, the relationship between faith and reason is looked at closely. An Anna Maria College education is distinct because of its integration of rich tradition, diversity of knowledge, and the understanding of human history, institutions, and societies with Catholic teachings and traditions. The cornerstone of the Anna Maria College academic programs is the core curriculum, which integrates the Catholic character with a commitment to liberal arts education.
The academic programs are grouped into five divisions: Division I: Humanities, Arts, and International Studies; DivisionII: Business, Law, and Public Policy; Division III: Human Development and Human Services; Division IV: Environmental, Natural, and Technological Sciences; and Division V: Fine Arts. Each division serves to illuminate and explore links between related areas of study so that the educational experience is broad-based and interdisciplinary. Students are encouraged to travel beyond their immediate interests to disciplines that may be connected by similar methods, history, theory, or application. The end result is a strong liberal arts foundation with a focused knowledge and professional preparation in a chosen area of concentration. Anna Maria College also encourages students to explore their own interest areas and design their own majors.
While at Anna Maria College, students can gain practical experience and explore career options through internship programs, fieldwork, and academic seminars and summer programs. They also learn through required practicums, part-time work, and community service.
Off-Campus Programs
Anna Maria College is a member of the Colleges of Worcester Consortium. Through this group of thirteen area colleges (Anna Maria College, Assumption College, Atlantic Union College, Becker College, Clark University, College of the Holy Cross, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Applied Health, Nichols College, Quinsigamond Community College, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Worcester State College), students may enroll in nonmajor courses at any of the member institutions and have credits transferred at no additional cost. The College offers several other off-campus opportunities for which academic credits are awarded. There is an exchange program with Holy Names College in California, where students may elect to study for one semester. The College participates, along with sixteen other New England colleges, in the New EnglandQuebec student exchange program. Through this program, students may choose to spend a year at one of a number of schools in Quebec. The College also provides opportunities for study abroad with additional programs in London, Seville, Rome, Latin America, and Nova Scotia. In addition, there is an Urban Seminar course with travel to various locations worldwide. Students are also eligible to apply for Army and Air Force ROTC programs, available through the Colleges of Worcester Consortium. A Washington, D.C., internship is offered for students in all majors, and a Disney internship is also available.
Academic Facilities
The Mondor-Eagan Library houses the College's volumes, stacks, periodicals, study rooms, computer center, resource centers, and language laboratory. The library also houses the main computer terminal, which links the combined material resources of central and western Massachusetts libraries, making more than 4 million books and periodicals accessible to students. Classrooms are located in Trinity Hall, Cardinal Cushing Hall, and Foundress Hall. Foundress Hall houses the Zecco Performing Arts Center. Trinity Hall also houses the learning center. Among the other buildings are Medor Chapel, St. Joseph's Hall for sciences and Miriam Hall for music, performance, and art.
Costs
Tuition for the 200405 academic year was $18,545. Room and board expenses were $7415. Tuition for music students was $21,195.
Financial Aid
More than 95 percent of the freshmen at the College receive financial aid in the form of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study program awards. Some available sources of funds are the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, and Federal Perkins Loan programs. To apply for aid, students should submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to federal student aid programs. Aid is awarded on the basis of need. Non-need-based scholarships are also available. For further information, students should call 508-849-3366.
Faculty
The College has 180 full- and part-time faculty members, 98 percent of whom are lay and 2 percent of whom are religious personnel. Faculty members have a deep respect for scholarship and research and are dedicated to teaching and to the success of the student. Graduate students do not teach classes at Anna Maria College.
Student Government
The Student Government Association (SGA) is the official representative of the student body, serving as the link between it and the administration. Mo
re than twenty clubs and organizations under the SGA offer many activities and opportunities to students, who are encouraged to participate in the government of student life at the College.
Admission Requirements
At Anna Maria College, every application is considered individually and weighed on its own merits. Emphasis is placed on the applicant's transcript, recommendations, and SAT I or ACT scores. Extracurricular activities and leadership positions are also important. Successful completion of a four-year college-preparatory program is required. Application for admission to the College is encouraged for all academically qualified candidates regardless of race, religion, age, gender, or creed.
Application and Information
To apply, students should submit a completed application form and an essay with the required $40 fee, request that an official high school transcript be sent to the Admission Office, forward the scores from the SAT I or ACT, submit a letter of recommendation, and, if they wish, schedule a personal interview. The application priority deadline is March1. To apply as a transfer student, the applicant must submit official transcripts of all postsecondary courses completed and a course-description catalog from each college or university attended in addition to following the steps given above.
Anna Maria College invites students to learn more about the College by visiting the campus. Students should call the Undergraduate Admission Office to schedule an appointment. For detailed information about the College's distinctive programs and campus community, prospective students should contact:
