A Holy Cross education centers on educating the whole person. This notion is derived from Blessed Basil Anthony Moreau’s oft-quoted statement “the mind will not be cultivated at the expense of the heart.”

THE SOPHIA PROGRAM

The Sophia Program is the new curriculum representing the education that’s common for all Saint Mary’s students. It has its basis in what used to be called General Education courses, but it goes beyond that to promote integration with majors or minors. The incoming Class of 2016 will be the first class with Sophia requirements. Additional levels of the new curriculum will be phased in over successive years for future classes.  Sophia comes from the Greek word meaning “Wisdom”.  In Sacred Scripture, Sophia is often seen as a feminine quality present with God from the beginning of creation.

Learning Outcomes

The Sophia Program is a learning outcomes-based curriculum. By “learning outcomes,” we mean the effect of instruction in the student, or what she will be able to know, do, or practice from the education she receives. The introduction of learning outcomes into the curriculum allows for a more permeable border between the breadth of the general education common to all students and the depth of the more particularized learning found in the major.  They are a succinct statement of the basic components of a Saint Mary’s education within the context of our identity as a Catholic college for women sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.