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Curriculum

The Saint Louis University Prison Education Program admits students into the associate of arts degree program every four years.

Staff and incarcerated students are required to meet the minimum admission requirements and, once admitted into the program, take classes as two separate cohorts. All coursework in the degree program comes from the Saint Louis University College of Arts and Sciences core curriculum.

Chess Tournament at prison

Admission Requirements

The general admission requirements include:

  • A high school diploma or qualifying GED or HiSET score
  • Successful submission of an application, relevant transcripts and an essay
  • Successful completion of an on-site interview with members of Saint Louis University Prison Education Program administrative team
  • Staff applicants must be employed by the Missouri Department of Corrections

Curriculum

Foundations of Discourse

  • ENGL 1500: The Process of Composition
  • ENGL 1900: Advanced Strategies of Rhetoric and Research

Fine Arts (Select One)

  • ART 2000: Drawing I
  • ARTH 1000: Approaching the Arts
  • MUSC 1100: Music Fundamentals
  • THR 1500: Introduction to Theatre

Literature

  • One 2000-level course:
    • ENGL 2020: Introduction to Literary Study
    • ENGL 2400: Introduction to Drama
    • ENGL 2600: Introduction to Short Fiction
  • One 3000- or 4000-level course:
    • ENGL 3050: Creative Writing: Poetry
    • ENGL 3060: Creative Writing: Fiction
    • ENGL 3280: American Literary Traditions After 1865
    • ENGL 4000: Business and Professional Writing

Sciences

  • Two three-hour courses in the natural sciences:
    • BIOL 1010: Essentials of Biology
    • BIOL 1140: Our Living Environment
    • EAS 1070: Understanding the Weather
    • PHYS 1010: Physics and the World Around Us

Mathematics

  • MATH 1200: College Algebra or higher course number

World History

  • HIST 1100: Origins to 1500
  • HIST 1120: 1500 to Present

Philosophy

  • PHIL 1050: Introduction to Philosophy
  • PHIL 2050: Ethics
  • One 3000-level course:
    • PHIL 3300: Philosophy of the Human Person
    • PHIL 3360: Medical Ethics

Theology

  • THEO 1000: Theological Foundations
  • One 2000-level course:
    • THEO 2110: Old Testament
    • THEO 2200: New Testament
    • THEO 2710: Religions of the World
    • THEO 2715: Jerusalem: Three Faiths, One City
  • One 3000-level course:
    • THEO 3900: Seeking God: A History
    • ASTD 3500: Religion and American Culture

Social Sciences

  • CMM 1200: Public Speaking
  • Two lower-level courses:
    • CMM 2300: Intergroup Dialogue
    • CMM 1000: Human Communication and Culture
    • ECON 1900: Principles of Economics
    • POLS 1000: Introduction to Politics
    • POLS 1100: Introduction to American Government
    • PSY 1010: General Psychology
    • SOC 1100: Introduction to Sociology
    • SOC 1200: Introduction to Anthropology

Electives

  • Any additional course from above or one of these:
    • ASTD 1000: Investigating America
    • ASTD 2600: American Places

Capstone

  • AS 4960: Capstone