Benedictine College

What is the history of Benedictine College?

Benedictine College is a private Catholic college in Atchison, Kansas, whose present form dates to the 1971 merger of two Benedictine institutions: St. Benedict's College and Mount St. Scholastica College. Its history explains both its religious identity and its emphasis on residential undergraduate education.

Benedictine monks founded St. Benedict's College in 1858. Mount St. Scholastica College developed from the educational work of Benedictine sisters in Atchison. The merged college retained ties to both communities. Applicants researching its history should distinguish the founding of its predecessor schools from the date Benedictine College itself was established.

What are the faculties and departments at Benedictine College?

Benedictine College offers undergraduate study across the liberal arts and professional fields, as well as selected graduate programs. Its academic offerings include humanities, natural and social sciences, business, education, engineering, nursing, and the arts.

Examples of undergraduate fields include biology, computer science, theology, accounting, psychology, mechanical engineering, and teacher education. This breadth matters if a student wants to combine a professional major with coursework outside it. A prospective engineering, nursing, or education student should review the current catalog for admission-to-major rules, clinical or fieldwork requirements, and the sequence of courses needed to finish on time.

The reported student-to-faculty ratio is 16 to 1. That institution-wide measure does not indicate the size of a particular introductory course, laboratory, or seminar.

What is the location of Benedictine College?

Benedictine College's campus is in Atchison, a small city in northeastern Kansas on the Missouri River. It offers a residential college setting rather than the daily experience of a large metropolitan campus.

Students can reach regional services and employment opportunities in the Kansas City area, but travel generally requires planning and, for some trips, a car. Kansas City International Airport is the nearest major airport. First-year students are permitted to register or park a car on campus, although they should check current permit rules and charges before bringing one.

What is the mission and vision of Benedictine College?

Benedictine College describes its mission in terms of a community of faith and scholarship grounded in its Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts, and residential traditions. Those commitments shape its curriculum and campus programming; they are statements of institutional purpose, not measures of every student's experience.

Prospective students should expect religion to have a visible place in campus life, including opportunities for worship and religious study. Students considering the college for academic reasons should also examine its general education requirements and campus policies to understand how that identity applies to their studies and daily life.