Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster

What is the history of Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster?

Saint Joseph's University's Lancaster presence grew out of Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences, a Lancaster institution focused on preparing healthcare workers. The college joined Saint Joseph's University in 2024. That history matters when comparing sources: older admissions, tuition and student-outcome figures may describe the former college rather than every student and program at today's university.

The Lancaster institution traces its roots to nursing education associated with Lancaster General Hospital in the early twentieth century. It later expanded beyond nursing into other health professions and adopted the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences name. The merger connected those programs to Saint Joseph's, a Jesuit university founded in Philadelphia in 1851. Lancaster applicants should therefore distinguish the history of their local campus from the longer history of the university as a whole.

What are the faculties and departments at Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster?

The Lancaster campus is primarily associated with nursing and health-sciences education, not the full range of majors offered at Saint Joseph's Philadelphia-area campuses. Nursing, public health, healthcare administration and other clinical or allied-health fields appear in Lancaster's academic history, but the credential and campus location of a particular program should be checked in the current university catalog.

Across the university, Saint Joseph's organizes study through academic units including the College of Arts and Sciences, the Erivan K. Haub School of Business, the School of Education and Human Development, the School of Health Professions, and the School of Nursing and Allied Health. That university-wide structure does not mean each school offers in-person instruction in Lancaster. Applicants to clinical programs should also check prerequisites, required placements and whether a program meets the licensing requirements of the state in which they intend to practice.

What is the location of Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster?

Saint Joseph's Lancaster campus is in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in a setting shaped by the region's healthcare employers and its population of commuting students. It is separate from the university's Philadelphia-area campuses, so the location of classes, laboratories and clinical placements is an important enrollment detail.

Lancaster is served by regional roads, local transit and Amtrak rail service. A clinical placement may still require travel beyond the classroom campus, sometimes at hours when public transportation is limited. Students planning to commute should confirm the actual sites and schedules for their program rather than relying on the campus address alone. Harrisburg International Airport is a regional air-travel option.

What is the mission and vision of Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster?

Saint Joseph's describes its educational mission in terms of Jesuit and Catholic traditions, academic learning, service, reflection and concern for others. Those are the university's stated priorities, not measures of an individual student's experience.

In Lancaster, that mission intersects with health-professions training, where classroom learning, practical skills and patient care are closely related. Students need not assume that a religious affiliation makes every course religious instruction. They should, however, review the curriculum for any university-wide requirements and the clinical program for its professional and ethical standards.