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Undergraduate Academic and Instructional Profile

Student Academic Profile

The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University together offer 37 major and 32 minor programs of study.  The five largest major programs of study at CSB/SJU - which in fall 2010 were Management, Biology, Psychology, Accounting, and Communication - represented approximately 44% of all majors at the institutions.  The composition of the largest five majors has changed little since 1996, with only Communication and Elementary Education trading positions, and Accounting replacing Nursing for the first time in fall 2006.  There are, however, significant differences by gender.  Saint John's students are fully three times as likely as Saint Benedict students to major in Management or Accounting and are more likely to major in a science or math field (excluding health sciences).  CSB students are significantly more likely than SJU students to major in a health science discipline, Elementary Education, Psychology, or Communication.  In general, women and men attending CSB and SJU make academic choices similar to their female and male peers at other private colleges in Minnesota.

Persistence and Completion

First to second year retention rates at both the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University consistently have approached or exceeded 90% since the mid-1990s.  In fall 2010, 89% of the 2009 new entering class returned at both institutions.  Retention rates at CSB and SJU significantly exceed both local and national averages for private and public colleges.  Completion rates have risen as retention rates have improved.  Four-year completion rates at CSB and SJU significantly exceed averages for private and public colleges regionally and nationally.  The average four-year completion rate for College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University students is 73%; the average among the Minnesota private colleges is 63%. 

In 2009-2010, the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University awarded 884 baccalaureate degrees. Together, CSB and SJU conferred over 10% of all baccalaureate degrees awarded by Minnesota's private colleges. 

Study Abroad

The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University are ranked second in the nation for the number of students who study abroad.  Over 350 students studied abroad on one of the 16 faculty-led semester-long trips last year (2009-2010).  In all, 51% of the 2005 cohort at CSB and 58% of the 2005 cohort at SJU studied abroad.

Instruction and Faculty Profile

Student-to-faculty ratios at CSB/SJU consistently have averaged between 12 to 1 and 13 to 1 for the past five years, and dropped to 11 to 1 in fall 2010.  The median class size for all 2 and 4 credit courses was 20.  Overall median class size has changed little in the last decade.  More than 85% of all courses enroll 30 students or fewer.  In fall 2010, approximately quarter of all 2 and 4 credit courses at Saint Benedict and Saint John's enrolled 10 or fewer students or more than 30 students.

There were 367 faculty members teaching at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University in fall 2010.   Approximately 80% of all faculty are full-time, significantly higher than the average for all of Minnesota's private colleges (just 55% in fall 2010).  The average faculty member at CSB/SJU has worked at the colleges for 14 years. The median age for the faculty in fall 2010 was 50.  Approximately 24% were under age 45 and 8% were older than age 64.  Professors and Associate Professors make up a nearly equal share of full-time faculty at CSB/SJU (63%) compared to Minnesota's private colleges as a group (62%).  83% of all full-time faculty at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University are tenured or in tenure-track positions as of the 2009-2010 academic year.

Data Tables