City: St. Paul, MN

Category: Education

Telephone: (651) 962-5000

Address: 2115 Summit Ave.

Description: In 1885 Archbishop John Ireland founded St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary. This higher education institution quickly grew beyond the bounds of its original purpose, as a high school, college, and seminary, with only two departments, Theology and Classics. However, the Twin Cities’ largest Catholic university—the first Minnesota institution after the University of Minnesota to be ranked as a “national university” by U.S. News & World Report—was prepared to gradually expand into numerous other areas of study. The first four-year baccalaureate degrees were conferred by then St. Thomas College in 1910. The college increased its liberal arts emphasis and broadened its demographic in 1977 when it became coeducational and accepted women for the first time. St. Thomas has evolved into a private Catholic university with a liberal arts emphasis. The school offers 96 majors ranging from theology, Latin, and classical languages to history, English, and geography. The annual enrollment at St. Thomas is approximately 11,000 students. St. Thomas offers graduate education in numerous areas, including engineering, education, social work, business, psychology, and law.Continuing education is another important focus at St. Thomas. Since New College opened in 1975, the needs of part-time, adult, and nontraditional students have been readily met with innovative methods, such as off-campus classes to make convening easier. St. Thomas boasts several campuses. The main campus is 78 acres approximately halfway between downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, on the western edge of historic Summit Avenue. In addition, the downtown Minneapolis campus is home to the Graduate School of Professional Psychology, the School of Education, the Opus College of Business, and the School of Law. St. Thomas also owns smaller campuses in out-state Owatonna and Rome, Italy. Student activities abound at St. Thomas. Students can choose from a large slate of intercollegiate sports, such as basketball, swimming, cross-country running, and men’s and women’s hockey. The seminary also publishes Catholic Digest, a world-renowned Catholic magazine.