January 8, 2020
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology at St. John’s University has established several new partnership agreements to provide opportunities for student success. These partnerships include pathways for undergraduate students at other institutions to complete a master’s degree at St. John’s as well as agreements that provide current St. John’s graduate students with opportunities for doctoral study.
Currently, undergraduate students at the College of Mount Saint Vincent (CMSV) are able to begin pursuing graduate study in Criminology and Justice at St. John’s through an articulation agreement. Recently, St. John’s signed a similar partnership with Molloy College for Sociology. Students at both institutions can begin pursuing master’s degrees while still enrolled as undergraduates, saving time and money on graduate education.
The department has also established an international pathway with Universitat Abat Oliba CEU (UAO CEU) in Barcelona, Spain. Undergraduate students in psychology at UAO CEU – who already have some preparation in English language studies – can begin taking graduate courses in the MA Criminology and Justice online, enrolling full-time once their baccalaureate degrees are completed. The department hopes this partnership will also lead to faculty research collaborations between the two institutions.
For current graduate students at St. John’s, the department has also developed partnerships with doctoral degree granting institutions that include the University of New Haven, University of South Florida, and Utah State University. These partnerships facilitate the application to Ph.D. programs for St. John’s master’s students in Sociology and Criminology and Justice, 80 percent of whom are non-traditional students. Although these Ph.D. programs require Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for admission, they take a holistic approach to the admissions review process. As part of the partnerships, the graduate directors at each institution are available to answer questions and review application materials for St. John’s students. Once a student is selected for admission, the Ph.D.-granting institution will provide airfare and lodging to help them make enrollment decisions. The students will also be fully-funded for their Ph.D. programs if enrolled.
Based on the agreement with University of New Haven for Criminology students, Professor and Chair Roberta Villalón, Ph.D. started to work on creating similar opportunities for Sociology students. She sent an e-mail to colleagues at Sociologists for Women in Society, of which she has been an active member for a decade.
In the e-mail, Dr. Villalón wrote:
“We are very proud of our students, they are insightful and passionate about becoming active sociologists and criminologists. In the last few years, approximately half of our students have been choosing to pursue doctoral degrees and we are working very hard to help them through the process…Our faculty is devoted to their becoming critical sociologists, while maintaining an active research agenda and involving students in their studies.”
The response to Dr. Villalón’s e-mail was overwhelmingly positive: two new partnerships have been established as a result, with another two under discussion.