Associate of Arts (Prison Education Program)

Associate of Arts (Prison Education Program) Website

This program offers credit-earning courses to currently incarcerated people and Department of Corrections employees at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Missouri, culminating in an Associate of Arts degree from Saint Louis University.

Curriculum Overview

Two cohorts of 20 students each take courses that operate on a nine-week term and convene once per week for four hours at a time. Students take a total of five classes per year. To complete the total 61 credits required for the degree, each cohort remains in the program for approximately four years.

All coursework in the degree program comes from the SLU core curriculum and the College of Arts and Sciences. It also aligns with Missouri's Core 42, which transfers to public institutions throughout the state.

Careers

An Associate of Arts degree prepares students for a wide range of employment possibilities and for further study.

  1. Graduates will be able to use research to sustain an argument and conduct analysis through an academic essay. 
  2. Graduates will be able to apply logical and analytical problem-solving through effective methods of inquiry. 
  3. Graduates will be able to utilize intentional reflection. 
  4. Graduates will be able to apply theories and/or practices of social justice and civic engagement in the Ignatius spirit.

Prison education students must complete a minimum total of 61 credits for the Associate of Arts.

Oral and Written Communication
ENGL 1500The Process of Composition3
ENGL 1900Advanced Strategies of Rhetoric and Research3
CMM 1200Public Speaking3
Humanities
AS 1930Special Topics 13
Select one ENGL 2000 level course, such as:3
Faith, Doubt and Literature
Nature, Ecology & Literature
Technology, Media & Literature
Select one ENGL 3000 level course, such as:3
Creative Writing: Poetry
Creative Writing: Fiction
American Literatures after 1865
Introduction to Shakespeare
PHIL 1050Introduction to Philosophy: Self and Reality3
PHIL 2050Ethics3
THEO 1000Theological Foundations3
Select one THEO 2000 level course, such as:3
Introduction to the Old Testament
Introduction to the New Testament
History of Christianity: The First 2000 Years
Christian Ethics
Religions of the World
Select one course from Visual and Performing Arts, such as:3
Approaching the Arts
Drawing I
Approaching the Arts: Music
Music Fundamentals
Approaching the Arts: Theatre
Introduction to Theatre
Intro to the Arts
The Arts and Social Change
Sciences
BIOL 1010Essentials of Biology3
Select one additional course from the Natural Sciences, such as:3
Understanding the Weather
Introduction to Environmental Science
Physics and the World Around Us
Mathematics
MATH 1200College Algebra3
Social Sciences
HIST 1110Origins of the Modern World to 15003
HIST 1120Origins of the Modern World (1500 to Present)3
POLS 1000Introduction to Politics3
or POLS 1100 Introduction to American Government
Select two additional courses from the following:6
Human Communication and Culture
Intergroup Dialogue
Principles of Economics
General Psychology
Introduction to Sociology
Electives
Choose one elective from the following (no single course can count for two requirements in this curriculum):3
Intro to American Culture: Movements, Myths, and Methods
American Places
Human Communication and Culture
Intergroup Dialogue
Message Design
Media and Society
Creative Writing: Poetry
Creative Writing: Fiction
American Literatures after 1865
Introduction to Shakespeare
Philosophy of the Human Person
Medical Ethics
General Psychology
Introduction to Sociology
Introduction to the Old Testament
Introduction to the New Testament
History of Christianity: The First 2000 Years
Christian Ethics
Religions of the World
Seeking God: A History
Capstone
AS 4960Capstone1
Total Credits61
1

This change anticipates the Ignite Seminar in the new University Core.

Transfer Credit Policy

  1. Only college-level transfer courses with a grade of “C” or above will be considered for acceptance and application toward a Saint Louis University degree.
  2. The cumulative GPA for transfer courses is calculated on all grades from course work of all accredited colleges attended.
  3. In the case of repeated transfer courses, grades will be calculated according to the policy of the institution from which the two courses were taken.
  4. Only transfer credits from regionally accredited institutions will be considered for transfer to Saint Louis University.
  5. The maximum number of transferable hours is 15 credits or 25% of the curriculum.  
  6. Developmental, secretarial and highly technical courses of an applied nature may not transfer.
  7. All potential transfer courses will be reviewed by the Saint Louis University registrar, an academic advisor and/or the academic director and director of the prison program. 

Academic Progress Policy and Academic Probation

  1. A.A. progression requirements are based on academic performance during each individual term in the A.A. program.  
  2. Any student with a term GPA falling below 2.00 will be placed on academic probation for two to three terms. The term GPA in the following term must be above the 2.00 criterion or the student will be discontinued from the program. 
  3. The Academic Program Director for the A.A. program will notify the student within 14 business days of the posting of the final grades, for the term, regarding his or her placement on probation or discontinuation from the A.A. program. Students may be placed on academic probation no more than twice during the program of study. Students who fall into the academic probation range a third time will be dismissed from the program.
  4. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the GPA requirements and as such, know that s/he can be placed on probation or be discontinued from the program based on the GPA requirement. The Academic Program Director is available for consultation and assistance in all progression issues. 
  5. Please note that all A.A. courses are sequential and therefore every A.A. course must be passed with a “D” or better to progress into the next term. In unusual circumstances, a student who fails to meet the minimum requirements may be permitted to continue with the permission of the academic program director and by completing an “academic plan for continued enrollment.” 
  6. Students may only ask for two leaves of absence during their undergraduate program.