College of Saint Mary is a Catholicwomen's university located in Omaha, Nebraska. Enrollment totaled 1,018 students in fall of 2014: 735 undergraduates, 243 graduate, and 40 non-degree seeking students. With more than 30 undergraduate and seven graduate degree programs, College of Saint Mary offers associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in high-demand majors such as occupational therapy, physician assistant studies, nursing, biology, business, education and legal studies. The student-to-faculty ratio is 10:1.
Programs
The College of Saint Mary offers several distinctive programs:
Three-year and four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree tracks to accommodate students’ needs and life circumstances.
The five-year combined bachelor's and master's in Occupational Therapy program prepares students for real-world experiences as they complete fieldwork at some of the nation's top healthcare facilities.
A Practical Nursing program created specifically to graduate bilingual nurses to serve the growing Spanish-speaking population in Nebraska and surrounding areas
The Mothers Living & Learning residential program is an option for single mothers and their children who would like to pursue a college degree full-time while living on campus. This program is for women who have up to two children, are dedicated to continuing their education, and are seeking community living opportunities that recognize they are parents as well as college students.
Nationally accredited nursing programs at the associate and bachelor's degree levels
History
, founder of the Sisters of Mercy and an early 18th-century Irishwoman, had a bold vision. She believed that nothing was more productive of good to society than the careful education of women. Mother Mary Leo Gallagher, another Sister of Mercy, carried on the tradition and opened the doors of College of Saint Mary in 1923. In the old Continental Hotel at 15th and Castelar Streets, the work began. The church schools needed teachers. To be effective in these positions, Mother Gallagher believed women needed a strong liberal arts education. Mother Gallagher accomplished this feat when women had won the vote just three years prior. In November 1950, the sisters purchased of land for $150,000 next to a dirt road named 72nd Street and what would become Mercy Road. A $3 million construction project began in March 1953 and by May 1955, College of Saint Mary was a reality. That year, 255 students enrolled and by 1958 College of Saint Mary had become a four-year fully accredited college.
