Carroll College
1601 North Benton Ave
Helena, Montana 59625
406-447-4384
800-992-3648 (toll-free)
COSTS:
Tuition:
$18,778
Room and Board:
$7,240
Fees, books, misc.:
$900
Carroll College
Helena, Montana
College Description
Founded in 1909, Carroll College is a private, Catholic college, accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges. The College is a member of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the American Council on Education, the Council of Independent Colleges, the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, and the Western Independent College Fund.
Students who choose Carroll College find a community that supports them as they follow their dreams, change themselves, and prepare to change the world. In addition to award-winning academic programs and a biology department that is renown for its graduates’ success in obtaining admission to the nation’s top medical schools, Carroll’s unique approach includes an education that not only prepares students to pass their courses and enter the careers of their choice but also to succeed in all of life’s challenges—personal, professional, and spiritual. To create this novel educational experience, Carroll stresses learning in and out of the classroom—learning by experience and interaction with real people and real-world problems.
Career-experience opportunities are available to all students. Engineering and business students gain valuable experience as interns at local firms where they work alongside professionals in their fields and contribute to ongoing projects for actual clients. Political science, communication, and environmental studies students build their job skills as interns in government, nonprofit groups, and the media. Biology, chemistry, and nursing majors work at hospitals, laboratories, and government facilities to gain valuable expertise and perform cutting-edge research. Carroll students have discovered more than ten new species; contributed to first-ever studies of species ranges and health; studied plant, animal, and human genetics; uncovered environmental contamination; and had their findings published in international professional journals. Carroll students’ acceptance rates for the highly competitive national Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program is almost four times the national average.
Carroll’s Alpha Seminar class, required of all freshmen, incorporates service learning and allows students to help the poor and underserved in the surrounding community and reflect on the experience to realize the causes, effects, and possible solutions to social injustice. Campus Ministry service trips to volunteer at schools, senior centers, homeless shelters, and soup kitchens give students the opportunity to study and address social-justice issues. Carroll’s student chapter of Engineers Without Borders is designing service projects to help deliver clean water to villages in Central America and assure water quality in Montana’s Indian Reservations. Volunteerism is a Carroll priority, and each year students raise tens of thousands of dollars, gather thousands of pounds of food, and donate thousands of work hours to local causes. Study-abroad journeys challenge students to step outside their comfort zones as they explore scientific, historical, and cultural issues on five continents outside North America.
Because of its small size—a student body of 1,500—and faculty members who are committed to putting students first, Carroll offers academics tailored to the students’ individual needs and interests. At Carroll, most classes have 20 or fewer students. This plus a faculty open-door policy that promotes student access and better learning is a winning combination to help students succeed. Professors go the extra mile to help students in their courses and with their graduate school applications and job searches. Customized majors through interdisciplinary work and independent study are also an option. Three recent examples of interdisciplinary majors include Unity of Knowledge, Peace and Justice, and Political Philosophy.
All of this translates to Carroll’s tradition of excellence. Carroll students thrive in a caring community that brings out the best in everyone and values each individual for their unique gifts. Every student makes a difference at Carroll. The success speaks for itself. Examples include Carroll undergraduates in the sciences and humanities consistently enjoying graduate school scholarship awards and acceptances to present their work at conferences usually reserved for master’s and Ph.D. candidates. The Talking Saints Forensics Team is ranked in the top five of all schools of all sizes nationwide.
Of the College’s four residence halls, Trinity Hall offers juniors and seniors suite-style, apartment-type living with full kitchens and the most modern amenities. The fully renovated Fitness Center in the Carroll Physical Education Center features the most up-to-date cardiovascular and strength-training equipment.
Carroll’s aggressive financial aid packages make the College competitive among public and private institutions. Carroll students who have loans graduate with about the same amount of debt as state-school graduates. Students from across the Pacific Northwest find they can receive far more for their money at Carroll than at most other public or private institutions.
U.S. News & World Report’s 2006 rankings placed Carroll as the third-best “Comprehensive Colleges–Bachelor’s” in the West. This marks Carroll’s twelfth year in the publication’s top ten.
Location and Community
Surrounded by epic views of unspoiled wilderness, Carroll students enjoy easy access to outdoor sports and a clean and healthy lifestyle year-round. Helena, the state capital, nestles in the heart of southwestern Montana’s beautiful Rocky Mountains along the Lewis and Clark Trail. Just 5 minutes from campus, the Mount Helena trailhead launches hikers and mountain bikers into Mount Helena City Park, part of Helena’s 2,000 acres of open-space land and one of the most expansive city park systems in the nation. The Missouri River and Canyon Ferry and Holter, Hauser, and Park Lakes are short rides from the campus. Wilderness backpacking and camping opportunities, within short drives of Helena, are almost limitless.
For winter sports, the Great Divide Ski Area is an easy 45-minute trek from campus. Two world-class ski resorts are easy day trips. Students can choose from Big Sky-Moonlight Basin, south of Bozeman, or Big Mountain in Whitefish. Four other outstanding hills lie within 2 hours of the campus: Bridger Bowl, Showdown, Snowbowl, and Discovery.
Academic Life
The academic year consists of fall and spring semesters and a limited summer term. Carroll’s Bachelor of Arts degree program means all students study the arts, sciences, humanities, and social sciences for at least four of their eight semesters at Carroll.
At Carroll, 78 full-time and 42 adjunct faculty members help provide the resources, personal support, and academic challenge necessary to prepare students for academic and personal success. With a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and modest class sizes, Carroll offers students the opportunity to establish close relationships with their instructors and receive personalized attention from professors who maintain a sincere interest in their students’ achievements.
Carroll’s faculty is consistently recognized for its excellence. Thirteen professors currently on campus have earned Fulbright Scholarships. In the sciences, Carroll professors perform groundbreaking research across the globe on diverse subjects and lead student research in biology, chemistry, history, psychology, and other disciplines.
Study-abroad opportunities round out Carroll’s academic offerings. Carroll has provided students professor-led study-abroad opportunities to Australia, Belgium, Belize, Chile, China, Ghana, Greece, the Holocaust sites of Central Europe, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Mali (Africa), Mexico, Swaziland, Thailand, Togo, and Vietnam. Carroll students have also studied for full semesters in Australia, Canada, Chile, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Scotland, Spain, Venezuela, and the Semester at Sea. Carroll offers exchange programs with Kumamoto-Gakuen University, Japan; National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland; the Universidad Internacional, Mexico. Carroll’s Study Abroad Office also arranges for students to perform independent study abroad at colleges and universities worldwide.
Majors Offered:
Carroll College offers a four-year Bachelor of Arts degree program. Its majors and areas of concentration include accounting; biology; biology for secondary education; business administration, with concentrations in economics, finance, international business, and management; chemistry; chemistry for secondary education; civil engineering; classical studies; communication studies; communication studies for secondary education; computer science, with a concentration in computer networking; computer programming–business; computer programming–physical sciences; computer programming–biological sciences; computer science–mathematics; computer science–individually designed program; elementary education; engineering (3-2 program); English; English for secondary education; English writing; environmental studies, with concentrations in community, culture, and science; ethics and value studies; French; health and physical education, with concentrations in community health and sports management; history; history for secondary education; international relations; mathematics for secondary education; mathematics, with a cognate concentration; nursing; performing arts/theater, with concentrations in acting/directing and performing arts technology; philosophy; political science; political science for secondary education; psychology; public administration; public relations, with concentrations in business and journalism; social studies for secondary education; sociology; Spanish; Spanish education (K–12); teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL); TESOL (K–12); and theology, with concentrations in contextual and systematic.
Under the 3-2 engineering program, students attend Carroll for three years and then transfer to an affiliate school to complete specialized studies. Upon completion of the program, students receive two degrees, one from Carroll and one from the affiliate school. Affiliate schools are Columbia, Gonzaga, Montana State, Montana Tech, and the Universities of Minnesota, Notre Dame, and Southern California.
Carroll offers preprofessional programs in dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician’s assistant studies, seminary, and veterinary medicine. Special programs and course offerings include anthropology; Carroll Intensive Language Institute (CILI); cooperative education and internships; the Honors Scholars Program; language, including French, German, Greek, Latin, linguistics, and Spanish; military science; physics; preseminary; and study abroad. Carroll also offers various two-year Associate of Arts degrees.
Campus Life
Carroll’s Outdoor Club is one of the most active student organizations on campus. With kayaking, skiing, and snowboarding weekends; backcountry hikes; overnight snowshoeing trips to remote cabins; and backpacking in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, the Outdoor Club is a great way for students to connect with Montana adventure.
For on-campus recreation, the 4,800-seat Nelson Stadium rocks on autumn Saturdays as the national champion Fighting Saints rumble onto the field before enthusiastic crowds. Nelson Stadium is also home to Carroll’s winning women’s soccer team. Students enjoy basketball and volleyball games in the Carroll PE Center, which has 3,000 new seats.
The Associated Students of Carroll College helps students communicate with the administration and make important decisions about campus activities and student life. Each class (freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior) elects its own student officers, with each vice president serving as a student senator. Carroll’s Student Senate consists of elected representatives from each floor of the residence halls, off-campus students, and nontraditional students. Students may also serve on a variety of committees.
Facilities and Resources
The Fortin Science Center provides classrooms and chemistry, biology, and engineering laboratories with the latest analytical tools, all specifically designed for hands-on student use. Completed in 2003, the College’s 4,290-square-foot Civil Engineering Laboratory houses a laboratory, a twenty-four-seat classroom, and extensive materials, hydraulics, machinery, and structures-testing capabilities. Carroll’s Corette Library houses an extensive collection of volumes, periodicals, and electronic research and referral systems.
Classrooms, laboratories, and residential halls are networked for access to the campus computer network, the Internet, and e-mail. Computer labs are located throughout the campus.
Sports / Varsity Athletics
The tradition continues in athletics: the Fighting Saints have reigned as the NAIA National Champions in football since 2002, and the men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, and soccer teams hold the Frontier Conference championship crowns and rank among the NAIA’s best in the nation.
Financial Aid / Scholarships
In the last academic year, Carroll awarded an average $18,000 financial aid package to 97 percent of its full-time, degree-seeking students in the form of College-sponsored scholarships, Federal Work-Study, and student loan programs, including Federal Pell Grants, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Stafford Student Loans, Federal PLUS loans for parents, state grants, and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants. Carroll’s merit scholarships range from $3500 to $8500 annually.
More information on Carroll scholarships is available at the College Web site. To receive priority consideration for scholarships, students must have a complete admission file by March 1. Carroll requires students interested in need-based financial assistance to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), available from high school counselors or at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov, as early as possible after January 1.
Admission Requirements / Application
Degree candidates are those who have applied through the Office of Admission for a course of study leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree. Degree candidates may be enrolled on a full-time or part-time basis. Admission decisions are based upon a student’s performance during high school, verbal and quantitative skills, a secondary school report, letters of recommendation, demonstrated commitment to intellectual achievement, and performance on standardized college entrance examinations.
When applying for admission, candidates must submit the application form, official transcripts from the high school and all colleges previously attended, a secondary school report and/or a letter of recommendation, ACT or SAT scores, and a $35 nonrefundable application fee, which is waived for applications submitted before December 31. Transfer students who have successfully completed more than 30 college semester credits with at least a C (2.5) grade average are not required to submit high school transcripts or ACT or SAT scores.
Carroll College has a rolling admission policy with a priority admission deadline of March 1. Within three weeks of submission of all materials, the Office of Admission notifies candidates of acceptance, conditional acceptance, or denial. Students should note that late submission of material may jeopardize financial aid awards and course registration. Students can apply online at the College Web site.
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