Discover St. Andrews

St. Andrews is a four-year liberal arts and sciences college in the Sandhills Region of North Carolina. We are known for innovation and academic excellence in an unparalleled interdisciplinary curriculum. Classes challenge the student to think critically and to express ideas clearly and effectively. We emphasize interdisciplinary study and the acquisition and mastery of communication skills, analytical techniques, problem solving strategies, leadership skills and creative expression. Members of the faculty work cooperatively as teachers, mentors, and advisors while maintaining a commitment to scholarship and professional development. St. Andrews delivers undergraduate degrees meeting the needs of both high school graduates and college transfers in a traditional residential setting, and adult learners through the Center for Adult and Professional Studies, where classes are offered through satellite campus, online and main campus options.
	At St. Andrews traditional residential campus more than 30 majors are offered with unique degrees in such areas as Creative Writing, Equine Business Management, Therapeutic Horsemanship, and Forensic Science. The residential option is augmented with a study abroad program on three continents, an award-winning pipe band, a six-time national champion equestrian team, NCAA Division II athletic teams, a state-of-the-art Electronic Fine Arts Center, multi-media art facilities, and a multi-disciplinary science lab the size of an indoor soccer arena! The on-campus college is residency required, with about 575 students on campus, hailing from 40 of the 50 states and eight foreign countries, creating a wonderfully diverse and exciting student body.
St. Andrews extends its educational opportunities to adults and non-traditional students through the Center for Adult and Professional Studies. Adult learners from a wide variety of backgrounds bring invaluable, firsthand insights into the relationship of classroom material to the real world. Degrees available to be pursued through the Center for Adult and Professional Studies are Bachelor of Arts degrees in Business Administration (Administration or Equine Business Management), Education (Elementary), and Interdisciplinary Studies. Additional courses are available for individuals holding baccalaureate degrees who wish to pursue Teacher Licensure. Other degree offerings are being designed and will be announced soon. Courses available through the Center for Adult and Professional Studies will be offered on St. Andrews’ Main Campus in Laurinburg, its St. Andrews @ Sandhills program in Pinehurst, NC, through St. Andrews ONLINE, or through hybrid combinations of these options. Students enrolled through the center have the flexibility to choose courses offered through any or all of those options.
	St. Andrews is fully accredited to award baccalaureate degrees by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). In addition, the College is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education and the North Carolina Department of Education.
The founding of St. Andrews, a project of the Synod of North Carolina of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S., began in the early 1950’s as a way to strengthen Presbyterian higher education in the eastern region of the state where the need was the greatest. Central to the history of St. Andrews is the early settlement of Scotland and surrounding counties by the Highland Scots who immigrated up the Cape Fear River in the 18th century. These settlers valued education highly and had established a number of educational institutions that were eventually absorbed directly or indirectly into St. Andrews. The significant portion of faculty and students at St. Andrews, when the new college opened, came from Flora Macdonald College and Presbyterian Junior College.
	Academic planning, the vital work shaping the heart of the institution, got off to an impressive start, establishing from the very beginning important academic programs that soon would thrust St. Andrews onto the frontier of quality liberal arts education. This innovative interdisciplinary curriculum in the liberal arts remained for many years the most distinctive feature of St. Andrews Presbyterian College. When the College opened in 1961, its strongest asset was a splendid core curriculum that attracted the attention of educators throughout the nation.
True to our foundational heritage, St. Andrews is a student-centered institution of higher learning. At St. Andrews, our first priority is our students and we take teaching and learning seriously. Our academic standards and expectations are high, and we pursue academic excellence with determination and vigor. We labor diligently to assist each student to achieve academic success and meet personal goals and we enjoy uncommon success in helping to transform the lives of students. We are a college where all members contribute legitimately to the maintenance of a true teaching and learning environment.
	Today, the men and women who have been associated with St. Andrews can cherish nearly five decades of challenge, struggle and service in the cause of human learning. The roots reach back to a Presbyterian legacy that values education as a way of life and to a proud Scottish heritage that respects not only learning but also individualism and independence of mind and spirit. St. Andrews will continue to educate women and men to become the leaders of the future, and the influence of these graduates will be found where service, independent thinking, individual responsibility, global vision, and sound judgment are highly regarded.
St. Andrews holds the distinctive honor of being nationally recognized annually by US News & World Reports (1997-2008), The Princeton Review (2000-2008), Washington Monthly (2005-2007), Colleges of Distinction (2003-2008), and Jay Mathews of the Washington Post (2003).
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