Graduate Institute

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I work while I attend the Graduate Institute?

The Liberal Arts program has been designed to accommodate working adults. All classes during the fall and spring semesters are scheduled on two evenings per week. Some students do find it difficult to balance the requirements of the program with demanding full-time work, and prefer to make some adjustment to their work schedule, either to part-time or to flex-time. Students in the Eastern Classics program have more class meetings per week, and full-time work is not recommended.

Where can I find more information about Housing?

Housing in Annapolis
 View our Housing Brochure.

Housing in Santa Fe
Dormitory housing is available to graduate students during the summer term. However, during the fall and spring terms, graduate students must live off campus in apartments, condominiums, and private rental homes. Because the population in Santa Fe swells to nearly 200,000 during the summer tourist season, prices for hotel and motel rooms, apartments, condominiums, and private rental homes rise accordingly. However, affordable housing in Santa Fe can always be located.  In May for the fall term, October for the spring term, and April for the summer term, the Office of Graduate Admissions will prepare and disseminate a monthly housing e-mail that provides rental listings as well as roommate and house share opportunities. Often new students can arrange house shares with other new students through the housing e-mail and reduce their housing costs substantially.  Additionally, we recommend that incoming students pay attention to postings on santafe.craigslist.org, thenewmexican.com, and sfreporter.com.

Typically, costs for house shares and roommate situations range from $450 to $600 while one and two bedroom apartments range from $600 to $900. Homes typically list for between $1,200 and $1,800 depending on the number of bedrooms and bathrooms and the location. 

Do I need to be thinking of further graduate study to attend the Institute?

Although some students who attend the Graduate Institute are considering further graduate or professional study, and although the college is pleased with the recognition that its graduate programs have gained in university circles, the primary intention of the Institute is not to prepare students for scholarly work. Our students-recent college graduates, teachers, executives, writers, professionals, retirees-come from diverse walks of life and are united by a common desire to deepen their understanding of themselves and their world by reading, pondering, and discussing classic texts, regardless of their subsequent plans.

Do I need to complete the program in consecutive semesters?

Students in the Liberal Arts program must complete four of the five segments offered. They may do so by starting in any semester, and following a number of patterns. Many students attend fall and spring semesters for two years. Others pursue the "fast track" of four consecutive semesters, e.g., summer, fall, spring, summer. Many primary and secondary school teachers attend only during the summers, completing the program over four years. In Eastern Classics, the program sequence is fixed, and students normally enroll for three consecutive semesters: fall, spring, summer.

Is it possible to study a foreign language in the Graduate Institute?

While the Liberal Arts program does not require the study of a foreign language, both campuses make it possible for students to study ancient Greek while enrolled. In Annapolis, a Greek language preceptorial and a follow-up translation preceptorial are regularly offered. In Santa Fe, interested students may participate in the ongoing, non-credit study group or summer Greek Language Institute. The Eastern Classics program requires the study of either Sanskrit or Classical Chinese.

What if I am not good at math and science? Can I still get through the Liberal Arts program?

At St. Johns' College mathematics and natural science are regarded as liberal arts, which are capable of being understood and questioned by any inquiring mind. For more than 60 years we have been using classic texts to make mathematics and science accessible to non-specialists. Many Graduate Institute students who begin with a fear of math find their tutorial in Euclid and Lobachevsky to be one of their most rewarding experiences.

May I attend both the Liberal Arts program and the Eastern Classics program?

Yes. Each year a few students choose to enter one program after having completed the other. These students wish to explore how questions they have grappled with in one tradition, for example, knowledge, justice, eternity, or wisdom, are dealt with in other traditions.

I will be returning to school after years of doing other things. Will it be difficult to get back to being a student again?

Although it may take time to reclaim the habits of study they once had, many mid-career and non-traditional students find that their greater maturity and experience enhance the excitement and depth of their learning and that their anxieties are soon forgotten.

Ask your own question:

e-mail Graduate Institute Admissions in Santa Fe or Annapolis.