Saint Mary's offers degree and certificate programs for people entering the classroom, moving into administration, or specializing in curriculum, assessment or language teaching. Every program is taught online, individually, and paced by you.
The University teaches undergraduate degrees and professional certificates, entirely online, to students globally.
Full undergraduate study for those intending to work in education, whether in the classroom, in curriculum and program design, in training, or in educational administration.
The degree runs to 120 credits across twenty sequenced modules, arranged so that each rests on what precedes it, and concludes with an extended piece of research or applied work.
Shorter qualifications for practitioners who require a specific credential, taught to the same standard and through the same platform as our degree programs.
Certificates are credit-bearing, and that credit carries the same weight as credit earned on the bachelor's degree: the same credit hours and the same published criteria.
Further programs are in development. Applicants who wish to be notified as they open may register their interest with the Admissions Office.
All Programs →The most effective form of teaching has been known for forty years. Until recently it could not be provided to every student.
Students taught individually perform approximately two standard deviations above those taught in conventional classrooms, placing the average tutored student above 98 percent of the comparison group.
The finding has not been seriously contested. No institution, however, has been able to provide a tutor for every student, and so teaching has continued in the form that can be resourced.
Saint Mary's teaches through a platform that assesses each student individually and adjusts what is taught, in what depth, and at what pace, for that student alone.
The average tutored student outperformed 98% of students in conventional classrooms. The problem was never the student's ability; it was the instructional method.
Four conditions that apply to every program, and that distinguish study here from study at a conventional institution.
Existing knowledge is established at the start of a program, so that material already mastered is not taught again.
The depth and speed of each lesson adjust continuously to the comprehension a student demonstrates.
Misunderstandings are detected as they occur and addressed before the student proceeds.
Material is revisited at intervals calculated from each student's own rate of retention.
Support is informed by the student's lesson history and progress, and is not limited by office hours or by the number of times a question is asked.
Every lesson is produced in all three formats. They cover identical material and carry identical credit, and a student may move between them at any point.
For students who read closely and prefer to work at speed.
Text is presented one word at a time in a fixed position, which removes the eye movement that limits conventional reading speed. Reported reading rates are four to six times conventional, with comprehension maintained. Published studies report a measurable comprehension gain among students with ADHD.
For material that is unfamiliar or conceptually demanding.
Narrated and illustrated lessons that pause at intervals and ask the student to restate what has been covered. Where a response indicates that a point has not been understood, the lesson returns to it before continuing.
For study during travel, exercise and other occupied hours.
The lesson as structured audio, with written key points to accompany it. It is the one format in which a student may reasonably attend to something else at the same time, and it covers the same material to the same depth.
A student is not committed to a single format. The accelerated pathway suits familiar material, the guided pathway suits new concepts, and the immersive pathway suits hours in which reading is impractical. Progress is retained across a change of format, including within a lesson.
Compare the Formats →No single format captures the full picture of a student's understanding. Students choose the methods by which they are assessed, and every method is marked against the same criteria.
Credit accumulated through the comprehension checks embedded in each lesson, measuring understanding as it develops rather than at a single sitting.
Analytical essays, research papers, reflective journals and lesson plan design, for students who write with greater precision than they speak.
Applied educational problems: designing a lesson for a specified group, responding to a classroom difficulty, adapting a curriculum for a range of learners.
Assessment by discussion, in which a student explains, defends and elaborates on their understanding in the manner of a professional conversation.
A curated collection of work demonstrating development, capability and applied understanding across the whole of a program.
Sustained work applied to a practical problem, such as a curriculum design, a research proposal or a community education program.
Timed written examination, retained for students who demonstrate their understanding best under examination conditions. It is an option rather than a requirement.
An extended piece of research demonstrating mastery of a chosen specialization within education.
All routes lead to the same qualification and are held to the same standard. The platform advises each student on the methods best suited to their strengths, and the choice may be revised as a program proceeds.
Assessment and Grading in Full →Saint Mary's is an independent institution based in St. Petersburg, Florida, teaching entirely online to students globally.
The University was founded as a Christian institution and its programs are taught within that tradition. Students of all faiths, and of none, are welcome.
Our teaching is designed principally for adults whose circumstances do not fit a conventional academic timetable. Approximately one undergraduate in three leaves higher education without completing, and the reason is more often the shape of the course than the ability of the student. The University exists to remove that obstacle rather than to accommodate it.
Prior knowledge and professional experience are assessed on entry and taken into account, rather than taught again from the beginning.
Study proceeds in whatever increments are available to the student, and nothing expires at the end of a week or a term.
Three formats, adjustable pacing and eight assessment methods, provided as standard rather than granted by arrangement.
Instruction is in English and delivered online, with no requirement to travel, relocate or obtain a visa.
Multiple formats, unlimited academic support, flexible assessment and an adaptive engine are not adjustments granted on request. They are how the University teaches, and they are available to every student from the day of enrollment.
Applications are accepted throughout the year. There is no application fee, and no commitment is incurred until terms are agreed.
A short application form. Applicants are advised at this stage whether a program is appropriate to their intentions.
An initial assessment establishes existing knowledge and experience, so that study begins at the appropriate level.
Students choose their study format and preferred assessment methods. Both may be revised at any point thereafter.
Credit is recorded as assessments are completed and is visible throughout. A program concludes when its credits are obtained.
Screens from the course as enrolled students see it.
The University's teaching model is built on published findings rather than on preference. The principal figures are set out below.
Individual tuition outperforms conventional classroom teaching by two standard deviations.
Bloom, 1984Of students in the comparison group were outperformed by the average tutored learner.
Bloom, 1984Reported reading rates under accelerated presentation, with comprehension maintained.
Performance improvement attributed to Universal Design for Learning.
Scientific Reports 15, Art. 3042 (2025)Study formats, produced for every lesson in every program.
Assessment methods, from which each student selects.
Hours in which academic support is available to enrolled students.
Undergraduates who leave higher education without completing, most often for reasons of format rather than ability.
Faculty write the curriculum, define the criteria by which work is judged and mark the substantive assessments. The platform carries their decisions to every student and answers the questions that arise between them.
Responsible for academic programs and curriculum development. Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, Columbia University. Sets the academic standards to which all programs are held.
Leads student services and pastoral support. M.A. in Counseling, Fuller Theological Seminary. Works principally with students balancing study against employment, family and distance.
PhD in Applied Linguistics and the Cambridge DELTA. Taught English for eighteen years across Southeast Asia and Latin America before moving into teacher training.
The Admissions Office will advise on program suitability, on study arrangements and on terms before any commitment is made. Where a program is not suited to an applicant's stated purpose, we will say so.
(850) 565-9913·admissions@stmaryschristianuniversity.org·Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Eastern