What does it mean that John Cabot University is an American liberal arts university?
What degrees are offered at John Cabot University?
How is the curriculum organized?
How does American classroom instruction differ from the typical European model?
Who are the professors at JCU?
What grading system does JCU employ and what does it mean?
Is John Cabot University accredited?
What does it mean that John Cabot University is an American liberal arts university?
A liberal arts university is one that emphasizes the development of intellectual skills, such as creativity, critical thinking, and written and oral communications, rather than the acquisition of specialized career or professional skills.
At JCU, you will acquire these skills by studying literature, humanities, mathematics, science, social science, languages and fine arts. As a result, you will not only come away with the ability to solve complex problems, communicate effectively, and analyze difficult issues; you will also gain an appreciation for art, history, music, theater, and more.
What better place to do that than Rome?
While you will eventually choose an area of concentration--a major--there is a wide range of required courses you’ll take during your first two years that will expose you to many subjects.
We strongly believe that academic diversity prepares you to make better decisions regarding your area of specialization and encourages the sort of creative, flexible thinking required of successful citizens in today's world.
What degrees are offered at John Cabot University?
John Cabot University offers degrees in Art History, Business Administration, Classical Studies, Communications, Economics and Finance, English Literature, History, Humanistic Studies, International Affairs, International Business, Italian Studies, Marketing, and Political Science.
How is the curriculum organized?
To graduate from John Cabot University with a bachelor’s degree, you must accumulate at least 120 credits. Typically, one class is worth three credits; this reflects the number of hours spent in class each week.
Most students enroll in five classes every semester (one-half of the school year), earning a total of 15 credits. If you enter JCU with zero credits, as do many American high school graduates, you will typically earn enough credits to graduate in four years (eight semesters) of study.
Many European and a few American students, however, come with transferred credits and are able to graduate in less time.
American colleges and universities often apply the following titles to students to define progress toward graduation: Freshman (first year in college 0 to 30 credits), Sophomore (second year in college 31 to 60 credits), Junior (third year in college 61 to 90 credits) and Senior (fourth and final year in college 91 to120 credits).
How does American classroom instruction differ from the typical European model?
American liberal arts universities, including John Cabot University, pride themselves on the personal attention they give to students. At JCU you will be assigned a faculty advisor, who not only will guide you through the core curriculum and your choice of a major, but remains available to help with other problems, academic or otherwise. The tight-knit relationships that develop between professors and students at JCU provides important guidance on internships, graduate school decisions and jobs.
JCU classes generally have between 10 and 25 students (an average of 15). These smaller numbers permit professors to conduct discussions that elicit your ideas, requiring you to defend your opinions. Likewise, the JCU liberal arts program places more emphasis on student participation with in-class presentations and discussion, projects and research papers as a normal part of the learning experience. Nearly all upper level courses require that students learn how to access and make sense of the large amount of information available on the internet. There is also a practical component that underlies many courses that includes analysis of business cases and presentation of material. . Requirements such as these help you develop critical thinking, communication, and research skills which are now a necessary part of career development.
Who are the professors at JCU?
John Cabot University prides itself on the geographic diversity not only of its students, but also of its faculty. The faculty of John Cabot University have earned degrees from such internationally respected colleges and universities as Harvard University, Rutgers University, Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, the University of Rome “La Sapienza,” New York University, Stanford University, The London School of Economics, and Oxford University just to name a few.
As part of the hiring process, JCU professors provide evidence of teaching excellence and are periodically evaluated regarding continued teaching excellence and best practice.
What grading system does JCU employ and what does it mean?
JCU uses the grading system used by most liberal arts schools in the United States where professors ascribe letter grades (A,B,C,D, or F, sometimes followed by a + or -) based on a 100 percent scale assessing your course work. Then following U.S. university practice, JCU translates these letters into numerical values on the 4.00 scale with 0.00 being the lowest (F) and 4.00 being the highest (A).
See the following table for a grading reference:
| Outstanding A |
4.00
|
|
A-
|
3.67
|
|
Above Average B+
|
3.33
|
|
B
|
3.00
|
|
B-
|
2.67
|
|
Average C+
|
2.33
|
|
C
|
2.00
|
|
C-
|
1.67
|
|
Below Average D+
|
1.33
|
|
D
|
1.00
|
|
D-
|
0.67
|
|
Failure F
|
0.00
|
JCU uses these numerical values to compute your semester and cumulative grade point averages. The semester GPA (grade point average) represents the average of all classes taken in a semester. The cumulative GPA averages all classes taken at JCU. Individual classes are weighted in calculating your GPA based on their number of credits.
Students will be able to access their grades on line. The online transcript will show: A letter grade for each course, your semester GPA, and your cumulative GPA. Students at JCU who do not maintain a 2.00 cumulative GPA do not qualify for graduation.
Is John Cabot University accredited?
Yes. John Cabot University is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (www.msche.org), one of the United States’ major accrediting bodies.