Cornerstone Core Policies & Procedures

• While some courses may double count for overlay requirements and a course area requirement, students may not count a single course for more than one course area requirement
  • Note: Some courses may be approved for more than one course area requirement. In such a case, a student may count the course toward either requirement but not both. For example, a course that is both Diversity and Philosophy Level One certified may be counted as either Diversity or Philosophy Level One but not as both Diversity and Philosophy Level One (for the same student)
• If approved, a Writing Intensive overlay course may double count for any course area requirement except for World History and Rhetoric and Composition
• If approved, a Writing Intensive course may also count as Mission overlay course
• If approved, a Mission overlay course may double count as any of the following course area requirements: Fine and Performing Arts, Creativity, & Design, Literature, Mathematics, Natural Science, Social Science
  • Note: Some courses may count as either a course area requirement or a Mission overlay requirement but not both. For example, a course that is both Theology and Faith and Reason (Mission overlay) certified may be counted as either Theology or Mission overlay but not as both Theology and Mission Overlay (for the same student)
  • The following course areas may not double count as Mission Overlay courses (for the same student) even if such courses are approved as Mission overlay: Diversity, Philosophy Level One, Philosophy Level Two, Religious Studies, Theology

​​​​​​Saint Joseph’s University awards credit for some Advanced Placement (AP) examinations. Credit is given only upon receipt of an official report from the College Board. The AP course credit may count toward the 120 credits graduation requirement. A score of 4 or 5 on certain AP exams may fulfill some Cornerstone Core requirements. Depending on the exam taken, course areas in which students may apply sufficient AP credit include:

• World History
• Rhetoric and Composition
• Fine and Performing Arts, Design, and Creativity
• Mathematics
• Non-Native Language
• Social Science
• Natural Science

For "Block Transfer" policies, students should confer with the SJU Advising Office.

The following policies appy to other forms of transfer credit, including regular course transfers and study abroad:

• Transfer credit is not possible for the Inequality (INT 151) and Diversity course areas
• Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Theology course areas:  Students may transfer credit from an approved study abroad program; or where there is a block transfer agreement in place; or transfer credit from another institution (with permission from the Department Chair or relevant CAS Associate Dean). A course in one course area -- Philosophy, or Religious Studies, or Theology --may not satisfy any other core course area requirement.
• Transfer credit may be received for the overlay requirements and for other Cornerstone Core course area requirements, subject to the above course area restrictions and only if approved by the relevant SJU faculty/administrators

• There are two overlay requirements, Writing Intensive and Mission
• The Mission overlay includes three sub-categories (any one of which satisfies the Mission overlay requirement)
  • Ethics and Social Justice, or
  • Faith and Reason, or
  • Global Citizenship
• If approved, courses may count for both the Writing Intensive overlay and the Mission overlay
• Overlay courses may count for some but not all course area requirements, as follows:
  • If approved, Writing Intensive courses may double count for any course area requirement except for World History and Rhetoric and Composition
  • If approved, a Mission Overlay course may double count as any of the following course area requirements: Fine and Performing Arts, Creativity, & Design, Literature, Mathematics, Natural Science, Social Science

    • Note: Some courses may count as either a course area requirement or a Mission overlay requirement but not both. For example, a course that is both Theology and Faith and Reason (Mission overlay) certified may be counted as either Theology or Mission overlay but not as both Theology and Mission overlay (for the same student)

       

• For any CCC course area that includes a set of different courses, departments and programs may specify specific courses as required for their major concentration students
  • For example, a major concentration may specify that students must take a particular math course or a particular social science course as part of the student's CCC requirements
• Departments and programs are free to decide whether selected CCC courses should also at the same time count toward the completion of the major or minor
• Departments and programs should maintain advising worksheets that clarify any program-specific required CCC courses or any major/minor double-counting possibilities for CCC courses

Course Timing/Sequencing

• The World History and the Rhetoric and Composition course areas must be completed in the first two semesters
• The one-credit Inequality in American Society INT 151 course must be completed within the first four semesters
  • Students who failed to complete the one-credit Inequality in American Society INT 151 course must take a second three-credit Diversity course to satisfy the missed requirement; the substitute Diversity course may not count for any other CCC requirements

Pre-requisite Courses

• The following Cornerstone Core requirements have pre-requisites
  • Rhetoric and Composition (ENG 101) is a pre-requisite course for the Writing Intensive overlay requirement
  • Philosophy Level One is a  pre-requisite course for Philosophy Level Two
• If a major department or program requires its major concentration students to take a specific CCC course, then there may be addition pre-requisites 
  • For example, if a student's major program requires that their CCC math course must be Calculus, then a student must have satisfied any pre-requisites for the Calculus course