SLU and Jesuit Worldwide Learning
Through an award-winning program created by Saint Louis University and the nonprofit Jesuit Worldwide Learning, 58 students in East African refugee camps are remotely pursuing their bachelor's degrees at SLU. The Saint Louis University – Jesuit Worldwide Learning (SLU-JWL) program offers a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies, with a concentration in computer information systems, to students living in refugee camps and other areas with limited access to higher education. SLU’s School for Professional Studies offers this degree through distance education.
The SLU-JWL program is made possible by resources allocated by each partner. Jesuit Worldwide Learning provides a computer lab, staff, and assistance with student recruitment on-site at each refugee camp, and SLU provides remote resources. These resources include accredited courses, trained faculty, administration, student support, and student advising. SLU-JWL students are enrolled like any other student of SLU’s School for Professional Studies, their education includes the same requirements and standards, and their degrees and diplomas are the same.
SLU’s partner, international nonprofit Jesuit Worldwide Learning, connects students at the margins with quality higher education programs that are regionally accredited and certified. They aim to cultivate a global community of learners and together foster hope to create a more peaceful and humane world. University partners such as Saint Louis University offer programs within the framework of Ignatian experience, which seeks to develop the whole person, or cura personalis.
This initiative is part of the University’s five-year Academic Strategic Plan and is listed under Goal 4.1. It also aligns with two of the four Jesuit Universal Apostolic Preferences: walking with the excluded and accompanying young people in the creation of a hope-filled future.
To qualify for this program, students must meet the following criteria:
- Reside in or around Jesuit Worldwide Learning sites (areas that are otherwise underserved by institutions of higher education)
- Complete the JWL pre-STEM certificate from Creighton University OR
- Complete the certificate in liberal studies from Xavier Institute of Management
- Have an English language level of B2 in reading, writing, speaking and listening
The SLU-JWL program formally launched in March 2024 with an inaugural cohort of 16 students. A second cohort of 16 SLU-JWL students began courses in Fall 2024, and our third cohort began studies in Spring 2025.
Course List for the SLU-JWL B.A. in General Studies (CIS Concentration)
University Undergraduate Core Required Courses
CORE 1000: Engaging the Human Person (Ignite)
CORE 1500: Self in Community
CMM 1200: Public Speaking in Organizational Life
ENG 1903: Written and Visual Communication
ENG 2026: Reading in a Distracted Age
THEO 1605: Ultimate Questions: Theology / CORE 2505: Self in Contemplation
PHIL1705: Ultimate Questions: Philosophy
ENG 3885: Writing Personal Narratives
CORE 4000: Persons & Problems / CORE 3500: Self in the World
General Studies Major
HUM 2100: Intellectual Virtues
ORLD 1000: Effective Leadership
HUM 2150: How to Think Critically
HUM 3450: Interpreting Texts
HUM 3400: Creative Thinking
PMGT 1010: Fundamentals of Project Management
HUM 4100: Engaging Difference
ORLD 2000: Organizational Foundations: Business Essentials
ORLD 2500: Financial Concepts
ORLD 3300: Organizational Behavior and Team Effectiveness
HUM 4200: Working for the Common Good
HUM 3500: Writing in a Digital Age
CIS 2300: Data-Driven Decision-Making
HUM 3300: Thinking Historically
HUM 4800: General Studies Capstone
Computer Information Systems Concentration
CIS 1375: Information Systems and Technology
CIS 2875: Principles of Data Analysis
CIS 1600: Introduction to Programming
CIS 3300: Database Analysis and Design
CIS 3850: Analytics and Visualizations
CIS 3250: Cybersecurity Principles
CIS 4750: Data Mining
CIS 4250: Survey of Machine Learning
CIS 4300: The Fundamentals of Computer Forensics
CIS 4600: Cyber Threats and Defense
Program Requirements
The roadmaps below outline the course of study for the B.A. in general studies offered by SLU and Jesuit Worldwide Learning.
Year One Roadmap
| Term 1 | Credits |
|---|---|
| CORE 1005: Engaging the Human Person (Ignite) | 3 |
|
|
3 |
| Term 2 | Credits |
| CORE 1205: Public Speaking in Organizational Life | 3 |
| CORE 1905: Written and Visual Communication | 3 |
| Term 3 | Credits |
| CORE 1605: Ultimate Questions: Theology / CORE 2505: Self in Contemplation | 3 |
| HUM 2100: Intellectual Virtues | 3 |
| Term 4 and Term 5 (split) | Credits |
| CORE 3405 Reading in a Distracted Age | 3 |
| CIS 1600: Introduction to Programming | 3 |
| Term 6 | Credits |
| CORE 1705: Ultimate Questions: Philosophy | 3 |
| ORLD 1000: Effective Leadership | 3 |
| 28 |
Year Two Roadmap
| Term 1 | Credits |
|---|---|
| CORE 3605: Social Science in Context | 3 |
| CIS 2875: Principles of Data Analysis | 3 |
| Term 2 | Credits |
| CIS 2300: Data-Driven Decision-Making | 3 |
| HUM 2150: How to Think Critically | 3 |
| Term 3 | Credits |
| HUM 3450: Interpreting Texts | 3 |
| CIS 3250: Cybersecurity Principles | 3 |
| Term 4 and Term 5 (split) | Credits |
| CIS 3300: Database Analysis and Design | 3 |
| HUM 3400: Creative Thinking | 3 |
| Term 6 | Credits |
| PMGT 1010: Fundamentals of Project Management | 3 |
| CIS 3850: Analytics and Visualizations | 3 |
| 30 |
Year Three Roadmap
| Term 1 | Credits |
|---|---|
| CIS 4250: Survey of Machine Learning | 3 |
| ORLD 2000: Organizational Foundations: Business Essentials | 3 |
| Term 2 | Credits |
| HUM 4100: Engaging Difference | 3 |
| CIS 4750: Data Mining | 3 |
| Term 3 | Credits |
| HSCI 3510: Physiological Processes in the Human Body | 3 |
| ORLD 2500: Financial Concepts | 3 |
| Term 4 and Term 5 (split) | Credits |
| ORLD 3300: Organizational Behavior and Team Effectiveness | 3 |
| CIS 4300: The Fundamentals of Computer Forensics | 3 |
| Term 6 | Credits |
| HUM 4200: Working for the Common Good | 3 |
| HUM 3500: Writing in a Digital Age | 3 |
| 30 |
Year Four Roadmap
| Term 1 | Credits |
|---|---|
| CIS 4600: Cyber Threats and Defense | 3 |
| HUM 3300: Thinking Historically | 3 |
| Term 2 | Credits |
| CORE 4005: Persons & Problems / CORE 3505: Self in the World | 3 |
| HUM 4800: General Studies Capstone | 3 |
| 12 | |
| Total: 100 |