Humanities for Leadership, BA

Objectives

The Bachelor of Arts with a major in Humanities for Leadership shares with the other Humanities degrees the emphases on forming humane persons and promoting justice. In addition, this major applies Humanistic and Jesuit thought to the specific topic of leadership. It introduces students to Jesuit practices of reflection and interiority as habits and tools for leaders in today’s world. It balances these conceptual pursuits with first-hand experience in internships, both local and global.

Structure and Admission Criteria

The Bachelor of Arts with a major in Humanities for Leadership (BA) degree is a “cohort program.” Students are admitted to the program as freshmen by the normal process administered through the Seattle University Office of Admissions. Thereafter, students follow a prescribed sequence of required courses with complimentary study in an area of specialization of their choosing. In addition to coursework, students are expected to complete an internship in a local organization as well as to participate in an international internship placement. 

Program Requirements

Students are expected to make normal progress toward completing the required courses in sequence. Students must always maintain a cumulative academic grade point average of 2.00 or higher. Students failing to meet these expectations will be placed on probation for two quarters and thereafter are subject to dismissal from the program. In order to earn the BAHL degree, students must complete 180 quarter credits as described below and maintain a cumulative academic grade point average of 2.00 or higher.

Students are encouraged to seek additional informal advice from faculty in their areas of prospective specialization.

In the third year of the program, students will participate in a year-long internship at a local organization.

In the fourth year of the program, students participate in quarter-long national or international leadership internships with businesses or non-profit organizations. The Matteo Ricci department will identify internship placements. Student safety is paramount, and for this reason, the department vets potential placements and students develop in-depth knowledge about their placement settings before travel.

Students will only be allowed to participate in the international leadership internship program if they demonstrate language competency for the country in which they wish to work. Students who fail to demonstrate language competency, or who for reasons other than language choose not to work abroad, will complete an internship within the United States.