Saint Mary's College is a four-year, Catholic, residential, women's liberal arts college located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States—as are the University of Notre Dame and Holy Cross College. The name of the school refers to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Saint Mary's offers five bachelor's degrees and more than 30 major areas of study, such as business, nursing, art, chemistry, and social work. Additionally, Saint Mary's College offers two graduate degrees: a Master of Science and a Doctorate. All programs that fall under the graduate degrees are co-educational and include a Master of Science in Data Science, a Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology, and a Doctorate of Nursing Practice. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Saint Mary's College's mission is to educate students, develop their talents, and prepare them to make a difference in the world. Saint Mary's College ranks among the top 100 Best National Liberal Arts Colleges for 2015 as published by U.S. News & World Report. The college combines a strong liberal arts program with a spiritual foundation and a dedicated alumnae family. On February 17, 2016 the college announced Janice Cervelli as the President-elect.
In 1843, four Sisters of the Holy Cross came from Le Mans, France, to share in the apostolate of education with the priests and brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross, who had been sent by the bishop of Vincennes, Indiana to open a college in northern Indiana (Notre Dame du Lac or the University of Notre Dame). In 1844, the sisters opened their first school in Bertrand, Michigan, a few miles from Notre Dame; it was a boarding academy with pre-collegiate grades. In 1855 the school moved to its present site, first becoming St. Mary's Academy and eventually grew to become Saint Mary’s College. The campus sits across the street (Indiana 933) from the university. Saint Mary's College was the first women's college in the Great Lakes region.
