Ave Maria University

Accounting

Offered within the Department of Business, the Accounting major prepares students for a career in one of the highest-demand industries through a rigorous course of study in financial and managerial accounting, cost accounting, accounting information systems, auditing, and taxation. It grounds students in ethics and prepares them to become Certified Public Accountants if they choose.

American Studies

An interdisciplinary major offered within the Department of Politics that focuses on the principles of the American regime, the history of the American republic, and the unique culture emerging from American foundational principles. Courses are drawn primarily from politics and history, with literature and other subjects when focused on American themes.

Applied Chemistry

A chemistry major offered within the Department of Chemistry and Physics that provides a rigorous grounding in the chemical sciences within a Catholic liberal arts framework, preparing students for graduate school, professional programs, and careers in the chemical sciences.

Biochemistry

Offered within the Department of Chemistry and Physics, this major trains students in a multidisciplinary manner across chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and bioethics. The B.S. program, with an emphasis on research including a minimum of two semesters of research, prepares students for research careers, graduate programs, and professional and medical school.

Biology (BA)

The Biology major provides a comprehensive study in multiple areas of modern biology and serves as excellent preparation for graduate school, medical school, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, or employment in research and clinical laboratories or science education.

Biology (BS)

The Biology B.S. offers a comprehensive, science-intensive study of modern biology with additional foundations in physics and chemistry, preparing students for graduate and professional schools, research and clinical laboratories, and science careers.

Business Administration

The MBA program develops competence in the management of strategic, financial, and organizational challenges while placing respect for the human person at the core of management. Candidates with a business background complete 32 graduate credit hours; those without complete 48. The program offers seven areas of concentration including Management, Accounting, Communications, International Business, Sports Management, Healthcare Management, and Legal Studies.

Business Administration

The Business Administration program enables students to master broad education and specialized knowledge to find meaningful work or attend graduate business school. It emphasizes fundamental business tools, theories, and analytical techniques together with communication, interpersonal skills, and prudential decision-making grounded in the moral dimension of human life.

Catholic Studies

Offered within the Department of Theology, the Catholic Studies major focuses on the interdisciplinary character of the impact of the Catholic Faith on broader society across the centuries. It combines a foundation in doctrinal and moral studies with the study of other disciplines in which engagement with Catholic teaching is central.

Classics & Early Christian Literature

A rigorous program designed to develop proficiency in the Latin and Greek languages, or Latin alone, promoting literary study across a broad range of authors, genres, and subjects and instilling awareness of the classical tradition and its transformation during the Christian era.

Communication, Rhetoric, and Writing

The M.A. in Communication, Rhetoric, and Writing prepares graduates to assume professional communication roles or enter doctoral programs in communication, rhetoric, or writing studies, engaging communicative practices in ways informed by the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and classical liberal arts. The program requires successful completion of 32 credits of required courses or transfer equivalents with a minimum 3.0 GPA.

Communications

The Communications major provides a firm foundation in the liberal arts while preparing students to communicate effectively through contemporary channels. Students are trained in public speaking, argumentative writing, and artistic expression, and apply these skills to digital and video productions for targeted audiences.

Computer Science

Offered within the Department of Computational and Mathematical Sciences, the Computer Science major is grounded in theoretical computing and the liberal arts while responsive to current computing practice. The major consists of seven required computer science courses, one required mathematics course, three CS electives, and two physics courses, plus the Latin sequence.

Economics

The Economics major helps students appreciate the breadth, power, and limitations of economics as an academic discipline, integrating Catholic social teaching with the rigor of the science of economics. It provides excellent preparation for graduate study in law, business, public administration, public policy, and advanced economics.

Education in Catholic Educational Leadership

The M.Ed. in Catholic Educational Leadership prepares graduates to assume leadership positions in faithful Catholic schools, advancing mission integrity and strong Catholic identity, maintaining operational excellence, and fostering Christian integral formation in the classical liberal arts tradition. The program requires 30 credits, typically completed over 18 months, and includes an apprenticeship.

Elementary Education

Housed in the Educator Preparation Program, this Florida state-approved program offers a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education (K-6) aligned with the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices standards. Graduates are eligible for a Florida state teaching license and meet the requirements for the Florida Reading and ESOL endorsements.

Environmental Science

A science specialization built on the foundation of the B.A. Biology degree with additional science courses for a strong understanding of ecology and the environment. It prepares students for field and laboratory careers in applied environmental ecology, government service, teaching, and private industry or consulting, as well as graduate study.

Exercise Physiology (BA)

Offered within the Department of Biology, the Exercise Physiology B.A. expands students' application of scientific knowledge to the acute and chronic responses to physical activity, emphasizing evaluation, interpretation, and prescription to address individual and population health.

Exercise Physiology (BS)

The Exercise Physiology B.S. provides sound academic preparation in the laboratory and applied sciences for graduate programs in exercise physiology, biomechanics, dietetics, strength and conditioning, and athletic training, as well as doctoral study in medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and chiropractic care.

Finance

Offered within the Department of Business, the Finance major teaches students about corporate finance, investments, banking, and quantitative methods, built on the idea that time and uncertainty have value. It equips students with skills in corporate financial management and investment analysis grounded in a liberal education and Catholic view of the human person.

Global Affairs

Offered within the Department of Economics, the Global Affairs major adds the principles, concepts, and ideas of a globalized world, giving students a strong intellectual foundation to understand economic and political interactions that span the planet, including international economics, international relations, and comparative politics.

Health Science

Offered within the Department of Biology, the Health Science major promotes an interdisciplinary understanding of medicine and health care across the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. It serves as pre-professional preparation for graduate degrees in fields such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, podiatry, and physician assistant studies.

History

The History major seeks to instill the ability to think historically through a solid grounding in the main events of American and European history, with special attention to the role of the Catholic Church, and educates students in the methods and history of the profession.

Humanities & Liberal Studies

Inspired by the Great Books, this interdisciplinary major offers a broad liberal arts education through comprehensive study of the Western intellectual tradition in philosophy, literature, theology, history, and, to some extent, the experimental sciences and mathematics, taught largely in seminars.

Literature

The Literature major introduces students to the classics of the West so they may better understand themselves and their world, with coursework focused on close reading, analysis, and researched argumentative writing. Literature is studied in relation to theology, philosophy, and history and in its technical aspects of form and rhetoric.

Managerial Economics & Strategic Analysis

Offered within the Department of Economics, the MESA major is designed for students who wish to apply economic analysis to the problems and realities of the business world, focusing on issues at the level of the firm and individual, including pricing, bringing products to market, and law.

Marine Biology

A science specialization in marine-based biological organisms and ecology, built on the foundation of the B.S. Biology degree with additional science courses. It prepares students for field and laboratory careers in applied marine biology, marine ecology, graduate programs, government service, teaching, and private industry or consulting.

Marketing

Offered within the Department of Business, the Marketing major equips students with strategic and ethical tools to build and manage brands, analyze consumer behavior, and evaluate marketing strategies across traditional and digital platforms, grounded in Catholic social teaching.

Mathematics

Offered within the Department of Computational and Mathematical Sciences, the Mathematics major develops students' understanding of the nature, power, scope, and beauty of mathematical thought within a Catholic liberal arts tradition, providing a solid foundation in theoretical, practical, and computational aspects of the discipline.

Mechanical Engineering

Offered within the Department of Chemistry and Physics, this major studies the design, build, testing, and practical application of physics principles to solve societal problems, arranged in three tracks: thermal sciences, machine design, and automation, instrumentation and controls. It is well suited to students interested in robotic and mechatronic systems.

Music

The Music Department provides a course of study in music within the liberal arts framework, focusing on three principal areas of musical discipline: applied music study (lessons on the major instrument, voice, or composition), music theory, and music history. Admission is dependent upon a successful audition.

Nursing

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing is a four-year program in which students complete the Core Curriculum and pre-nursing science requirements in the first two years before applying to the Nursing Major. Ave Maria University is approved by the Florida Board of Nursing and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).

Philosophy

The M.A. in Philosophy forms students in the philosophical tradition of the Catholic Church and the Thomistic tradition, cultivating the habit of philosophical analysis and a unified vision of philosophical wisdom. Graduates are prepared for doctoral programs or employment suited to their formation. The program requires ten 500-level philosophy courses (40 credits) with a GPA of 3.3 or higher, including an M.A. thesis.

Philosophy

Philosophy at Ave Maria University is understood as the love and pursuit of wisdom, rooted in the human person's desire to know truth. The program studies logic, natural philosophy, moral philosophy, and metaphysics in continuity with the great Catholic tradition and in dialogue with major thinkers of the past and present.

Physics

Offered within the Department of Chemistry and Physics, the Physics major provides a deep and rich exposition of theoretical, experimental, and computational science, giving students the opportunity to read the book of nature. The curriculum combines required courses in physics, mathematics, and chemistry with a student-chosen suite of electives.

Political Economy & Government

Offered within the Department of Politics, this major prepares students to understand and participate in public debates that affect the nation, combining economics courses on market forces and government action with politics courses on the principles and intricacies of policymaking.

Politics

The Politics major advances students' critical understanding of the nature and purpose of political life through the four subfields of political philosophy, American politics, international relations, and comparative politics. It provides a foundation for graduate work, law school, and careers in the public or private sector.

Psychology

The Psychology program seeks to impart knowledge about the human psyche in terms of both mental processes and human action, grounding students in the foundational areas and methodologies of the discipline in conversation with philosophy and Catholic theology. It prepares students for professional and graduate study in psychology.

Quantitative Economics

The B.S. in Quantitative Economics follows a more mathematical approach to the study of economics, including multivariate calculus and econometrics, and provides the background recommended for graduate study in economics or the more quantitative areas of business and finance.

Theology

The Patrick F. Taylor Graduate Program in Theology forms students in the theological tradition of the Catholic Church, grounding them in Sacred Scripture, the Church Fathers, and St. Thomas Aquinas. Graduates are prepared to enter doctoral programs or find employment in the Church's pastoral and educational institutions. The degree requires twelve graduate theology courses, including seven required courses and five electives, with an optional Thesis Track.

Theology

The Doctor of Philosophy in Theology prepares graduates to be conversant in the Catholic theological tradition with the skills for specialized research, writing, and teaching in biblical, moral, and systematic theology, aiming at faculty positions in higher education. Requirements include twelve doctoral-level courses, reading proficiency in Latin, Greek, and a modern language, comprehensive exams, and defense of a dissertation, normally completed during a four-year residency.

Theology

The Theology major seeks to assist students in their development toward union with God, investigating God as revealed through faith in Sacred Scripture, the living Tradition of the Church, and the authentic Magisterium, in cooperation with the perennial philosophy. It prepares students for graduate school in theology, seminary, and the lay apostolate.