Worth the Investment

Graduates agree they were prepared for professional and personal success

Our Success Plan Works!

REQUIRED Career Prep Classes

As part of the core curriculum, all students take career prep classes in which they learn how to search for jobs, build a professional network, write cover letters, prepare their resumes, and stand out in interviews. Additionally, students learn about applying to graduate schools,  managing personal finances, salary negotiation, budgeting, finding housing, accepting or rejecting job offers, and other important life skills in these courses, preparing them to succeed as soon as they graduate.

On Campus Events and Networking Opportunities

Students are provided on-campus opportunities to explore their career goals and build their professional network. Employers recruit on campus regularly, and alumni speak at Life on Tap networking events to give students insights into their path to success. In addition, the Career & Professional Development Office hosts workshops that help students gain important professional and financial skills.

Personalized Attention and Guidance

Through one-on-one meetings with our Career & Professional Development Team, students can explore their career goals and make concrete, personalized plans to pursue them. From mock interviews to editing cover letters, the Team offers a variety of services that help students achieve their goals. Compared to the national average of 16%, in general, 90% of Christendom graduates agree that meeting with the Career Office was beneficial and helped them to succeed.

Alumni Mentors

Anna Wiebold '10
Anna Wiebold '10

Licensed Professional Counselor

In His Image Counseling

Rebecca Rajasekar '14
Rebecca Rajasekar '14

Attorney

Crowley, Hoge and Fein, P.C.

Cyrus Artz '10
Cyrus Artz '10

Republican Staff Director

House Committee on Education/ Labor

Ted Eidem '00
Ted Eidem '00

Police Lieutenant

Louisville Metro Police Department

Angelica Ferrara '14
Angelica Ferrara '14

Registered Nurse

University of VA Medical Center

Lauren Bielinski '10
Lauren Bielinski '10

VP of Strategic Partnerships

Live Action

Greg Monroe '08
Greg Monroe '08

Superintendent of Schools

Diocese of Charlotte, NC

Dr. John English '06
Dr. John English '06

General Surgeon

Valley Health Systems

Charlie Spiering '05
Charlie Spiering '05

White House Correspondent

Breitbart News

Joan Watson '06
Joan Watson '06

Director, Office of Faith Formation

Diocese of Nashville

Facts & Stats

Recent Headlines

Could the Liberal Arts (Better Named) Revolutionize Corporate Education? (2020)

A CEO and Former Googler Explains Why Your College Major Doesn’t Really Matter. (2018)

The CEOs of Youtube, Slack, and Whole Foods All Have Liberal Arts Degrees. Here’s Why That Matters. (2021)

 

 

 

Your College Major Does Not Define Your Career. (2018)

In the Salary Race, Engineers Sprint But English Majors Endure. (2019)

Graduate Schools

Georgetown School of Law            

Case Western University School of Medicine

Creighton School of Medicine

Dickinson School of Law

Eastern Virginia Medical School

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

George Mason Law School

Harvard University

Johns Hopkins University

Northeastern University

Southern Methodist University

Texas A&M University

The Catholic University Law School

William & Mary Law School

The Institute for Psychological Sciences

The University of Cal. Davis Law School

Notre Dame Law School

The University of Oxford, England

The University of Paris

University of Virginia Law School

The University of West Virginia School of Medicine

The University of Pennsylvania Law School

Washington and Lee Law School

Top Employers

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

McCarthy & Akers

Sole Solutions Inc.

Virtual Service Operations

Lifesite News

Media Research Center

Bon Secours

Conservative Connector

Econize Closets and Blinds

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Fisher Investments

Fox Rothschild LLP

Human Life International

Institute of Catholic Culture

March for Life Education and Defense Fund

Northrop Grumman

Purnell, McKennett & Menke, PC.

Seton Teaching Fellows

State Farm

The Becket Fund

The Heritage Foundation

Young America’s Foundation

Arlington County Sheriff’s Department

United States Armed Forces

Cives Steel Company

Clark Construction Group

CSX Transportation

Gryphon Scientific

Ford’s Colony Country Club

Population Research Institute

Thyssenkrupp

TrueShred

Chelsea Academy

Keller Williams Realty

Pinehurst Resort

Great Hearts Academies

Valor Education

Hartford Insurance Group

The Center of Strategic and International Studies

Internships

Johnsonville Sausage

Population Research Institute

The Heritage Foundation

Media Research Center

Arizona Congressional Office

US Department of State

RLA Insurance Intermediaries

Phyllis Schlafly Eagles

Southwest Engineers

Live ActioN

Purnell, McKennet & Menke, PC

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Our Sunday VisitoR

 

Sherwin-Williams

American Legislative Exchange Council

The Leadership Institute

Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women

West Virginia Congressional Office

Mata & Hill, PLC

New Jersey Legislative Office

Institute of Catholic Culture

The Daily Caller

Intercollegiate Studies Institute

The Charles Koch Foundation

 

The White House

The Daily Wire

LifeSite News

The Arizona Free Enterprise Club

First Command Financial

Acton Institute

Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation

Clark Construction Group

Susan B. Anthony List

New Jersey State Senator’s Office

KVSS Radio Station

Senator Deb Fischer – Nebraska

 Frequently Asked Questions

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Will I have to go to graduate school after Christendom if I want a good job?

As of 2021, we have approximately 3000 graduates. A number each year do go on to graduate school (approximately 18%), particularly law school (Georgetown, University of Notre Dame, University of Virginia, University of Pennsylvania, William and Mary, Washington and Lee, and others), while others choose to continue coursework in their field of studies at universities such as Virginia Tech, George Mason, Harvard, the Angelicum, and elsewhere.

The majority of our alumni enter the workforce immediately upon graduation and enter many different fields such as business, sales, IT, marketing, education, publishing, journalism, and much more – without having to earn a graduate degree in order to be successful.

Will I be able to get a job with a liberal arts degree?

There is a famous statement that is said of Jesus’ Real Presence in the Eucharist: For those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe, no explanation is possible. Although we are not equating the Real Presence with the fact that a liberal arts education is the best education for gaining employment, we are saying that there are two groups of thought on the issue, and it is sometimes very hard to bridge the gap between them: the believers and the unbelievers.

The Truth is this:  Our alumni are involved in just about every career field possible, so there is really no need to worry about the ability to find a job or achieve your ‘dream career’ upon graduation.  Our alumni work in fields other than their majors. Our history majors are in IT. Our philosophy majors are in healthcare. Our theology majors are restaurant managers. Our English majors are in sales. Our math majors are lawyers. Our classics majors are software engineers. Our political science majors are pilots.

Get the point? In fact, no matter which college you attend, or what you major in, 73% of people end up working in a field unrelated to the subject in which they majored.

And here is some more proof:

  • Liberal arts students advance more quickly to middle and senior management positions than their colleagues who pursued other fields of study . . . these graduates become employees that are ready to learn (AT&T Management Study).
  • The liberal arts are more effective in teaching communication skills, general knowledge and information, an understanding of people, an appreciation of ethical concerns, an ability to organize and prioritize, and vital leadership skills (Fortune 500 study).
  • Business leaders value liberal arts grads for their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, strong writing and speaking skills, self-discipline, exposure to diverse ideas, and global perspective (Hobart & William Smith Colleges study).
  • Strong communications skills are the single most important attribute a candidate can have – and also the one most lacking among job applicants (Poll of hiring managers by the National Association of Colleges and Employers).
  • A broad liberal arts education is preferred for future CEOs – blending knowledge of history, culture, philosophy, and economic policy, with international experience and problem-solving skills (The Wall Street Journal).

Also, Christendom graduates do very well on their graduate school entrance exams (LSAT, MCAT, GRE, etc) and go to a variety of graduate schools such as Notre Dame, Harvard, William & Mary, University of Virginia, Oxford, George Mason, and Catholic University.

They earn MBAs, MSEEs, JDs, MDs, PhDs, MSNs, and MAs in things like law, engineering, business, accounting, philosophy, theology, history, political science, architecture, dentistry, medicine, nursing, and everything in between.

Through the Christendom alumni and career network, we are able to help our students prepare for their life after graduation. We aid them in career preparation through  our Education for Life required courses, talks and workshops, and through presentations and meeting with them one-on-one. We help them with resume writing and interview skills; job exploration and graduate school search; alumni networking and job placement. We have a number of companies and organizations who specifically look to Christendom for their next employees.

Out of our close to 3000 graduates, very few are employed in their area of study. But they are broadly educated, and therefore, not limited to one area of employment. They are able to move around from career field to career field, if they wish. They can more easily move up the management ladder. They do not have to go back to school for more training if they choose to change jobs. They can do anything.

Whatever you want to do tomorrow, can be achieved on our campus today. Believe it.

Will I be able to go into the healthcare field with a Christendom degree?

It is quite possible to go into the healthcare field after earning your liberal arts degree from Christendom. In fact, according to a Harvard University report, if you want to be a doctor, it may be more beneficial to earn a liberal arts degree than a pre-med degree.  The report showed that although grades and academic honors are important for admission to medical school, a student’s choice of major has no bearing.

It would be regrettable if some of our students who plan to become doctors felt that they must turn away from their interest in the liberal arts for fear of being rejected at medical school without a premedical major. At Harvard Medical School, pre-med prepared students do better the first year, but by the third year they fall slightly behind students who majored in the liberal arts.

Although it may take a little extra work to get prepared for medical school or nursing school, those who have chosen to do so from Christendom have no regrets.

Christendom alumni are in all areas of healthcare, including Dr. Neill Mollard ’97 is a Cardiovascular Anesthesiologist, Dr. Kipp Slocum ’04 is a Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Dr. John English ’06 is a General Surgeon, Dr. Joseph Molitor ’08 is a Psychologist, Catherine McFadden Wendt ’16 is a Registered Nurse in Orthopedic Surgery, and Peter McNeely ’11 is a Certified Anesthetist

And finally, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC):

As you select a college remember that just as in high school, a good liberal arts education is a key ingredient to becoming a physician. You’ll need a strong foundation in mathematics and the sciences that relate most to medicine: biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics. But it’s important for your college experience to be broad. Taking courses in the humanities or liberal arts will help you prepare for the ‘people’ side of medicine.

So, hopefully you can see that attending Christendom and earning a degree in liberal arts will not limit you in your career choice, but rather, opens it up to many different possibilities, with medicine being only one of them.

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What do most of your alumni do after graduation?

 The majority of our alumni do the thing we want them to do – live good Catholic lives of virtue, living in the world, but not of the world, working in a variety of fields, helping to restore the culture and to make the world more Christ centered. And that is our biggest pride and joy, the fact that over 96% of our alumni are still practicing the Faith – that’s huge!

But when it comes to what they actually do, for work, this is how it plays out.

Approximately 60% of our alumni are women, and about 80-90% of them are married and working as stay-at-home mothers as their full-time jobs. Some have side hustles, others work part-time, while some work full-time, too.  Each to their own preference. But, in general, most of our female alumni are married and raising families as their first priority. Of the female alumni who are not married, they are working in a variety of fields: education, law, healthcare, religious education, business, finance, event planning, office administration, fire fighters, recruiters, sales, government, graphic arts, communication, editorial, military, and more.

The other 40% of our alumni are men, and most of them are also married and working in the world, outside the home. They are working in just about every field possible: Business, healthcare, IT, marketing, education, ministry, law, public policy, engineering, cyber security, law enforcement, military, finance, project management, and more.

All in all, our alumni “do life well” with their liberal arts degree from Christendom, living lives of virtues, fulfilling their vocations, working in their desired career fields, and daring to be great as they work to restore all things in Christ.

Does Christendom offer anything specifically for those interested in teaching?

As a general answer, a Christendom education is beneficial to anyone interested in any field of work because of the overall well roundedness of our program. We educate our students, rather than train them. We believe that by giving our students a classical liberal arts education, they will be ready to meet all of the challenges that come their way upon graduation. In fact, we have seen this to be the case with our graduates. Our graduates are involved in many varied and different careers, from medicine to law, journalism to law enforcement, from owning their own businesses to working on Wall Street.

Now to address the specifics of the question: What does Christendom have to offer a person interested in entering the field of education upon graduation?

To begin with, a large percentage of our alumni have gone on to teach, mostly at the elementary and secondary levels. They teach at private Catholic schools, parochial schools, charter schools, and independent schools – none of which require our graduates to have a teaching degree or certification.  Some have chosen to pursue graduate school and teach at the college level, and in those cases, our graduates had to earn graduate degrees in order to be qualified. We have alumni teaching at Providence College, DeSales University,  University of Tulsa, University of Dallas, New York State University at Albany,  Carnegie Mellon, and elsewhere.

Through our core curriculum, through the study of history, philosophy, literature, theology, political science, math, and science, our students are truly educated in the things that matter. They are not educated to do one thing or another, but are simply educated. Because of this, those who have an interest in teaching are always welcomed, and even sought after, by many Catholic school systems. School officials realize that although teaching methods are very important, the most important thing in teaching anyone is the love and knowledge of the Faith and the desire to pass on, not only head-knowledge, but more importantly, a love of God, His Church, and the good Catholic life in general. Christendom College prepares its students for that.

Other colleges, in their education programs, may teach its students how to teach math to 4th graders, or how to organize a classroom to make it more learning friendly. We believe that these things will work themselves out once they are in the classroom so there is no real need to spend a bunch of money and time on being trained in specifics when they will end up learning these things on-the-job later.

Now for those who may want to get their feet wet in teaching before graduation, we do offer a Teacher Formation Program as part of our curriculum. Seniors are given the opportunity to work as teacher aids with local Catholic and public schools, helping to plan classes and teach certain subjects.

How is Christendom's Career Development Office? Is it well-visited?

While It is true that, at many colleges, students find the offering, the people, the suggestions, and the meetings at the Career Services/Development Office to be pretty useless in assisting them in their goals, and therefore, they do not frequently go there for help – This is not the case at Christendom.

At Christendom, Kristin Stephens, who has been the Director of Career & Professional Development since 2018, is always busy, with students flooding her office on a daily basis.  She is focused on helping students in an individualized manner, and she builds relationships with the students over the course of their four years on campus. When students meet with her, it is not a one-time deal, but rather a series of meetings which assist the student to make the best decisions for their intended career goals. According to national surveys, only 16% of students felt satisfied after meeting with the Career Office, but at Christendom,82% were satisfied and thought the meeting was beneficial.

During meetings, Mrs. Stephens will help students with resume and cover letter writing, interview prep, mock interviews, internship and job search and applications, professional and financial advice, discuss salary negotiation and finding a roommate, and so much more. She teaches workshops on budgeting, buying a car, dining etiquette, and other important topics. She hosts “Life on Tap” alumni networking events where alumni return to campus to discuss their paths to success in their varied fields. She hosts recruiters and employers interested in our students, and she sends out informative emails and newsletters on a regular basis.

Students love Kristin Stephens and the Career & Professional Development Office.