ST. LOUIS (Oct. 24, 2023) – Saint Louis University and Lincoln University announce a partnership that will benefit students in STEM fields and serve as an engine for workforce and educational development in Missouri. The partnership agreement will allow Lincoln University students to pursue select graduate programs at Saint Louis University and facilitate an early transition to graduate school.  

The agreement between the two schools allows Lincoln students to take advantage of an accelerated 4+1 undergraduate/graduate program in Strategic Intelligence or Cybersecurity at SLU. This partnership enables students to take courses that apply toward a bachelor’s degree at Lincoln and an accelerated master’s degree at SLU. Students enrolled in the program can earn a Bachelor of Science in four years, and then complete the master’s with just one additional year at SLU.

“As we establish this new partnership with Lincoln University, we are opening up the tremendous benefit that an accelerated bachelors to master’s program can provide to Lincoln students,” said SLU Provost Mike Lewis, Ph.D. “It gives them an achievable path to complete in one year a degree that would usually take two years. It provides students with a greater competitive advantage in the job market, particularly in the area of national intelligence, where Lincoln University and Saint Louis University are already building a strong research consortium.”

The agreement is part of the research consortium between the schools established in 2022. The Midwest-Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence (MW-IC CAE) establishes a workforce development and training pipeline for students to pursue careers in the Intelligence Community.  

“This program will provide students with the opportunity to take advantage of the best that Lincoln and SLU have to offer. The Lincoln and SLU partnership is about access for our students and opportunities for their future careers,” said Joe Lyons, Ph.D., director of the MW-IC CAE and assistant professor of security and strategic intelligence at SLU. “Our consortium and the pathways and possibilities to and from SLU are even stronger now. This is a tremendous partnership for us, the region, and the Intelligence Community Centers for Academic Excellence program.”

The program is open to any Lincoln student who has earned at least a 3.5 GPA and completed certain pre-requisite courses as part of their undergraduate degree. Undergraduate Lincoln students can take up to 12 credit hours to apply toward their MS degree. The partnership will reduce the timeline for admission and give students an early transition into the SLU graduate programs, which are delivered remotely through SLU’s School for Professional Studies.

“We are thrilled to partner with Lincoln University to launch SPS’s first accelerated bachelor’s to master’s 4+1 opportunity with an outside institution,” said John Buerck, Ph.D., interim dean of SLU’s School for Professional Studies. “SPS is dedicated to increasing opportunities for underrepresented students and making a Jesuit education accessible while expanding access to STEM talent globally. We look forward to welcoming Lincoln University graduates to our Master of Science programs.”

Midwest-Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence

SLU’s Midwest-Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence (MW-IC CAE) was announced by the Office of National Intelligence in September 2022. SLU leads a consortium of universities and colleges, including Harris-Stowe State University and Lincoln University, to recruit and educate talented, diverse students interested in intelligence and national security careers.

The Center allows University faculty, staff, students, and intelligence community members to work collaboratively to create rich, engaged learning and teaching experiences. The leadership team aims to increase student success, build vital IC partnerships, and bring individuals together to become members of an intellectually and demographically diverse, active learning community, preparing them for a career in the IC.

Saint Louis University

Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Catholic institutions. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering history as the first university west of the Mississippi River, SLU offers more than 13,500 students a rigorous, transformative education of the whole person. At the core of the University’s diverse community of scholars is SLU’s service-focused mission, which challenges and prepares students to make the world a better, more just place.