The College of St. Joseph the Worker

The College of St. Joseph the Worker opened in fall 2024 in Steubenville, Ohio, and is welcoming its second class of students in fall 2025 with a total enrollment of 63 students. The College combines the best of the Catholic intellectual tradition with training in the skilled trades.

At the College of St. Joseph the Worker, all students earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Catholic Studies and receive training in the residential construction trades, such as carpentry, HVAC, electrical and plumbing. Students spend four years in Steubenville to earn their Bachelor of Arts in Catholic Studies while also working their apprenticeship. After another year or two of apprenticeship work, students reach Journeyman status in their selected trade.

Students take 78 credits in Catholic theology and 10 credits in philosophy. The mandatum, a requirement under Canon Law that theologians have the approval of the local bishop to teach the Catholic faith, is required for all theology professors. With 100 percent Catholic faculty and students, the College has already attracted students from 26 states to experience its unique offerings.

St. Peter Catholic Church in Steubenville is just a five-minute walk from the College’s location, which offers daily Mass, Confession twice a week, and perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The College is also adding its own weekly Confession/Spiritual Direction evening to supplement these offerings.

The College has secured houses for students to reside in that are single-sex with no opposite-sex visitation to private rooms. Members of the opposite sex are only permitted in the common areas of the homes, and there are quiet hours. There is no meal plan, and so students are expected to cook their own meals.

What we really like:

Students benefit from Steubenville’s broader Catholic community. And since students are working during most of the years in college, the College is extremely affordable. For the Catholic student who wants to be prepared spiritually, intellectually and physically for their lay vocation, the College of St. Joseph the Worker is hard to beat.