Through classroom discussion, reflection, retreats, service-learning programs, volunteer service, and guided conversations among students and faculty, formative education attempts to knit together the discrete parts of a college education into a larger whole in an effort to help students to become their best selves.

There is a broader moral order to the universe in which we are called to participate. It is the dimension of us as human beings that formative education tries to awaken and build upon. Imagination and fulfillment are central to the formative experience and to helping students to lead lives of meaning and purpose.
Stanton E.F. Wortham, Dean, Lynch School of Education and Human Development

Capstone

An opportunity for seniors and second-semester juniors to focus on their own personal development—in relationships, society, academics, spirituality, career, and personal skills.

Cornerstone

A program offering unique courses to first-year students encouraging them to reflect on their lives and interests while getting to know their faculty advisors.

Perspectives Program

A four-year, interdisciplinary program that encourages students to work out coherent answers to enduring questions such as Who are we, Where do we come from, and Where are we going?

Core Curriculum

The centerpiece of Jesuit education has always been a core curriculum that emphasizes the study of defining works in the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.

Cross Currents Seminars

One-credit courses that push undergraduate students to explore topics from other courses in greater depth by connecting academic material with their personal experiences, values, and actions.

Portico

A Carroll School of Management program that builds bridges between business education and the liberal arts by asking first-year students to view management through an ethical and multi-disciplinary lens.

SCRUBS

A sophomore retreat that customizes the formation experience for nursing students through small-group discussions, professional development workshops, and presentations by professors, alumni, and upperclassmen.

El Camino Pilgrimage Course

A philosophy course and international immersion experience that invites students to trek along the Camino de Santiago—a centuries-old pilgrimage route in Northern Spain.

PULSE

A service learning program that educates students about social injustice by combining service placements with classroom discussions of classic and contemporary works of philosophy and theology.

Experience, Reflection, and Action (ERA)

An opportunity for first-year Lynch School students to discuss experiences; reflect on subjects concerning wholeness, purpose, and community; and engage in meaningful action to promote social justice.

I define student formation as a threepart journey—social formation, spiritual formation, and academic formation. Understanding how the three are interrelated, in and out of the classroom— whether it be retreats, service programs, or mentorship—is integral to helping students to understand themselves and how they can pay it forward at Boston College.
Michael Osaghae ’20, President, Undergraduate Government of Boston College

48hours

An off-campus weekend experience open to all first-year students interested in gaining a fuller understanding of the possibilities and challenges of a Jesuit e