College of St. Joseph the Worker

What College of St. Joseph the Worker does

College of St. Joseph the Worker is a nonprofit Catholic college located in downtown Steubenville, Ohio, that offers a four-year integrated program combining a Bachelor of Arts in Catholic Studies with skilled trade training in carpentry, HVAC, plumbing, or electrical. The curriculum is built around NCCER trade standards and partners with ApprenticeOhio for state-certified journeyman training, with OSHA 10 embedded in the program. Students are evaluated primarily on essays and interviews rather than standardized test scores under a rolling admissions process, and the college accepts CLT, ACT, or SAT scores.

The college charges $15,000 per year in tuition plus $860 in fees, with rent-free housing included; students in Years 2–4 are projected to earn $16,720–$22,480 through apprenticeship, class projects, and contract work to offset tuition, enabling debt-free graduation. The institution deliberately does not accept federal grants or loans to preserve its Catholic mission. Additional revenue comes from donations (the college is a 501(c)(3)), summer timber framing courses ($3,000/student), a Catholic Social Teaching Masterclass ($2,495) co-run with New Polity and Catholic Answers, and operating construction subsidiaries that double as on-the-job training sites.

The entity is governed by a Board of Directors and led by President Jacob Imam (Oxford DPhil) and Provost Andrew Willard Jones (PhD, St. Louis University), supported by a Trades Dean, a VP of Operations, VP of Finance, VP of Enrollment, VP of Marketing, and a newly hired Director of Development. The college holds Ohio Department of Higher Education authorization, ApprenticeOhio trade certification, provisional Newman Guide recognition from the Cardinal Newman Society, and ICLE Premier Partner status, and is in a $4 million capital campaign to acquire and convert the Freemasons' Temple into an athenaeum by November 2026.

Name

College of St. Joseph the Worker

Legal name

College of St. Joseph the Worker

Website

https://collegeofstjoseph.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

College of St. Joseph the Worker is a nonprofit Catholic college in Steubenville, Ohio, offering a four-year Bachelor of Arts in Catholic Studies integrated with apprenticeship-based training in carpentry, HVAC, plumbing, or electrical, designed to enable debt-free graduation through work-study.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Catholic Higher Education and Skilled Trades

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Apprenticeship Training (611513)

SIC

Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAKAG

Christian Colleges with Theological Programs

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Religious & Theological Colleges

SECONDARYEDAHADAG

Workforce Development & Continuing Education Divisions (Noncredit)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Community & Junior Colleges

Keywords

• Catholic higher education
• Skilled trade training
• Liberal arts programs
• Apprenticeship programs
• Vocational education

Headquarters

HQ city

Steubenville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Annual tuition of $15,000 plus fees of $860 per year. Students in Years 2-4 earn income through apprenticeships, class projects, and contract work to offset tuition costs, allowing many to pay-as-they-go without student loans.
2. Donations and Sponsorships: The college accepts donations as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Donors can sponsor students ($15,000 awards that may be split across multiple students), contribute to general scholarships, or fund building expansion. Stock transfers are accepted.
3. Summer Programs: Three-week Summer Timber Framing Courses at $3,000 per student covering instruction, tools, daily lunches, and optional free housing. Catholic Social Teaching Masterclass at $2,495 for four days including coffee and pastries.
4. Student Sponsorship: $15,000 annual awards may be split across multiple students depending on class needs. Sponsors receive quarterly notes from sponsored students and have opportunity to meet their sponsored student.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

College of St. Joseph the Worker is a nonprofit Catholic college offering a four-year integrated Bachelor of Arts in Catholic Studies combined with skilled trade training in carpentry, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical work. Students in Years 2-4 earn income through apprenticeships, class projects, and contract work, enabling debt-free graduation. The college also offers supplementary summer Timber Framing Courses and a Catholic Social Teaching Masterclass.

Product overview

College of St. Joseph the Worker is a Catholic college offering a single integrated program that combines a Bachelor of Arts in Catholic Studies with skilled trade training. Students choose from four trade concentrations (Carpentry, HVAC, Plumbing, and Electrical) alongside their academic studies. The institution also offers summer programs including Timber Framing Courses and a Catholic Social Teaching Masterclass as supplementary offerings. The four-year program is designed to produce graduates who are intellectually formed, spiritually grounded, and skilled in a trade—without student debt.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor of Arts in Catholic Studies A four-year residential liberal arts degree exploring the Catholic intellectual tradition, integrating faith, reason, and skilled labor, and preparing students for the lay vocation of sanctifying family, workplace, and community. Taught by faculty with advanced degrees from Oxford, Notre Dame, St. Louis University, and similar institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Debt-free graduation with BA degree and trade certification
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• New PolityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2026Collaboration for Catholic Social Teaching Masterclass (June 22-25). New Polity handles registration through their website. College provides venue at Seraphic Hall and faculty involvement.
• Catholic AnswersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2026Collaboration with Catholic Answers for Catholic Social Teaching Masterclass. Faculty from Catholic Answers (Cy Kellett, Joe Heschmeyer) serve as key experts alongside college faculty.
• Franciscan University of SteubenvillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNatural partnership between the two Steubenville institutions. Students at CSJW have access to the John Paul II library on Franciscan's campus, while the carpentry club at FUS has access to CSJW's workshop facilities. Ongoing collaboration as both institutions grow.
• ApprenticeOhiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState partnership to certify trade programs. Students who complete classroom/shop training and required On-the-Job-Training hours can receive Journeyman Certification issued by ApprenticeOhio, which is portable and recognized by all 50 states.
• Steubenville Grocery BoxminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner providing healthy daily lunches for timber framing course students during the three-week program.
• Cardinal Newman SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe college received Provisional Recognition in The Newman Guide from the Cardinal Newman Society, which evaluates Catholic colleges for fidelity to Catholic identity and excellence.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Thomas Aquinas College: Highly-ranked Catholic liberal arts college in Santa Paula, California, focused on a Socratic Great Books curriculum. Comparable to CSJW on Newman Guide recognition, Catholic identity, residential model, and small institution scale.
• Christendom College: Small Catholic liberal arts college in Front Royal, Virginia, recognized in The Newman Guide. Operates as a residential Catholic liberal arts institution similar in scale, mission, and tuition structure to CSJW.
• Wyoming Catholic College: Small residential Catholic liberal arts college in Lander, Wyoming, focused on outdoor leadership and the Great Books tradition. Compares closely to CSJW on size, Catholic identity, traditional liberal arts curriculum, and tuition-driven nonprofit model.
• Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts: Very small Catholic liberal arts college in Warner, New Hampshire, with a Great Books curriculum and traditionalist orientation. Closely comparable to CSJW on size, mission, Catholic identity formation, and emphasis on integrating faith with concrete life skills.
• Franciscan University of Steubenville: Co-located Catholic university in Steubenville and CSJW's closest institutional partner (library access, carpentry club collaboration). Both serve traditional undergraduate Catholic students in the same city and compete for overlapping families interested in faith-based liberal arts education.

Broad incumbents

• Ave Maria University: Larger Catholic university in Ave Maria, Florida, offering a fuller range of undergraduate and graduate programs with similar Catholic identity commitments. Comparable as a Newman Guide institution serving faith-seeking families, though substantially bigger and broader than CSJW.
• Benedictine College: Mid-sized Catholic liberal arts college in Atchison, Kansas, recognized in The Newman Guide and focused on faith formation. Comparable to CSJW on mission and audience, though broader in program offerings and enrollment.
• Belmont Abbey College: Catholic liberal arts college in Belmont, North Carolina, with a traditional Catholic mission and small enrollment. Comparable on religious identity and liberal arts orientation, though without CSJW's distinct trade-training component.

Emerging players

• Lincoln Tech: For-profit vocational school chain offering career training in trades including HVAC, electrical, and carpentry. Comparable to CSJW's trade-training curriculum (NCCER-aligned), though CSJW adds a four-year liberal arts BA and Catholic formation layer on top.
• Universal Technical Institute: Publicly-traded for-profit vocational school focused on automotive, diesel, HVAC, and welding trades. Comparable to CSJW's trade-education delivery model, though operates at much larger scale and lacks the liberal arts degree and religious formation components.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/college-of-st-joseph-the-worker

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about College of St. Joseph the Worker