Matteo Ricci Institute
Offering two Humanities degrees and a minor, with the purpose of forming more humane persons and to promote justice in our shared world.
Student-Centered Jesuit Education
Matteo Ricci Institute is a close-knit, vibrant community committed to academic excellence and to making every student as successful as possible. Our small classes ensure collaboration between students and professors and deepen students' understanding of their studies. Each of the three degrees is built on the humanities curriculum, a solid foundation for future studies that is rooted in 450 years of Jesuit tradition.
Built on the Strength of Jesuit Principles
Educating the Whole Person
Like St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits, we believe that a holistic education relies on personal attention and deep care. Fr. Ricci, S.J., the namesake of the College, was a 16th century Italian scholar in China who worked closely with the local people, learning from the Chinese while simultaneously sharing European ideas.
Drawing from the Jesuit tradition, faculty and staff in Matteo Ricci Institute work to make each student as successful as possible. While education is about what you know, it is also about who you are, and Matteo Ricci faculty strive to help students grow in both realms.
Our Degrees
Matteo Ricci Institute coursework and experiences develop students who are alert to their own cultural presuppositions, capable of self-expression, and involved in meaningful work.
A related objective is to keep alive the student-centered pedagogy of the best of Jesuit education through lively discussion in small classes, a curriculum centered on challenging questions, and close attention to individual students. The purpose of such an investigation is, above all else, to foster a life worth living through a deeper sense of one’s own person and connection with our global community.
Concurrent Enrollment
For more than 20 years, Matteo Ricci Institute has been offering college courses in local Catholic high schools through our Consortium Program. College level courses are taught by qualified high school faculty under the supervision of Seattle University faculty.
Benjamin Howe, PhD
Director, Matteo Ricci Institute
Teaching Professor