In 1990 the SJC Junior College started an evening program that gave working adults the opportunity to earn an Associate Degree in Science in Business Administration. This program was a great success and its student enrolment continued to grow. In 2005 the president of the College formed a committee to make recommendations on how the program offered in the evening could be expanded and what other needs in the community may be addressed as well.
The committee recommended that the college amalgamated all evening programs that were at the postsecondary level and form a new academic division. The new academic division would have as its curriculum priorities Computer and Information Sciences, Management, Accounting, Human Resources, Finance, Public Administration, and Human Development. Programmes are offered in traditional classroom format, through seminars, workshops, conferences, and online. Individuals enrolled in the School of Professional Studies would have the options of taking single courses as needed, combining courses to earn certificates, and accessing graduate and post-graduate degrees online through collaborative programmes with colleges and universities with whom St. John’s College has established partnerships.
On 1 June 2006, the St. John’s College School of Professional Studies (SJCSPS) was officially established as the fourth academic division of the college and the second dedicated to adult and continuing education. Mrs. Deborah Domingo was appointed the first dean of the SJCSPS. The School of Professional Studies offered higher education/post-secondary programs and services designed specifically to provide adults with the opportunity to learn and/or update skills needed to enhance professional and personal development. Educational offerings would be dynamic and relevant to the Belizean economy and therefore seek to improve the hard and soft skills identified by Belizean employers as necessary in the workplace, and by employees and those seeking employment as essential for better performance and employability. Other offerings would address the need for learning for personal enrichment and enlightenment.
On 1 June 2008, the School of Professional Studies was organized into three departments and an institute. The three departments that offer associate degree programs are Arts and Sciences, Management, and Education. The Institute of Workforce and Economic Development was designed to provide developmental classes, adult basic education, and more advanced community and leadership training.
The School of Professional Studies serves close to five hundred part-time students with a growing full-time enrolment.
