The J. A. Panuska College of Professional Studies prepares students in a wide range of professions. The College has been designed with the conviction that all disciplines should be taught and understood through a balance of theory and practice. An exclusively theoretical understanding of a discipline is incomplete. Practice for which there is no understood context is of limited value. It is this belief that structures the PCPS pedagogy and curriculum.

Panuska College students receive exemplary preparation for the profession of their choice and a solid education in the liberal arts and sciences. In addition, the Panuska College of Professional Studies academic programs enhance and extend the Ignatian mission through service learning and dedication to being "women and men for others". PCPS academic programs are committed to service learning through theory and practice and reflection through action. All students in PCPS academic programs perform community service through coursework and projects as a requirement for graduation. In this way, the service aspects of their prospective careers can be understood in personal and comprehensible terms. Such an ethic has roots in antiquity, is Catholic and Jesuit in tradition and spirit, and is responsive to contemporary needs. All of the PCPS programs are accredited by the appropriate professional organizations.

The Panuska College of Professional Studies houses academic undergraduate and graduate programs that allow for a community of learning. PCPS is set apart by their commitment to service, devotion to the Ignatian qualities of care for one another and concern for those less fortunate and provide a critical and compassionate appreciation of the role of civic engagement for furthering the cause of justice and full human development as demonstrated in the Leahy Community Health and Family Center.