THE SHU DIFFERENCE:
A GRADUATE DEGREE WITH FORWARD LEADING SPIRIT
Sacred Heart University is one of the fastest-growing universities on the east coast, a true “hidden gem” in New England. Over the last decade, our graduate program offerings have grown 300%, and we offer more than 40 master and doctoral degrees within five colleges.
SHU is recognized by the U.S. News & World Report “Best National Universities” list and our convenient proximity to major cities like New York City and Boston means that titans of industry, experts in your field, and externship opportunities are only a short ride away.
With so much to offer, we invite you to learn more about “Why Sacred Heart” by exploring our resource: 6 Hidden Gems within Sacred Heart’s Graduate Programs.
Chemistry, MS
The MS in Chemistry provides a variety of options designed to meet students’ academic, professional, and personal interests, leading to exciting professional opportunities. Our built-for-results program combines theoretical lectures with hands-on lab work and offers four degree tracks to accommodate every student. The degree can be completed in as little as two years as a full-time student or self-paced through part-time study. Courses are offered primarily on weekday evenings so students can continue to work while advancing their knowledge in the field.
Industrial/Organizational Psychology, MS
The MS in Industrial/Organizational Psychology equips students to help organizations increase efficiency and employee satisfaction using psychological principles. Students will learn to apply a broad range of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary knowledge and skills in multicultural and global settings, and engage in and apply evidence-based research in their professional settings. This program can be completed in one year with our accelerated, hybrid format. Classes meet in the evenings twice per week with supplemental coursework online.
Public Administration, MPA
The Master of Public Administration program prepares students to become innovative leaders, ready to serve their community now and in the future. Students can choose from three concentrations: Non-profit Management, Emergency Management, or Criminal Justice. Students have access to field-specific, hands-on experiences through the SHU Policy Polling Center and Center for Nonprofit Organizations. This graduate degree can be completed fully online.
Journalism & Media Production, MA
The MA in Journalism & Media Production program is an intensive hands-on approach to learning for a variety of roles across the field. Throughout the program, students will develop the technical, editorial, and theoretical skills necessary for preparation as a digital journalist and production specialist. Students learn through hands-on instruction, in state-of-the-art studios. The program is broken into six eight-week segments and can be completed in one or two years.
Film & Television Production, MA and MFA
The Film & Television Master’s program (1-year MA/2-year MFA) is devoted to cinematic storytelling across all platforms. Students find their artistic vision in a collaborative environment in which they live and breathe filmmaking! Through small class sizes, renowned faculty, a student-driven production schedule, and state-of-the-art equipment and facilities our graduates complete their program ready to enter the media industries.
Sports Communication & Media, MA
The MA in Sports Communication & Media is specifically designed from a humanities tradition to showcase multimedia production and to capitalize on SHU’s ideal geographic location in the heart of the U.S. sports media industry. With two tracks in Sports Broadcasting and Athletic Communications & Promotions, students can personalize their degree to prepare them for their professional goals. Through state-of-the-art facilities, courses taught by industry professionals, and an extensive alumni network, students will graduate ready for career success.
Strategic Communication & Public Relations, MA
The MA in Strategic Communication & Public Relations program provides students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences to become successful communication professionals in the 21st century. Located just an hour outside of New York City, the media capital of the world, and strategically positioned in the heart of the creative corridor, SHU’s graduate program provides students with outstanding local opportunities for career development. This degree is offered in convenient eight-week sessions and can be completed in one year by attending class two nights a week, or two years attending class one night a week.
Social Work, MSW
The Master of Social Work program is guided by ethical principles of service, respect for human dignity, social and economic justice, and the needs of vulnerable and diverse populations. Students will hone the skills needed to serve in a range of positions from micro to macro settings and in a number of different sectors. The degree can be completed through a full-time, on-campus program or a part-time, hybrid program and offers two specializations: Direct Clinical Practice and Direct Community Practice. An advanced standing option is also available to those who hold a BSW degree.
Social Work, Ph.D.
The Ph.D. in Social Work allows students to advance their careers in social work and social justice, develop a pedagogical approach and make a meaningful contribution to the current body of social work research. The Ph.D. program is specifically designed for social work professionals currently working in community-based organizations, governmental organizations, and institutions of higher education. This part-time, online program offers year-round coursework, six credits per 14-week semester, followed by dissertation research. The program begins with a two-day, on-campus orientation and includes a one-week low residency immersion program on the SHU campus every summer. The program can be completed in 3-4+ years.
Accounting, MS
Sacred Heart’s MS in Accounting prepares students to be the accounting professional that high-powered organizations seek. Students choose from one of two in-demand concentrations: forensic accounting or business analysis and reporting. This expert-backed graduate program also offers a comprehensive CPA exam review course, integrating Becker CPA review materials into the 30-credit curriculum. Students benefit from a unique hybrid format that blends online coursework with monthly Saturday seminars on campus. You may also complete the program in as little as one year as a full-time student.
Business Administration, MBA
In the MBA program, we take a unique approach that combines managerial skills with technical skills, so students graduate with a deep understanding of how various functions in a business work together, and the knowledge they need to successfully manage people and teams. Our students have access to world-class facilities including the IDEA Lab, AI Lab, and Finance Lab. Students can choose from a variety of concentrations and earn their degree through full or part-time hybrid study.
Business Administration in Finance, DBA
The Doctor of Business Administration in Finance allows students to gain a global perspective on issues related to financial markets and institutions while preparing for a highly specialized career in a business or financial institution, consulting firm, government agency, or academia. This three-year, low-residency program enables finance and academic professionals to continue working full-time as they earn their degree.
Business Analytics, MS
The MS in Business Analytics program offers cutting-edge training in data management through a curriculum grounded in rigorous analytics and applied techniques. SHU’s program is unique because it offers training in PYTHON software, real-world experience through an applied curriculum project, and experience with Artificial Intelligence software. This graduate degree is offered in a hybrid format that meets online and on select Saturdays and weeknights.
Digital Marketing, MS
Through the MS in Digital Marketing program, students gain the technical, analytical, and creative expertise they need to thrive as a leader in digital marketing strategy. Students graduate with a portfolio of skill sets that will immediately impact an organization’s online marketing strategy, including the ability to gain certifications in Google Analytics, SAS, and Hootsuite. Students collaborate in small classes and learn from expert faculty and featured industry leaders. This degree offers a flexible schedule and can be completed in as little as 15 months.
Finance & Investment Management, MS
With an MS in Finance & Investment Management, students will gain the advanced technical training they need to become a leading financial professional. Through coursework in quantitative finance, financial analysis, firm valuation, portfolio theory, options, fixed income, and Python programming language, students will graduate well versed in the latest investment theory, mathematics, statistics, and data-intensive analysis. The program is designed to be completed in 1.5 years but it may be completed in as little as 12 months.
Strategic Human Resource Management, MS
The MS in Strategic Human Resource Management program helps students develop the advanced quantitative skills and real-world knowledge it takes to attract and retain top talent and make significant and strategic contributions to organizations. Students will study a range of topics including performance management, talent management, HR analytics, HR law, and diversity and inclusion. The program’s student cohort format combines partial online and in-person study, a highly flexible schedule that is perfect for working professionals.
Cybersecurity, MS
With an MS in Cybersecurity, students will learn to prevent, detect, address, and recover from cyber incidents and security breaches by analyzing risks and applying real-world solutions. Students can complete their degree through full or part-time study, learning from expert faculty who are industry professionals with more than 50 years of combined experience in cybersecurity. Students complete their degree with a master’s project, an endeavor that consists of research, implementation, or a combination of both and is supervised by a faculty member.
Sacred Heart is the first university in Connecticut to be designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) by the National Security Agency (NSA). The goal of the CAE program is to promote and support quality academic programs of higher learning that help produce the nation’s cyber workforce.
Computer Science & Information Technology, MS
With SHU’s MS in Computer Science & Information Technology, students can choose between three degree concentrations: information technology (IT), computer science (CS), or data science based on their educational and career interests. Students also have two degree completion options: a full-time cohort program allows students to earn their graduate degree in only 15 months, and our flexible schedule offers evening and Saturday morning classes to accommodate working students.
Athletic Training, MS
When you earn your MS in Athletic Training, you’ll become an essential member of a sports medicine team. The first MSAT program offered in Connecticut, SHU’s graduate degree offers students the hands-on training and classroom experience they need to evaluate, protect, and care for athletes at all levels. Through real-world clinical rotations, state-of-the-art facilities on modern equipment (including a high fidelity manikin), and collaboration with physicians, students hone their skills to provide preventative services, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, and rehabilitation. This degree is offered in a traditional, full-time format.
Exercise & Sport Science, MS
When students choose the MS in Exercise & Sport Science degree, they are equipping themselves with the instrumentation and data analytics skills needed to become a professional sport scientist. With a student-to-faculty ratio of approximately 4:1, this program engages students in working side-by-side with faculty members in research related to athletic performance, sport nutrition, applied physiology, or biomechanics. Our state- of-the-art facilities allow for the skill-building required for careers in private, high school, collegiate, or professional strength and conditioning settings.
Healthcare Informatics, MS
The MS in Healthcare Informatics program trains students in practical and theoretical approaches and equips them with the latest best practices in medical technology, so that they are uniquely positioned to succeed in this fast-paced, ever-changing industry. Coursework is a combination of real-world lessons and scholarly research led by professors with extensive expertise in medical IT. Students also have the opportunity to take a range of electives to customize their degree plan to fit their needs. This master’s degree is offered in a flexible, online delivery model, ideal for working students.
Health Administration, MHA
The 37-credit online Master of Health Administration program is designed for mid-career professionals working in clinical and non-clinical health care. Students will graduate with the skills needed to advance health-care delivery through competencies acquired in the program, including finance, economics, leadership, quality, ethics, and strategic planning. Students will learn from accomplished faculty with real-world experience and will graduate ready to take on leadership positions in a variety of healthcare settings.
Occupational Therapy, MS
The MS in Occupational Therapy prepares students to address the physical, cognitive, spiritual, social and emotional needs of clients, and to design occupation-based interventions that enable them to meaningfully participate in their lives. The OT curriculum combines classroom instruction with clinical application. It utilizes a problem-based learning approach to bridge course content with practice by having students actively engage in the clinical reasoning process in small group tutorials led by expert faculty members. Additionally, students learn in modern, state-of-the-art facilities and participate in interdisciplinary collaborations within the College of Health Professions.
Physical Therapy, DPT
The Doctor of Physical Therapy program emphasizes clinical decision-making, self-directed learning, and hands-on, real-world experience. Students graduate with the skills, knowledge, and experience needed for a successful career in the field. Hands-on experiential components include collaboration with local clinicians, integrated clinical experience during didactic semesters, clinical education experiences, and service-learning experiences.
Students can also complete a post-professional Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency program to gain advanced skills in orthopaedic physical therapy.
Physician Assistant Studies, MPAS
The Master of Physician Assistant Studies is an advanced degree program that prepares graduates to provide compassionate, respectful, high-quality healthcare as a certified physician assistant. During their first year in the program, students will gain hands-on clinical experience. By the end of the program, students will have completed a combined 2,000 hours of experience in internal medicine, general surgery, pediatrics, and primary care/family medicine, as well as orthopedics, women’s health, emergency medicine, behavioral health, and one additional elective area. This degree is offered in a student-centered learning environment, in small classes taught by experienced PA educators. Coursework is completed through an on-campus format.
Public Health, MPH
The Master of Public Health program prepares students to protect and improve the health of individuals and communities. With this degree, graduates will be qualified for a wide variety of careers in public health, epidemiology, and biostatistics. The program’s curriculum emphasizes community health grounded in a philosophy of social justice, providing students with the opportunity to work with community partners to enhance the health of the local community. Students will study in our state-of-the-art Center for Healthcare Education and benefit from interprofessional educational experiences with peers in related SHU programs.
Speech-Language Pathology, MS
The MS in Speech-Language Pathology degree from SHU prepares students with the knowledge and clinical skills to prevent, assess, and treat all aspects of human communication and swallowing disorders. Through intensive coursework, hands-on internships and externships, and a capstone clinical research experience, students will meet all requirements for national certification and state licensure as a speech-language pathologist. This degree can be completed in two or three years depending on prior experience.
Post-Baccalaureate Doctor of Nursing Practice, FNP-DNP
In the FNP-DNP program, BSN prepared nurses can earn their practice doctorate and expand their qualifications. Through this program, students will earn their Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree and be prepared for a career as a family nurse practitioner. FNPs provide comprehensive primary health care to patients across the lifespan and educate patients on health promotion strategies, as well as treat acute illnesses and chronic diseases. Students study in a cohort-based model that allows them to build close and supportive relationships with their classmates. Courses are offered full or part-time and hybrid coursework requires students to come to campus an average of 6 days per semester and utilize the state-of-the-art simulation and skills labs in the Center for Healthcare Education.
Education Leadership, Ed.D.
The Ed.D. in Educational Leadership prepares students to lead a school, district or organization boldly with a whole-child perspective. This doctoral program is ideal for school leaders, including those individuals who hold the Connecticut Intermediate Administrator license (or its equivalent from other states), such as principals or superintendents, as well as mid-career educators who are serving in teacher leadership roles such as teacher leader, curriculum coordinator, and instructional coach. Our practice-focused program is one of the only doctoral programs in the country, geared towards education leaders, that explicitly addresses social, emotional, and academic leadership (SEAL) as a major area of concentration. This highly flexible program can be completed in 3.5-4 years through online coursework and has an annual two-to three-day on-campus residency requirement.
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Superintendent of Schools Certification (093)
The Superintendent of Schools (093) certification program prepares candidates to serve as a superintendent of schools in Connecticut. The curriculum is taught by highly successful superintendents of schools to address the demands and opportunities of the current superintendent role. Courses are offered in a cohort model consisting of 10-15 students. Candidates will complete four academic courses over two semesters. Courses will meet on-campus, and the cohort meets on a Friday and Saturday to start, followed by three additional meetings occurring every other Saturday. Students will also complete a one-year internship with an experienced and successful superintendent of schools.
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Intermediate Administrator Certification (092)
Sacred Heart offers an 18-credit program that leads to Intermediate Administrator Certification (092) in CT, which is required for candidates seeking an administrative position in the K-12 public school system. This program is offered through two distinct delivery systems: a traditional part-time evening program and a weekend-based cohort program.
Students can advance their 092 certification from provisional to professional through the completion of the Sixth-Year Degree in Social, Emotional & Academic Learning for Social Justice Leadership or the Sixth-Year Degree in STEAM Leadership. The programs are performance-based and have been constructed to help educators develop the proficiencies they will need to be successful school administrators.
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Sixth-Year Degree in Literacy (102/097)
The Sixth-Year Degree in Literacy prepares prospective literacy professionals to address the needs of rapidly changing populations through dynamic coursework and experiences that integrate research-based theory with practical application. Clinical experiences include authentic opportunities for reading candidates to hone their practice through one-on-one tutoring, mentoring and coaching teachers in a public school setting, using data-based instruction and designing staff development consistent with the needs of schools.
The program is offered in a tiered system, with each step building on the previous tier. Students first earn a Connecticut Remedial Reading and Remedial Language Arts Certification (102). This certification can stand on its own or lead to the second certification, a Reading and Language Arts Consultant Certification (097). Students who complete both certifications earn their sixth-year degree in literacy.
Sixth-Year Degree in STEAM
This Sixth-Year Degree is the first STEAM program at this level in the State of Connecticut, filling a much-needed skills gap in the region. This post-master’s program allows students to hone their craft as an educator and gain skills in teaching the STEAM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) to K-12 students. The program is designed for full-time working and licensed educators, and courses are offered in a flexible, blended format of both on-campus and online learning.
Candidates who wish to enhance to become endorsed in computer science but do not wish to pursue a full degree can complete our four course CS Endorsement sequence.
Master of Education, M.Ed.
Sacred Heart University’s Master of Education (M.Ed.) is open to applicants who already hold a teacher certification from any state. Two tracks are available - the M.Ed. in Literacy leads to the 102 Remedial Reading and Language Arts Certification, and the M.Ed. in Special Education leads to the 165 Comprehensive K-12 Special Education cross endorsement. Candidates who are pursuing their M.Ed. can apply for the optional Teacher Internship, a school-based experience that entitles the candidate to 30 credits of tuition. Students can learn more about this internship here.
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Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) with Teacher Certification
Students pursuing the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree have the option to become certified in Elementary Education (grades 1-6) or Secondary Education in biology, chemistry, general science, English, math, social studies/history, or Spanish (grades 7-12), or Music Education (grades K-12). All students in the program apply their knowledge and receive hands-on training through class-based practicum and have the option to participate in a full-year school-based internship or residency.
Higher Education & Student Affairs, MA
The Master of Arts in Higher Education & Student Affairs is fully online and asynchronous, with classes offered in an 8-week format that is ideal for those looking to join this growing field. Students who take two courses per term can finish the program in one year.
Students interested in the program come from a wide variety of undergraduate majors. Those who have enjoyed being student leaders in residential life, student activities and student government often find the many job opportunities in higher education and student affairs an enriching and rewarding career path.
Clinical Mental Health Counseling, MA
Sacred Heart University’s MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree prepares students to assist individuals experiencing significant life stress and presenting a range of problems from low-self esteem to substance abuse and relationship issues, to mental health challenges and more. This graduate program uniquely focuses on whole-person wellness, and the philosophical tenets of counseling as a field align well with the University’s deep commitment to promoting the dignity and worth of all people. The 60-hour degree is a low-residency, online program. Students complete two, week-long, on-campus residency experiences in addition to clinical placements at the end of the program.
Whether you know which degree program you’d like to pursue or are still weighing your options, we’d love to hear from you and to help you take the next step in your graduate school journey. Get in contact with one of our admissions counselors or request more information about your program(s) of interest.
You can also explore our 6 Hidden Gems within SHU’s Graduate Programs guide to learn why a graduate degree from Sacred Heart is an excellent educational, professional, and personal choice.
We hope to hear from you soon!
