SHU Debuts in US News Best Colleges Rankings

FAIRFIELD, Conn.— For the first time in Sacred Heart University history, the college known for having the happiest students engaged in community service, was elevated to the national listing of U.S.News & World Report’s Best Colleges. According to the U.S.News website, “schools in the National Universities category offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus masters and doctoral programs, and emphasize faculty research or award professional practice doctorates.” While Sacred Heart has been thriving and growing for the last 56 years, ranking on this list of the most prestigious national universities is evidence that the once commuter school has arrived on the national higher education scene. 

Recently, Sacred Heart was added to a new Carnegie Classification professional practice doctoral category. In making its rankings, U.S.News strictly maps its categories to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education’s Basic Classification system, the accepted standard in U.S. higher education. Previously, the University was ranked in U.S.News’ master’s regional north category. 

“We are excited by the challenges of being included in this new company of national universities” said SHU President John J. Petillo. “As part of our goals and aspirations of becoming a nationally recognized university known for excellence and the relevance of its curriculum, we have been investing strategically in graduate and doctoral programs over the past several years. We are pleased that U.S.News took notice of what we are doing and promoted us to a national classification. This recognition is a testament to the educational excellence and successful outcomes we provide to our students through our rigorous and demanding curricula.”  

Sacred Heart offers doctorate degrees in physical therapy and nursing practice, as well as its doctor of business administration in finance. This fall, the University added a doctorate in educational leadership. Over the past decade, Sacred Heart has tripled the number of graduate programs it offers.

Sacred Heart’s Jack Welch College of Business & Technology was also named one of the best undergraduate business schools by U.S.News & World Report. These rankings are based solely on the judgements of deans and senior faculty members at peer institutions. According to U.S News & World Report, in the spring they surveyed the administrators at each of the 504 undergraduate business programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. 

PHOTO: Isabelle Farrington College of Education Professor David Title addresses the candidates in the new Ed.D. program at Sacred Heart University's West Campus on August 12, 2019. Photo by Tracy Deer-Mirek

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About Sacred Heart University
As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland and offers online programs. More than 9,000 students attend the University’s eight colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology; Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart stands out from other Catholic institutions as it was established and led by laity. The contemporary Catholic university is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, and at the same time cultivates students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives, professions and in their communities. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 385 Colleges–2020 Edition, “Best in the Northeast” and Best 252 Business Schools–2019 Edition. Sacred Heart is home to the award-winning, NPR-affiliated radio station, WSHU, a Division I athletics program and an impressive performing arts program that includes choir, band, dance and theater. www.sacredheart.edu

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Submitted by Fairfield, CT

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