Sacred Heart University Top Questions

What are the academics like at your school?

josy

very good academics

Samantha

If you were a 'B' student in high school, you're in good shape here.

William

Its challenging to the point that you're going to have homework every night but the homeworks not going to control your life. Its also a small enough school that the largest class you're going to be in is about 30 students. Teachers will eventually know you by name which is good and they're usually available for extra help.

Christina

SHU's teacher-student ratio is quite favorable. You can always find your teacher at office hours weekly, and they all have a SHU email address! I still say hi to every teacher I've had since Freshman year. It definitely keeps the motivation up when you know your teacher cares about your personal progress. The classes are fair. I've found that hard work always pays off. If you don't put the work in, the results might not be satisfactory. If you do, it shows. That's a pretty decent deal :-)

Lauren

Professors know your name and the classes are small. You don't feel like you are just another pebble in the sand in classes.

Danielle

What I like the most about Sacred Heart is that just about every one of my teachers DO know my name, and that I'm not any studend amound 300 in a class. This allows students to get one on one help with the teacher if needed. I enjoyed philosophy a lot because it was interesting and was a change of pace compared to the rest of my classes. My least favorite class was biology but mostly everyone has to take it at one time or another. Students probably study however long they need to for that specific class( some require more time than others). It is very important to participate in class because it can work against you. Many teachers like when the students are involved because it shows them you understand the material or that you're concerned on learning more about something. I would say my most unique class so far would also be my philosophy class, because it doesn't focus on day to day things that people talk about. My major is exercise science/physical therapy. In this department the students can be more competitive than other departments because they only accept a certain number of students to the program each year. However the selection is based on your GPA. As for Sacred Heart's academic requirements, I feel that some are bearable but some of the core classes are unneeded. I think Sacred Heart;s education is definitely geared towards gettin a job once you get past the core classes and focus on your major.

Leigh

Some professors at SHU truly care about their students and have a great passion for their subject. Others are awful at what they do, and should not be teaching. I've noticed that the majority of professors who teach at night are not as efficient because most have other full-time jobs and by the time they get to SHU to teach at night they are worn out.

Kerri

Professors always know my name. Classes usually are not larger than 30 students so it is great to be able to email your professor directly if you have any questions. I even had a group meeting with a professor at a diner this year...he was nice enough to buy our whole group breakfast!

Eric

The business school at Sacred Heart is one of the best. The nursing program is also very well known too.

Joe

My professors were fantastic. We were all close to each other, like a family. All of my classes were challenging, interesting, and prepared me for graduate school. We even saw each other outside of school , namely at American Chemical Society events as well as some occasional babysitting and barbeques.

Stephanie

Academics at SHU are held to a high standard but classes are mainly enjoyable. The campus is on the smaller side so the class size itself it very small with usually no more than 30 students per class. This results in a personable relationship with the professor. The professors are usually very good about having office hours in which they are readily available to discuss anything from thesis topics to how to improve your grades. SHU also puts on an annual career fair that promotes gaining a job after graduation and also sends out a peroidic email presenting all the latest job opportunities in the area.

monica

very good academics. competitive within certain majors. challenging.

Emily

Like every school, some teachers are great and others are not so great. Everyone loves teaching here. My favorite classes are my business classes or anything that has to do with business. I am not a fan of my core classes...especially the religion and philosophy classes. Everyone is required to take 3 of those courses. Depending on the teacher class participation can vary. Some teachers lecture where as others ask a lot of questions and ask for participation. I'm in the business school and all the teachers there are great. Many, if not all, have tremendous experience in their field and can offer sooo much knowledge and wisdom. Many tell you they won't teach you anything they haven't personally experienced. After my business classes I feel as though I have learned so much and will be ready to go out into the real world after.

Lindsay

The academics here at Sacred Heart are taken pretty seriously, but the class sizes and professors help immensely. Class sizes here at SHU are relatively small, for instance I'm in a math class of 15 which makes it easy to interact with the professor and is easier to interact with other students in class. From what I noticed a lot of students here are Physical Therapy and Athletic training majors. I personally am a media studies major, which Sacred Heart has an excellent program for. I hope to one day become a producer and writer for Television or Film. Another thing that's great about Sacred Heart is the internships that are offered, some that I have to choose from in the future are with companies like, ABC, VH1, MTV films, NBC, etc. Study time here at SHU is really dependent upon your major, and the course load you are taking. Currently I am taking 13 credits which is four classes so I have a light load this semester. I usually have a lot of reading to do for my Media Studies class so I will go to the library and do that, but depending on your roommate studying in your room is an option as well, which is do sometimes too. Freshman are also issued laptops at the beginning of the year and then first semester of Junior year Art and Media Studies majors get upgraded to a macbook, and the others get and upgraded version of the PC they were issued Freshman year. I have seen some students with laptops that are not issued by the school, but the laptops are included in the tuition so I would say take advantage of that.

jim

The classes are small, and the teachers are mostly friendly. Its easy to get in contact with a professor through email, they will usually respond a few hours later.

Steve

Most of the professors are very willing to know their students on a personial basis. It is very comforting that you are givin the ability to meet with you professor during the day, or call their house at night if you have any questions. They don't try and hold themselves to a higher standard.

Kristen

Professors do know my name in most instances. My favorite class is probabily psych 302 because the teacher has a great enthusiasm for the class. My least favorite is sociology because the teacher has no idea what hes talking about and loves to give us busy work that makes no sense and doesn't actually help to learn. Students study a lot, but not on the weekends. class participation is NOT common. some students are competitive, and some just dont care. the most unique class i've taken was art history because i learned a lot of things i never thought i would. My major is psychology and i'm going into education. it's interesting. SHUs academic requirements are set just right but a lot of teachers will make it easy for students to get a B, but really really hard to get an A. It depends what class you take, but some gear towards just learning for it's own sake.

Tina

I like the classroom sizes. Because they are so small it gives the teacher a chance to get to know every student and what their strengths and weaknesses are.

Jessica

My experience at SHU academically has been great as a nursing major. Though SHU nursing is a very competetive program, I am told time and time again by those in the field how prepared SHU grads are compared to other schools. Nursing by nature is a very intimate program, our professors know us by name and truly take concern in our success. Like most schools, req classes are hit and miss as far as faculty are concerned, but I have had some great elective classes with great professors.

Nicole

i found the academics here to be challenging to me especially the science classes. my professor do know my name, i am pretty outgoing and i make sure that they know who i am. my favorite class is my biology class. even though im really not doing so great in that class Dr. Roy makes it interesting and always is positive so i love going there. Since i have been here majority of the students i know always study, academics is very important to students here especially the athletes. my least favorite class is the info literacy class. i think it is absolutely boring and a waste of time. for the most part SHU's academic requirements are pretty fair and the education that you will leave here with will lead you in the right direction.

Jackie

Students are competitve, but support one another at the same time. The best class I've taken here at SHU is Abnormal Psychology - the title says it all! Some classes are hard and some are just right, it all depends on the class and teacher.

Maggie

I have a unique perspective on the academics at Sacred Heart because I am one of only 12 graduating Biology majors. Our department is small and the classes are very interactive. The faculty know your name even if you have never had them as a professor. The department has been getting more advanced technology is recent years and has been able to expand the types of research we conduct. Teachers are always available for extra help or someone to just talk to. As a result of having such interactive classes, I have become very close with my fellow students. Although we are still competitive we help each other out with exams and projects.

Allison

I love the classes at Sacred Heart. The classes are never bigger than 30 people, usually smaller. The teachers get to know you if you want them to. Most teachers know everyone in there class, but if you never participate and sit in the back or rarely show up at all...then they might not know you very well. Class participation is a large part of the classes, especially upper level classes. Students are not really competitive. My major is social work. It is quite intense but prepares you well for graduate school. The social work classes are small, usually 15 people or less. The professors are amazing and you really build a personal relationship with them over the course of you college experience.

Heather

The class size is small, so if any student has a problem and needs help the professor is always there to help. Also, students begin to learn their classmates names so they can ask them for help too.

Kyle

The professors are amazing. All of mine know me by name and face. They even know that I am a resident and some even know which building I live in! Some who aren't even my professors know me by name, they see me around so much. The professors love class participation, some of my professors make jokes just to get us to laugh and relax and into the swing of things. Some get us so into discussion we even take them outside of the classroom. My major is psychology. I walkined into the deparment one day, after deciding I wanted to major in psychology, asked to see an advisor to talk about the major. I got Dr. Ruth Grant. She is awesome, and has such a sense of humor. She's been helping me choose classes for three semesters (Spring 08, Fall 08, and Spring 09). She has made the proccess so amzing and peaceful. I don't know what I would have done with out her. Even my psychology professors (from last Fall 07 and this current, Spring 08), have been amazing. I still talk to my old proffesor, and thought she was so amazing, that I decided to take her class next semester (Fall 09) as well. A lot of the students are indeed competitive. Everyone wants to get the high grades which often accompany scholarships and awards. Who doesn't want to get an award or money to help pay for school? The education at Sacred Heart is definitely geared toward getting a job. The classes are meant to prepare you for the carrer you want, and to help you get an internship while you are still in college, then get a job after graduation.

Chris

The academics here are tough but with work you can definitely get good grades. Professors know you by first name within two weeks of the course starting. Sacred Heart is a reputable University and an education from here says a lot to potential employers.