Accreditation

Accreditation information:

SHSST is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association. It is also accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada.

Association of Theological Schools

Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology (SHSST) is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools. The following degree programs are approved by the Commission on Accrediting: Master of Divinity degree and Master of Arts degree. SHSST has been approved for comprehensive distance education. See the institutional profile on the ATS web page for details here.

10 Summit Park Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15275
Telephone: 412-788-6505
Website: www.ats.edu

Higher Learning Commission

SHSST is also accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The school’s degree programs (Master of Divinity and Master of Arts) and the English and Culture Studies Program are approved. As an accredited institution, SHSST meets the U.S. federal government requirements necessary for international students seeking a study visa.

Higher Learning Commission
230 South LaSalle Street
Suite 7-500
Chicago, IL 60604
Telephone: 800-621-7440
Website www.ncahlc.org

National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA)

Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology has been approved to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements. SARA is an agreement among member states, districts and territories that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance education.

Student complaints related to distance education are processed through the Wisconsin Distance Learning Authorization Board. Students may access the student complaint portal by clicking on this link.

Statement of Educational Effectiveness

Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology (SHSST) is a Roman Catholic seminary that offers two masters degrees – a Master of Divinity (MDiv) and Master of Arts in theology (MA).

The educational effectiveness of these two degrees is verified by the data about our graduates:

Master of Divinity (MDiv)
Parishioner Surveys

After graduates of the MDiv program have been in a parish for a year, a survey is sent out that is filled out by 10 parishioners who are active in the life of the parish. The survey has 57 questions that cover the four dimensions of priestly formation—human, intellectual, spiritual, and pastoral ranked on a 1 to 5 Likert scale from “Very Weak” to “Very Strong.” This is a direct measure.

As broken down by the four dimensions of formation, the averages for the past three years for 19 students were:

All four dimensions score between “Strong” and “Very strong”. The overall average is 4.07.

It should be noted that the most recent reported year (2020) has recorded a significant increase.

Each question reflects one of 40 Desired Outcome in the school’s MDiv Profile of graduates.  For a list of the Desired Outcomes, see the SHSST School Catalog, pp. 14-15.

Master of Arts (MA)

SHSST offers a Master of Arts in Theology. At the end of a student’s MA program, the student is assessed by faculty members. If they write a thesis, the assessment form is completed by the thesis advisor and second reader. If they take comprehensive examinations, the assessment form is filled out by the three examiners. If the student does a capstone paper and presentation, they are assessed by the three professors who oversee the project. We have developed an instrument, standards, and goals for the assessment of the M.A. program.

The assessors answer ten questions about the student on a 1 to 5 from a Likert scale covering five topics: foundational understanding, skill in analysis, capacity for insightful research, articulateness, and resourceful application of theological knowledge.

For the 2021-22 academic year the average score on all questions for 17 students was 4.07.

SHSST has the goal that the students will score 4.0 or above on 75% on each of the five topics. In the 2021-22 school year SHSST met its goal on four of the five topics. On the fifth, the score was within 4% of the goal:

Placement

• 100 percent of MDiv graduates in the two most recent cohorts have been ordained and employed as priests.

• 100 percent of students who graduated with a MA degree in the past two years have been employed in a field related to their degree, use the formation gained in their current line of work,* or entered the next stage of their educational or professional development (e.g., doctoral studies, ministerial formation).

Retention Rate:

Below are the retention rates for SHSST degree programs:
MDiv: 97%
MA: 84%

Graduation Rate:

Below are the graduation rates for students who completed their degree program. The MDiv percentage refers to those MDiv  students who started in theology six years ago. It does not include those who began pre-theology six years ago. The MA percentage refers to those MA student who entered the program four years ago.

MDiv:  75%

MA: 81%

*The Cor Unum Pathway of the MA Program is oriented towards applying the principles of sound theology to the healing of a fractured world. Graduates do not necessarily seek a paid Church-related or ministerial position.

Revised 02/02/2023

Americans with Disabilities Act

Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology makes reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities to the extent required by law. Those requesting accommodations are responsible for providing current documentation from a qualified professional verifying the disability. Services are coordinated to fit the individual needs of the person. Employees who need accommodations start by contacting Human Resources. Students who need accommodations start by contacting the Registrar.