Accreditation information:
SHSST is 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
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 three masters degrees – a Master of Divinity (MDiv), Master of Arts in theology (MA), and a Master of Arts in Catholic Studies.
The educational effectiveness of these 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 from 2023-2025 for 19 students were:
| Human | 4.47 |
| Intellectual | 4.36 |
| Pastoral | 4.39 |
| Spiritual | 4.47 |
| Total | 4.44 |
All four dimensions score between “Strong” (4) and “Very strong” (5).
Specific results include the following:
| Quality | average |
| Steadfast in prayer and solitude | 4.71 |
| Enthusiastic about the Sacramental life and vision of the Church | 4.56 |
| Embodying a priestly identity in persona Christi | 4.56 |
| Appropriate as a public persona | 4.54 |
| Approachable in human interaction and relationships | 4.50 |
| Faithful to the Word of God and magisterial teaching | 4.50 |
| Compassionate | 4.48 |
| Available to others appropriately | 4.44 |
| Mature emotionally | 4.42 |
| Inspiring as a prayer leader and minister of the Sacraments | 4.42 |
| Authentic | 4.41 |
| Chaste for the kingdom | 4.40 |
| Effective in counseling and the practice of helping skills | 4.36 |
| Dedicated to the works of social justice | 4.33 |
| Skilled in preaching and teaching | 4.32 |
| Respectful of ecclesial authority | 4.31 |
| Accountable in work habits and professional performance | 4.31 |
| Simple in lifestyle | 4.29 |
| Caring toward the sick, suffering, and marginalized | 4.29 |
| Growing in relationship with Jesus Christ | 4.29 |
| Zealous for evangelization | 4.26 |
| Collaborative with all in ministry | 4.24 |
| Capable in servant leadership | 4.20 |
| Open to other viewpoints | 4.17 |
| Insightful | 4.12 |
| Healthy physically and psychologically | 4.00 |
Each question reflects the benchmarks in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s Program for Priestly Formation. For a list of the Desired Outcomes, see the “Priestly Formation Program” in the SHSST School Catalog, p.8.
MDiv Exit Survey
Each spring Sacred Heart administers an exit survey to its graduating seminarians. The students are asked to rank themselves on the eight characteristics from our Priestly Formation Profile. The following table shows the average results for 7 out of 15 seminary graduates in Spring 2025. Our total average was 4.23.
Master of Arts in Theology (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 2024-25 academic year the average score on all questions for 14 students was 4.04.
Placement:
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100 percent of MDiv graduates in 2024 and 2025 have been ordained and employed as priests.
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100 percent of students who graduated with a MA degree in 2024 and 2025 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. This includes those who were enrolled in the Fall of 2024 and Fall of 2025, but did not graduate:
Priestly formation: 88%**
MA: 88%
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 in Fall of 2019. It does not include those who began pre-theology (Discipleship stage) in 2019. The MA percentage refers to those MA student who entered the program in Fall 2021.
MDiv: 70%***
MA: 75%
*This figure includes a significant number of those who discerned out while in the Propaedeutic Stage.
**The Cor Unum Pathway of the MA Program is oriented towards applying the principles of sound theology to the healing and evangelization of a fractured world. Graduates do not necessarily seek a paid Church-related or ministerial position.
*** This number reflects that fact that sometimes a student will discern out of priestly formation, and thus doesn’t complete the MDiv. Frequently the student will subsequently complete an MA in Theology.
Revised 03/11/2026
