Dual Degree - Bachelor of Arts - Art and Design - Studio Art & Master of Science - Exercise and Sport Science (4 + 2)

The Art and Design department prepares students to become artists and designers who are knowledgeable, educated, compassionate and responsive to social and civic obligations in an ever-changing world. Sacred Heart’s ideal location––near New York City and within the world-class design community of Fairfield County––provides students with unprecedented support and inspiration. Internships and a career-launching senior portfolio night give students the experience and connections to find continued success in art.

Students apply to the dual degree program as incoming freshmen and are admitted directly into the graduate program at the same time as their admission as undergraduate students. Dual degree students are guaranteed a place in the Master of Science in Exercise & Sport Science program provided they continue, as undergraduate students, to meet program-specific criteria to progress into enrollment in the graduate program. Dual degree students, therefore, have a space reserved for them in the graduate program beginning in their first year, with clear criteria and achievements required to progress into the graduate program.  

Combined with advisement from their undergraduate academic advisor, students’ engagement with the College of Health Professions, participation in activities offered by the Exercise & Sport Science program and interactions with graduate faculty provide strong support toward successful progression into graduate study.  

Dual degree students pursuing the Master of Science in Exercise & Sport Science degree may complete up to seven credits toward their graduate degree during their undergraduate studies. These credits count toward both the undergraduate and the graduate degrees. Students, therefore, save on the cost of graduate tuition as these credits are included in the cost of the full-time undergraduate tuition.  

In the Accelerated 3+2 option, students complete three years of undergraduate coursework and two years of graduate coursework, earning both a bachelor’s degree and the Master of Science in Exercise & Sport Science degree within five years. The 3+2 option requires that students choose an undergraduate major in Exercise Science, and all requirements for the bachelor’s degree in exercise science must be completed by the end of the third year. Students choosing the 3+2 option work carefully with their undergraduate advisor to follow a specific sequence of study, which includes some summer course work. With appropriate planning, summer course work may be completed at other universities offering equivalent courses.