Quinnipiac University

Quinnipiac University is a private, coeducational university residing in Hamden, Connecticut. Its campus sits at the bottom of Sleeping Giant State Park. It is committed to providing students with both a personal and rigorous academic experience from dedicated faculty who genuinely care about students' career goals. It provides students with the know-how and tools needed to make a difference in their chosen fields. It focuses solely on the profession and it provides a mixture of market-driven knowledge and expertise, educational innovation and effectiveness, a world-sized classroom, and a model student experience. The core values of Quinnipiac University are high quality academic programs, student-oriented environment, and a strong sense of community. Quinnipiac offers more than 100 programs through the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business and Engineering, School of Communications, School of Health Sciences, School of Law, School of Nursing, School of Medicine, and School of Education.

Samuel W. Tator founded Quinnipiac University in 1929 as Connecticut College of Commerce in New Haven, Connecticut. It began with 200 students, and its first graduating class was only eight graduates. In 1935, the college became the Junior College of Commerce. During World War II, the college temporarily closed and when it reopened the enrollment quadrupled to almost 800 students. The college was renamed Quinnipiac College in 1951 in honor of the Quinnipiac Indian tribe that were once inhabitants of the New Haven area. The college continued to expand and in 1966, it moved locations to its current residence in Hamden. In 2000, the college officially became Quinnipiac University. Today, it is home to about 7,000 undergraduate and 3,000 graduate students.

Quinnipiac University Accreditation Details

The New England Association of Schools and Colleges regionally accredits Quinnipiac University to grant degrees at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels.

Quinnipiac University Application Requirements

Undergraduate

• Complete and submit the Common Application or the Quinnipiac University application
• Pay $65 nonrefundable application fee
• Submit a 250-word essay on any topic
• Submit official high school transcript
• Submit official transcripts from all previously attended colleges and universities
• Submit official test scores, such as the SAT or ACT
• Complete and submit the Teacher Recommendation Form
• Complete and submit the Counselor Recommendation Form

Graduate

• Complete and submit the Graduates Admissions Application
• Submit official transcripts from all previously attended institutions of higher learning
• Submit official graduate level test scores, such as the GRE and GMAT
• Pay $65 nonrefundable application fee
• Submit letters of recommendation
• Complete additional admission requirements designated by specific programs

Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition

Quinnipiac University is committed to ensuring their education programs are affordable for all students.

Undergraduate

• Connecticut residents: $44,420 per year
• Connecticut non-resident: $44,420 per year

Graduate

Graduate tuition is based on per credit-hour tuition rate for both full and part-time students. In general, graduate tuition is $1,010 per credit hour.

Online Programs

The tuition for online programs varies by program and typically ranges from $500 to $985 per credit hour. The online communications programs offered by the School of Communications are $910 per credit hour.

Financial Aid

Quinnipiac University is committed to helping students find the maximum financial aid possible to pay for college related costs. It assists in navigating forms, remembering deadlines, searching out external sources, and staying abreast of legal changes. The available programs include scholarships, grants, loans, and work study.

Scholarships

• Freshman Scholarships
• Multiple Sibling Award
• International Student Scholarship
• Transfer Student Scholarship
• Athletic Scholarships
• Quinnipiac Tuition Assistance Program

Grants

• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
• Federal Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant
• Access Grant

Loans

• Federal Direct Subsidized Stafford Loan
• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
• Federal Perkins Loan
• Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan
• Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan

Work Study

Quinnipiac University participates in the Federal Work Study, which is a federal program available to eligible students. The program enables students to gain employment either on or off campus to earn wages to pay for college related costs. Students often work between 10 and 20 hours a week and are paid on a biweekly basis. Pay differs greatly on employer, job title, qualifications, and job tasks.

Online Degrees Available

The School of Communications at Quinnipiac University offers an online Master of Science in Interactive Media and a Master of Science in Public Relations and a Graduate Certificate in User Experience Design and Graduate Certificate in Social Media. All the programs can be completed entirely online. The MS in interactive media provides student with a solid understanding of how to create, produce, direct, and evaluate interactive media. It requires the completion of 36 credit hours and students have the ability to concentrate on four areas: multimedia production, social media, UX design, and a custom concentration where students choose the courses they would like to complete. The core courses for all concentrations include issues in contemporary media, information design, web techniques, writing for interactive media, and media ethics and policy. Students must also complete a master's capstone and project planning. They must also select independent study or a graduate internship.

The MS in Public Relations enables public relations professionals to gain the essential abilities to manage all aspects of an entity's image. Individuals who complete the program will be eligible to sit for the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) exam. The program requires the completion of 36 credit hours and the core courses include public relations management, global strategy, strategic public relations and reputation management, measurement and evaluation, strategic public relations writing, crisis communications, branding strategies, and media ethics and policy. Students must also choose three elective courses and complete a master's capstone.

Related Resource: 30 Top Affordable Online Master's in Communication

The graduate certificate in user experience design provides a comprehensive approach to the field and graduates will be prepared to research, design, create, test, and model an operational end-to-end user experience on any type of device. The certificate requires nine credits and the core courses include designing for the user, information architecture and content strategy, user research and methods, and prototyping. The graduate certificate in social media enables students to develop a solid understanding of the foundations of social media and useful tools that can be used in actual careers. The program requires nine credits and the courses include social media techniques and practices, social media analytics, and community management. The communications programs at Quinnipiac University prepare students for an ever-changing digital world.