Student Experience

=Harford campus building

Whether you live on campus or learn online, you’ll interact with students of many faiths from many different parts of the world. The quintessential Hartford International University experience is when a faculty member or another student shares their own faith tradition, culture, life experience, or ritual in a way that enhances and deepens your own. That’s the “aha moment” of interreligious understanding, and you’ll have many of them.

What you’ll take away from the experience at Hartford International University is a lifelong change of perspective. You’ll also have a network of faith leaders around the globe who will enrich whatever journey you find yourself taking.

Student Experience - Best Friends

The Best Friends You Have Yet to Meet

Hartford International University students cultivate lifelong friendships. It’s not uncommon for our graduates to meet up with each other in all different parts of the globe for conferences, leadership training, or just for vacation. HIU students “get” each other because they share the experience of learning together in our unique, interreligious environment.

Spiritual Life

Spiritual life at Hartford International University takes many forms. Muslims, Jews, Christians, and others come together weekly for Community Prayer. Jummah is held on Fridays, and many students become embedded in a local faith community where they attend regular services. We also have a labyrinth on campus that is available from sunrise to sunset, and a community partner that offers student discernment circles.

Center for Transformative Spirituality - Spiritual Life Center
Student Experience - Dinner

Learning Outside the Classroom

Students who live on campus often say they learn as much outside the classroom as in it. Some of those activities are planned by our Student Care and Residential Life Coordinator – from picking apples to hiking to themed dinners – and some are part of our field education program, which pairs students with organizations that can help them gain experience in their chosen fields. Other learning happens when friends simply get together to talk about their lives. It’s not unusual to have Christian, Muslim or Jewish students meeting someone from that faith for the first time in their lives and becoming close friends.

Interacting Online

If you choose to study remotely either full or part-time, you’ll interact with other students in a different but no less impactful way. Hybrid synchronous classes bring you directly into the classroom via Zoom. Asynchronous classes let you connect with others at your own pace through our interactive Canvas platform. For some students, online learning is the best way to balance career, family, and education.

Online

Related Blog Posts

Love Your Neighbor

From the Blog

Responsibility and Hard Work Needed to ‘Love Thy Neighbor’

This blog was adapted from a keynote address given at the annual dinner of the Connecticut Council for Interreligious Understanding on Oct. 10, 2023. The words “love thy neighbor” are well worn, and some might...

The post Responsibility and Hard Work Needed to ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ first appeared on Religion & Peace.

ole of interfaith communities in mental health

From the Blog

A Universal Problem: How Mental Health Affects All Communities & Religions

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Harriet Aholo, a Master’s in Peace Studies student at Hartford International University discusses the role of faith and interfaith communities in mitigating the effects of mental health issues.

The post A Universal Problem: How Mental Health Affects All Communities & Religions first appeared on Religion & Peace.

what jewish and muslim chaplains can learn from each other

From the Blog

Jewish and Muslim Chaplains Gather and Connect at ‘Chaplains of the Book’ Conference

Rabbi Neal Joseph Loevinger had the idea for the conference, ‘Chaplains of the Book’ which would bring Jewish and Muslim chaplains together where they could learn from each other about their experiences with interfaith chaplaincy.

The post Jewish and Muslim Chaplains Gather and Connect at ‘Chaplains of the Book’ Conference first appeared on Religion & Peace.

Alumni News

Peacebuilding Alum Builds Anti-Poverty Program Leasing Motorbikes in Nigeria

March 14, 2024

 Dogara Simon Danbaba, MA in International Peacebuilding '22, has implemented a project that he began planning while a student at HIU.

General HIU News

BMP Retreat Brings Distance and Local Students Together

March 12, 2024

Last weekend was the final Black Ministries Program (BMP) retreat for the 2023-24 academic year. The retreat is a new implementation that fulfills the residency component of the BMP Leadership Certificate, made possible by the Lilly Endowment's Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative. The overarching retreat theme was "From Faith to Fulfillment." 

Join our mailing list

Keep up with all the latest happenings at Hartford International.