Adelphi’s graduate students—from age 20 to age 64—hail from 23 states and 24 countries. The exceptional strength and diversity of this class reflect Adelphi's increasing emphasis on graduate education, an important tenet of our Momentum 2 strategic plan.
Adelphi prepares graduate and doctoral students for the next phases of their careers with more than 70 advanced degree programs across diverse range of disciplines—from clinical psychology and social work to art education and philosophy.
This May, 862 master’s degree graduates and 53 doctoral graduates received their degrees at Commencement, joining more than 1,000 bachelor’s degree recipients at the ceremony. This strong class of graduates reflects Adelphi’s increasing emphasis on graduate education, a priority of our Momentum 2 strategic plan.
Adelphi is also proud to have three programs ranked in the top 100 of the 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools: our master’s degree programs in nursing, Doctor of Audiology (AuD) and Master of Social Work (MSW). Three other Adelphi grad programs are ranked as U.S. News Bests: our part-time MBA, master’s degree programs in psychology and Master of Public Health (MPH).
Read on to learn more about this year’s accomplished degree recipients and Adelphi’s plans for the future of graduate education.
Picture of the Class of 2024
Four of our colleges and schools conferred more than 90 master’s degrees:
| School or College | Master’s Degrees Conferred |
|---|---|
| Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences | 330 |
| School of Social Work | 207 |
| Robert B. Willumstad School of Business | 127 |
| Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology | 94 |
These programs graduated the most students:
| Program | Students Graduated |
|---|---|
| Master of Social Work | 177 |
| MA in Adolescent/Childhood Education, part of our 4+1 Scholar Teacher Education Program (STEP) | 75 |
| MS in Communication Disorders: Speech-Language Pathology | 63 |
| MA in Mental Health Counseling | 41 |
| MA in Art Education | 39 |
Master’s degree graduates ranged in age from 20 to 64. The youngest received an MBA, and the most senior member of the class earned an MS in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. The broad range of ages demonstrates the flexibility and accessibility of our programs for people at all stages of their careers and professional lives.
Adelphi’s Newest Doctoral Graduates
Adelphi’s distinguished Derner School—the first university-based professional school of psychology—graduated the largest group of doctoral students, 31 in all.
| Doctoral Program | Graduated Students |
|---|---|
| PhD in Clinical Psychology | 24 |
| PsyD in School Psychology | 7 |
| PhD in Social Work | 7 |
| PhD in Nursing | 6 |
| Doctor of Nursing Practice | 4 |
| Doctor of Audiology (AuD) | 3 |
The PhD in Nursing program, like our MA in Art Education, is one of the growing number of graduate degrees Adelphi offers fully online. The University now offers 17 fully online graduate degree programs, all delivering the same quality education and personalized experience as traditional on-campus courses.
A remarkably diverse class
This year’s graduate degree recipients come from across the United States and around the world. Members of the class are from 23 states and 24 countries. The largest group of students from this country are from New York state; students from China and Pakistan compose the largest groups of international students.
Opening doors to rewarding careers
Jonay Jackson was one of 66 MBA students celebrating graduation at Commencement. This was her second Commencement in two years, as she received her BBA from the Willumstad School in 2023, just three years after entering Adelphi. This past summer, she had a 10-week internship at the Swiss luxury group Richemont, which turned into a part-time job during the school year. Now she’s joining the company full-time as a sustainability coordinator.
“The Adelphi MBA program has expanded my professional competencies and strengthened my ability to lead with confidence,” Jackson said. “I was surrounded by administrators eager to help me succeed, which further enriched my experience.”
Sarah Baksh is another new graduate of the BBA/MBA program and soon will be starting her career as a full-time tax consultant for PwC.
“These relationships that I built with faculty have allowed me to complete multiple internships across New York City and Long Island during my time at Adelphi,” Baksh said. “These experiences have been invaluable in teaching me transferable skills that will surely help me as I enter my professional career postgraduation.”
Stephanie Waslin, who just earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology, also spoke about the value of her education at Adelphi. She is now starting a postdoctoral fellowship at the Child and Adolescent Fear and Anxiety Treatment Program at the Boston University Center for Anxiety & Related Disorders.
“The clinical psychology program gave me so many opportunities to find my niche,” she said. “The Child and Family concentration allowed me to focus my coursework, clinical experience and research in the area that interests me most. I also gained valuable experience—and many chances to give back to the Adelphi community—through a teaching fellowship and Derner’s Mentoring Future Psychologists program.
“I may not have had these opportunities without the support and leadership from Derner’s faculty. They are incredible mentors, teachers and supervisors.”