The Master of Divinity (M.Div.) is a professional degree designed for men preparing to be ordained to the Catholic Priesthood or permanent Diaconate. Successful completion of the Master of Divinity program attests to the recipient’s competency for exercising priestly ministry gained from a thorough grounding in Sacred Scripture, Dogmatic and Moral Theology, Spiritual and Pastoral Theology, Canon Law, Liturgy, Homiletics and Church History.
Some students who apply at a later age and do not have a Bachelor’s degree may, with the permission of their diocese or religious society, earn a Certificate of Preparation for Ordination for the Priesthood upon the satisfactory completion of four years of theology. All requirements for those in the certificate program are the same as those in the M.Div. program, including the philosophy pre-requisites.
Candidates for the M.Div. degree must achieve and maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0.
Admission Requirements
1. Applicants for the M.Div. program should follow the Seminary Division Admissions Procedures, as defined on page 26.
2. Applicants for the M.Div. program must have a Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university and 24 credits in 8 pre-requisite philosophy courses as given in the Theology program requirements. (p. 31).
In cases where an applicant has been a seminarian in another accredited theologate, 60 graduate credits with at least a “C” grade may be transferred toward the M.Div. degree.
Degree Requirements
Ninety (90) credits of graduate theology are required and must include:
STD 707God:One and Triune
STD 901Christology
STM 620Fundamental Moral Theology
SS 704Synoptic Gospels
A minimum of nine credits must be earned in the areas of Moral Theology, Sacred Scripture, Dogmatic Theology, Pastoral Theology and Church History.
THEOLOGY PROGRAM:ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS
Candidates for the Seminary program who have not completed all of the academic pre-requisites will be enrolled in the Pre-Theology Program. A seminarian may complete his Pre-Theology as part of the B.A. program if he has not completed his undergraduate degree. This program prepares the student for admission to First Theology.
The following courses comprise 60 semester hours of the Pre-Theology Program and 134 semester hours of the Theology Program.Ninety (90) semester hours of the Theology Program may be applied toward the M.Div. degree.
