Master of
Sacred Scripture

Upon completion of the Master of Sacred Scripture degree, students will be able to:

• Uphold and defend the seventy-three books of the biblical canon as the inspired and inerrant Word of God, addressing the most prevalent challenges to their divine origin and veracity.
• Explain with clarity the essential context, content, and meaning of Sacred Scripture in a Christocentric manner congruent with Catholic doctrine and the unanimous consent of the Fathers.
• Read and translate Sacred Scripture in at least one of the two original languages (Greek or Hebrew).
• Conduct effective and ethical biblical research, utilizing appropriate tools for exegesis and applying the core principles of Catholic biblical interpretation.

A maximum of two course waivers (up to 6 credits) may be granted to a student if that student has completed equivalent academic coursework at HACS or elsewhere prior to enrollment in the Master of Sacred Scripture program. Any courses waived must be replaced by Sacred Scripture electives, such that the total number of credits in the program remains 39.

Note: Not all courses in the Master of Sacred Scripture program may be waived.

The conditions for course waivers are as follows:

The Program Director may waive the foundational courses, SAS 602 Soul of Theology and PHS 607 Perennial Philosophy under certain circumstances. These circumstances are outlined below:

• A student entering the Master of Sacred Scripture program with a B.A in Theology from a Catholic institution is exempt from SAS 602 Soul of Theology if that student has a scholastic background indicated in the student’s previous transcripts or syllabi.
• A student entering the Master of Sacred Scripture with a B.A. in Philosophy from a Catholic institution is exempt from PHS 607 Perennial Philosophy if that student has a scholastic background in Thomistic philosophy indicated in the student’s previous transcripts or syllabi.
• The Program Director may waive both foundational courses for a student entering the Master of Sacred Scripture with a double-major of Philosophy and Theology from a Catholic institution if that student has a scholastic background indicated in the student’s previous transcripts or syllabi meeting the above requirements.
• Based on a review of the student’s previous coursework, the Program Director may require students with undergraduate degrees in Theology or Philosophy to complete the foundational courses if the coursework from the previous institution follows a substantively different approach to Catholic theology or philosophy than HACS.

As noted above, Master of Sacred Scripture students must complete either three semesters of Greek (GRK 501 Greek I, GRK 502 Greek II, GRK 503 Greek Exegesis) or three semesters of Hebrew (HEB 501 Hebrew I, HEB 502 Hebrew II, HEB 503 Hebrew Exegesis). The Program Director may waive GRK 501 and GRK 502 or HEB 501 and HEB 502 if the following conditions are met:

• A student has already taken GRK 501 and GRK 502, or HEB 501 and HEB 502 as a Holy Apostles undergraduate student prior to enrolling in the Master of Sacred Scripture program.
• A student has already studied the equivalent of GRK 501 and GRK 502, or HEB 501 and HEB 502 at another academic institution or independently. However, in such cases, waivers will only be considered if the student successfully passes the Greek or Hebrew placement exam. Please see the Tuition and Fee schedule for the current placement exam fee.
• GRK 503 Greek Exegesis and HEB 503 Hebrew Exegesis may not be waived. All M.S.S. students must complete one or the other.

Note: Under normal circumstances, students who have already studied Greek extensively (prior to enrollment in the MSS) will be required to study Hebrew, and students who have already studied Hebrew extensively (prior to enrollment in the MSS) will be required to study Greek. Waiver requests and/or placement exam requests will only be granted at the discretion of the Program Director on a case-by-case basis.

The Summative Evaluation is the capstone of the student’s academic work in the MSS program at Holy Apostles College and Seminary. All candidates for the MSS degree are required to complete the Summative Evaluation exercise through the submission of a written research sample and a comprehensive exam. Full descriptions of the Summative Evaluation exercise are available on the Summative Evaluation page.

Program Director:

Dr. Joshua Madden, jmadden@holyapostles.edu

For a full listing of our faculty, please visit Faculty Listing.

Holy Apostles College and Seminary is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), the Connecticut Office of Higher Education (CTOHE), and the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). For more accreditation information visit here.

Note: Not all courses in the Master of Sacred Scripture program may be waived.

The conditions for course waivers are as follows:

The Program Director may waive the foundational courses, SAS 602 Soul of Theology and PHS 607 Perennial Philosophy under certain circumstances. These circumstances are outlined below:

• A student entering the Master of Sacred Scripture program with a B.A in Theology from a Catholic institution is exempt from SAS 602 Soul of Theology if that student has a scholastic background indicated in the student’s previous transcripts or syllabi.
• A student entering the Master of Sacred Scripture with a B.A. in Philosophy from a Catholic institution is exempt from PHS 607 Perennial Philosophy if that student has a scholastic background in Thomistic philosophy indicated in the student’s previous transcripts or syllabi.
• The Program Director may waive both foundational courses for a student entering the Master of Sacred Scripture with a double-major of Philosophy and Theology from a Catholic institution if that student has a scholastic background indicated in the student’s previous transcripts or syllabi meeting the above requirements.
• Based on a review of the student’s previous coursework, the Program Director may require students with undergraduate degrees in Theology or Philosophy to complete the foundational courses if the coursework from the previous institution follows a substantively different approach to Catholic theology or philosophy than HACS.

As noted above, Master of Sacred Scripture students must complete either three semesters of Greek (GRK 501 Greek I, GRK 502 Greek II, GRK 503 Greek Exegesis) or three semesters of Hebrew (HEB 501 Hebrew I, HEB 502 Hebrew II, HEB 503 Hebrew Exegesis). The Program Director may waive GRK 501 and GRK 502 or HEB 501 and HEB 502 if the following conditions are met:

• A student has already taken GRK 501 and GRK 502, or HEB 501 and HEB 502 as a Holy Apostles undergraduate student prior to enrolling in the Master of Sacred Scripture program.
• A student has already studied the equivalent of GRK 501 and GRK 502, or HEB 501 and HEB 502 at another academic institution or independently. However, in such cases, waivers will only be considered if the student successfully passes the Greek or Hebrew placement exam. Please see the Tuition and Fee schedule for the current placement exam fee.
• GRK 503 Greek Exegesis and HEB 503 Hebrew Exegesis may not be waived. All M.S.S. students must complete one or the other.

Note: Under normal circumstances, students who have already studied Greek extensively (prior to enrollment in the MSS) will be required to study Hebrew, and students who have already studied Hebrew extensively (prior to enrollment in the MSS) will be required to study Greek. Waiver requests and/or placement exam requests will only be granted at the discretion of the Program Director on a case-by-case basis.

Upon completion of the Master of Sacred Scripture degree, students will be able to:

• Uphold and defend the seventy-three books of the biblical canon as the inspired and inerrant Word of God, addressing the most prevalent challenges to their divine origin and veracity.
• Explain with clarity the essential context, content, and meaning of Sacred Scripture in a Christocentric manner congruent with Catholic doctrine and the unanimous consent of the Fathers.
• Read and translate Sacred Scripture in at least one of the two original languages (Greek or Hebrew).
• Conduct effective and ethical biblical research, utilizing appropriate tools for exegesis and applying the core principles of Catholic biblical interpretation.

The Summative Evaluation is the capstone of the student’s academic work in the MSS program at Holy Apostles College and Seminary. All candidates for the MSS degree are required to complete the Summative Evaluation exercise through the submission of a written research sample and a comprehensive exam. Full descriptions of the Summative Evaluation exercise are available on the Summative Evaluation page.

Dr. Joshua Madden, jmadden@holyapostles.edu

For a full listing of our faculty, please visit Faculty Listing.