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Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology (S.T.B.)
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Purpose

The Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology (S.T.B.) degree offered by Sacred Heart Major Seminary is an ecclesiastical degree conferred by the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome (Angelicum) through the faculty of SHMS.

Admissions
For the admissions process and requirements, please refer to the admissions section of this document.

Goals
The goals for the S.T.B. are reflected in the M.Div. degree program. In addition, "the theological disciplines must be taught in such a way that what is presented is an organic exposition of the whole of Catholic doctrine, together with an introduction to theological scientific methodology" (Sapientia Christiana, 72a). The students will demonstrate a thorough knowledge of fundamentals of Catholic doctrine.

Course of Study
The course of study for the S.T.B. normally takes four years. Because the S.T.B. degree is offered through aggregation by the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, the course work required for the program is not subject to dual degree status.

At the end of the course of study, a student must successfully pass written and oral examinations.

The program requirements for the STB can be completed in one of two ways:

M.Div. Track

The courses of the M.Div. program fulfill the program requirements for the S.T.B. (please see the curriculum for the M.Div.) At the end of the course of study, the student must successfully pass S.T.B. written and oral examinations.

Commuter Track (79 credit hours)

Church History (5 credit hours)
HS 512	Church History: Christianity Divided	3 cr
HS/ST 600	Fathers of the Church to Nicea	2 cr
Scripture (18 credit hours)
SS 521	Method and Pentateuch	3 cr
SS 525	Synoptics	3 cr
SS 621	Johannine Literature	3 cr
SS 625	Pauline Literature	3 cr
SS 727	Prophets	3 cr
SS 737	Psalms and Wisdom Literature	3 cr
Systematics (15 credit hours)
ST 500	Theological Methodology*	2 cr
ST 5351	Human Person and Grace	2 cr
ST 650	Trinitarian and Christological Foundations of the Christian Faith	3 cr
ST 6351	Nature and Mission of the Church	2 cr
SP/HS/ST 735	History of Spirituality	3 cr
HS/AT 700	Foundations in Ecumenism and Inter-Religious Dialogue	3 cr
*ST 500 must be taken in conjunction with IS 505: Theological Research and Writing, 1 cr.
Moral Theology (7 credit hours)
MT 675	Foundations of the Christian Moral Life	3 cr
	A directed readings course in specialized Moral Theology	2 cr
	A directed readings course in specialized Moral Theology	2 cr
Liturgy and Sacraments (11 credit hours)
LS/ST 575	Sacramental Life of the Church	2 cr
LS/ST 645	Sacraments of Initiation	2 cr
LS/ST/AT 746	Sacrament of Marriage and Law	3 cr
	A directed readings course in Eucharist	2 cr
	A directed readings course in Holy Orders	2 cr
Applied Theology (6 credit hours)
AT/EV 500	Evangelization and Catechesis	2 cr
AT 780	Introduction to Canon Law	2 cr
SP/EV/PM 690	Human and Spiritual Adult Development	2 cr
Integrating Seminar (1 credit hours)
IS 898	Integrating Seminar II STB	1 cr
Electives (16 credit hours)

Program Requirements

A biennium in Philosophy required for admission
A minimum of 79 credit hours must be earned through completion of the course of study.
A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 is required.
A maximum of 40 hours may be applied to the program from other institutions or from other credit earning options.
The program must be completed in six years from time of matriculation.
Reading ability in Latin must be shown during the first year of the program, and reading ability in a modern language pertinent to the student's course of studies must be done before completion of half of the degree program. Language competency can be demonstrated by the following:
1. SHMS provides a course called Latin for Graduate Students that satisfies the Latin language requirement.
2. Students can demonstrate competency in either Latin or a modern language through successful completion of a three credit hour undergraduate course with a pass grade of 'C' or better, or a two credit hour graduate course with a 'pass' or grade of 'C' or better. Courses must be taken for credit from an accredited institution of higher learning.
3. Students could also study a language on their own. The student should contact the dean of studies when ready to be tested. The dean of studies will arrange with an instructor to conduct the examination.
  The Modern Language examination will consist of a written translation of a text of about two pages from the beginning of an article in the student's field from a theological journal. The student will have one and one-half hours and may use a dictionary to translate the pages. The student will also compose a paragraph summary of the two pages to demonstrate comprehension. Judgment of pass/fail will be based primarily on comprehension.
Comprehensive Examination: At the end of the course of study, the student must successfully complete a written and oral comprehensive examination spanning two days. The examination is normally held in April, and students are required to register for the exam with the Dean of Studies office at least a semester in advance. A study guide will be given to all students who register for the exam. Students should enroll in IS 898, the STB Integrating Seminar, during the semester in which they plan to take the STB exam.
Students must complete a one credit course in graduate theological research, IS 505: Theological Research and Writing. This course must be done in conjunction with ST 500: Theological Methodology, and should be done within the student's first year of study. The course is graded pass/fail; credits earned do not count toward the 48 credits required in total for the degree.
Students must participate in program assessment, including completion of a Graduating Student Questionnaire during the final year of study.