1. A minimum of 36 credit hours must be earned through completion of the course of study.
2. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 is required.
3. A maximum of twelve hours may be applied to the degree from other institutions or from other credit earning options.
4. The program must be completed in six years from the time of matriculation. Under extenuating circumstances, a student may request an extension in writing to the dean of studies. Readmission does not extend the six year completion requirement.
5. Students must participate in assessment of the academic program, including completion of a Graduating Student Questionnaire during their final year of study.
6. Reading ability in Latin, Greek, or Hebrew must be shown during the first year of the program.
Language competency can be demonstrated by the following:
a.) SHMS provides graduate courses in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew that satisfy the ancient language requirement.
b.) Students can demonstrate competency in a language requirement through successful completion of a three credit hour undergraduate course with a passing 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.
c.) Students may also study a language on their own. The student should contact the dean of studies office when ready to be tested. The dean of studies office will arrange with an instructor to conduct the examination. An examination fee applies. Language competency examinations cannot be repeated.
ST 500 Theological Foundations (2 cr)
SS 521 Method and Pentateuch (3 cr)
SS 525 Synoptics (3 cr)
SS 625 Pauline Literature (3 cr)
ST 5351 Human Person and Grace (2 cr)
ST 650 Trinitarian and Christological Foundations of the Christian Faith (3 cr)
MT 675 Foundations of Christian Moral Life (3 cr)
SP 740 History of the Christian Spiritual Tradition (2 cr)
LS 580 The Church and Her Sacraments (3 cr)
Students choose 9 credit hours of elective study. These are open electives that can be fulfilled with any courses. Or the student can choose to focus on one of the following areas: • Scripture and the Early Church (e.g., Sacred Scripture, Church History) • Systematic Theology (e.g., Ecclesiology, Christology, Trinity) • Evangelization and Mission (e.g., New Evangelization, Evangelization)
Students choosing the catechetical capstone track (see below) should take EV 500 Evangelization and Catechesis as one of their electives, as this course is a pre-requisite for the MA Catechesis Practicum.
Thesis Track: IS 880 MA Thesis (3 cr)
Students may write a thesis in any theological field. Students who pursued one of the optional research concentrations are encouraged to write a thesis aligned with their concentration. A thesis is a scholarly work that reflects the study, research, and writing skills that characterize higher education. The thesis must demonstrate the student’s ability to do research, to analyze primary texts, and to consult, utilize, and evaluate scholarly literature on those texts. Students are required to complete a thesis with a minimum of 50 pages but not to exceed 60 pages in length (not including the title page, table of contents, or bibliography) under the direction of a faculty member as well as orally defend the thesis before a board of at least two professors. Students in the thesis track are also encouraged to study a modern foreign language, if they have not done so already. All MA students are strongly encouraged to attend the defenses of their peers when possible.
Topics must be approved by the theology faculty prior to the student beginning his/her thesis. For students planning to graduate at the end of the fall term, topics must be approved no later than the second Tuesday in May; the thesis must be defended no later than December 1. For students planning to graduate at the end of the winter or spring term, topics must be approved no later than the second Tuesday in December. Winter graduates must defend the thesis no later than April 1; spring graduates must defend the thesis no later than June 1. Thesis guidelines are available from the Office of the Dean of Studies. Students are advised to obtain thesis guidelines and to discuss thesis plans with their academic advisors early in their program of study. IS 8991 Continuing MA Thesis (1 credit; not applicable toward degree completion) is provided for the student who does not complete the thesis during the semester for which he/she registered for IS xxx. This course is required until the thesis is completed.
Catechetical Track: IS 881 MA Catechesis Practicum (3 cr)
MA students who wish to have a practicum experience teaching the Catholic faith register for IS XXX Catechesis Practicum (3 cr) in their final semester of study. Students wishing to pursue a practicum experience teaching theology may do so under the direction of a Sacred Heart Major Seminary faculty member and under the supervision of an educator, whether a Catholic school principal, a theology department chair, a director of religious education, or a Sacred Heart faculty member in consultation with the dean of studies. The course requires 60 hours on site, where the student must observe or assist one or more experienced educators, attend a professional in-service or professional development day (this requirement can be waived at the discretion of the faculty director), give at least one supervised teaching, and receive a peer evaluation of the catechetical experience from one or more of those same educators. The course requires a summative paper under faculty direction. It is recommended that the student describe the skills he or she learned, summarize the observations of other educators’ approaches, reflect upon the classroom teaching experience and indicators in the peer evaluation regarding successes and areas of growth, and connect the experience integrally to the theological foundations gained in MA courses at Sacred Heart. (Prerequisite: EV 500 Evangelization and Catechesis).
Formation Opportunities
A specific program in formation is not required by students in the Master of Arts in Theology, which prepares the student for research and continued studies. However, each student is encouraged to participate in the formation opportunities available at SHMS through the Institute for Lay Ministry.
