The Master of Divinity (M.Div.) is the ordinary professional degree for those preparing for ordained Roman Catholic Priesthood. It is also open to people qualified with appropriate background. It is earned by the successful completion of the regular Seminary academic and pastoral curriculum requiring 118 units of credit (110 required units plus eight elective units) as outlined below in the "Course of Studies for M.Div." (For students who are not pursuing ordination to the Roman Catholic Priesthood, the total number of units is 106.)
The functional goals and objectives of the M.Div. degree at St. Patrick's Seminary & University are:
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To move the student to a conscious appropriation of the Christian biblical tradition and the Christian faith, and the ability to articulate that faith for himself and others;
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To provide the skills which promote the student's ability to interrelate theology and pastoral practice;
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To provide the appropriate spiritual and ethical formation which will enable the student to be an effective moral leader in the Church and in the world;
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To provide the skills which allow the student to minister effectively in the pluralistic, multicultural environment reflected in the Church in the dioceses served by the Seminary;
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To provide all the pastoral skills necessary to minister in a Roman Catholic parish through liturgical leadership, preaching, teaching, counseling, and organizing.
Program Requirements
Applicants must have an undergraduate degree, have completed thirty semester units of philosophy and twelve semester units of religious studies, and must have taken one of the following tests: GRE or MAT. In addition, those for whom English is not their native language, the TOEFL/TWE must be taken. To successfully complete the program, students are expected to maintain an overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0.
The first two years of the program are designed to provide students with the basic skills and academic foundation which they will utilize in the pastoral year, i.e., in the areas of scripture, systematics, moral theology, Hispanic studies, field education, introductory homiletics, and basic pastoral skills.
The Pastoral Year is a ten-month full-time parish experience of pastoral ministry in the student's own diocese. This program is a six-unit program carefully monitored by a trained on-site supervisor (usually the pastor) in conjunction with the Director of the Pastoral Year at the Seminary. Normally, the Pastoral Year takes place after Second Theology. Those who enter the program later will do their Pastoral Year after two full years of theological study. Those who do not take advantage of the Pastoral year must take six extra credits in Field Education.
After the Pastoral Year, students, return to the Seminary for the completion of their final year(s) of theological training. These final year(s) seek to deepen the student's theological development through advanced courses in scripture, systematics, and moral theology. Furthermore, they help students better integrate their pastoral experience with academics. Practical and theological courses in supervised ministry, homiletics, liturgical and sacramental celebration, and canon law provide immediate preparation for priestly ministry.
The areas described above outline general goals of the M.Div. Program. The academic courses which contribute to the desired development cover the following specific areas and number of units:
| Sacred Scripture | 15 |
| Moral Theology | 18 |
| Systematic Theology | 26 |
| Liturgy | 9 |
| Church History | 8 |
| Pastoral Studies * | 34 |
| Electives | 8 |
* Includes six units for Pastoral Year and two units for Field Education
Course of Studies for M.Div. and Ordination Requirements
First Year Theology
| SH-5105 | Patristic/Medieval Church History | 3 |
| SL-5108 | Foundations of Christian Liturgy | 3 |
| SS-5101 | The Pentateuch and Historical Books | 3 |
| SD-5101 | Fundamental Theology and Theological Method | 3 |
| MT-5103 | Prayer in Christian Tradition | 1 |
| PS-5111 | Catechetics | 1 |
| * PS-6280 | Field Education I | 1 |
| SH-5106 | Church in Reformation and Modern Times | 3 |
| MT-5102 | Fundamental Moral Theology | 3 |
| SS-5102 | Synoptic Gospels | 3 |
| SD-6238 | Christian Anthropology and Life of Grace | 3 |
| PS-5112 | Homiletics I: Proclamation | 1 |
| PS-5103 | Ministry in a Multicultural Society | 2 |
| * PS-6281 | Field Education II | 1 |
Second Year Theology
| SD-6231 | Christology/Soteriology | 3 |
| SS-6241 | Pauline Corpus | 3 |
| MT-6253 | Spiritual Theology | 2 |
| PS-6271 | Pastoral Counseling | 3 |
| PS-6184 | Pastoral Ministry: Leadership & Skills | 2 |
| * PS-6282 | Field Education III | 1 |
| SD-6232 | Theology of Sacraments | 3 |
| SD-6234 | Theology of the Church | 3 |
| MT-6251 | Meaning of Human Sexuality | 3 |
| PS-6101 | Homiletics II: Preaching | 3 |
| * PS-6283 | Field Education IV | 1 |
Pastoral Year
| PS-7282 | Pastoral Year I/Field Education Requirement | 3 |
| PS-7282 | Pastoral Year II/Field Education Requirement | 3 |
Third Year Theology
| SD-7235 | Theology of Eucharist | 3 |
| MT-7352 | Catholic Social Ethics | 3 |
| SD-7236 | Ordained Priesthood and Lay Ecclesial Ministry | 3 |
| * PS-6285 | Field Education V | 1 |
| PS-7285 | Parish Administration and Finance | 2 |
| SD-7233 | The Trinity | 3 |
| SS-7242 | Gospel of John | 3 |
| PS-7273 | Introduction to Canon Law | 3 |
| SS-7341 | Prophets (or SS-9343:The Psalms) | 3 |
| * PS-6286 | Field Education VI | 1 |
Fourth Year Theology
| MT-8254 | Medical Ethics | 3 |
| SH-8236 | American Catholicism | 2 |
| * PS-6287 | Field Education VII | 1 |
| PS-8275 | Theology & Canon Law of Marriage | 3 |
| SL-8237 | The Liturgical Year | 3 |
| SD-9442 | Apologetics in American Culture | 2 |
| * PS-6288 | Field Education VIII | 1 |
* Under the supervision of trained personnel, students are introduced to pastoral ministry by spending a required number of hours each week in pastoral work. During their course of studies, students are required to take eighteen hours in Field Education one credit per semester. Twelve of these are for the successful completion of the M.Div. Degree, the other units are necessary for formational purposes. Six of these are Pastoral Year credits and the others are obtained during the course of regular semesters. Students are expected to gain a reasonable competence in the following areas: Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and sacramental preparation, religious education, ministry to the sick, liturgical celebration, team ministry and collegial parish leadership, and, if possible, other important ministries, such as involvement with social justice.
Number of Units Listed: 98
Students are required to take four elective courses – one of which is in Spiritual Theology, and earn eight units toward the degree.
Total Units Required - 106
Students in the M.A. program who need to take elective courses will need to do extra work and obtain 3 units for each of these elective courses. (12 units)
Ordination Requirements -12 Units
| PS-7274 | Homiletics III: Special Occasions and Issues | 3 |
| PS-8276 | Homiletics IV: Intensive Practice | 3 |
| MT-8255 | Theology of Reconciliation and Anointing | 3 |
| SL-8237 | Liturgical Celebration | 3 |
Total Number of Units Listed: 118
Transfer Credits:
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For those students earning M.A. and M.Div. degrees concurrently at St. Patrick's, up to 24 credits may be transferred from the M.Div. program to the M.A. program (excluding pastoral Studies courses).
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M.A. students are allowed to transfer up to 12 credits of graduate level theology courses from an accredited outside institution.
For students enrolled concurrently in the M.A. and the M.Div. programs, credits transferred to the M.A, program from an outside institution count among the total of 24 transferable credits.
If a seminarian is in the M.A. Thesis Track, he can transfer 24 credits from the M.Div. to the M.A. degree (excluding Pastoral Studies courses). Of the remaining 24 credits required for the M.A.: 6 are earned by writing/defending his M.A. thesis, 12 by taking the Faculty Designated M.A. Courses, and 6 more by taking Electives.