The degree of Master of Divinity is a first professional degree, designed to foster basic theological understanding and develop initial pastoral competence on the part of students preparing for ministry.  Accordingly, the M.Div. curriculum involves an in-depth study of the Christian, and especially the Roman Catholic, theological tradition, and a supervised practice of ministry.

The degree conforms to the revised standards of the Association of Theological Schools, as well as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Program of Priestly Formation. Integral to the Master of Divinity program, accenting our Dominican tradition is the emphasis given to the preaching ministry and to ministerial formation (PFE).

Admission
The following prerequisites for admission will be evaluated by the Committee on Admissions which may, in individual cases, allow the student to remedy particular deficiencies during the first year of the program:

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.

• Superior achievement and the ability to pursue graduate work as indicated by the transcript of previous studies (with a minimum GPA of 3.00).

• Three letters of recommendation by persons who are in a position to judge the applicant’s ability in this academic area, along with a current photo and a completed application form.

• Results of the graduate Record Examination (GRE) indicating aptitude for graduate studies in theology and religious studies.

• An undergraduate foundation in philosophy, consisting of a minimum of 18 credit hours drawn from the following areas:  history of philosophy, logic, metaphysics, ethics, philosophical anthropology, natural philosophy, and philosophy of knowledge.

• A reading knowledge of Latin.

PHILOSOPHICAL PREPARATION FOR THEOLOGY

Dominican Students
In order to prepare Dominican students according to the standards of the Ratio Studiorum Generalis of the Order and the Apostolic Constitution Sapientia Christiana for ecclesiastical faculties, Dominican students will be required, unless they present an unusually strong preparation in philosophy, to follow two full years of courses in historical and systematic philosophy.

Non-Dominican Students
Students who are not Dominicans are required to demonstrate familiarity with the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas before beginning the degree programs.

Course Work
The residency requirement for the M.Div. degree is eight semesters.  A minimum of 105 semester hours of graduate courses is required according to the following distribution:

• Systematic Theology (21):
  Nature and Method of Theology (3)
  Triune God (3)
  Creation and the Human Person (3)
  Theology of Grace (3)
  Christology (3)
  Ecclesiology (3)
  and one additional elective from the course offerings in systematic theology

• Liturgical Studies and Sacramental Theology (15):
  Liturgy (3)
  Sacraments of Initiation (3)
  Eucharist and Orders (3)
  Marriage (3)
  Penance and Anointing (3)

• Moral Theology (15):
  Principles of Christian Moral Life I and II (6)
  Theological Virtue (3)
  Cardinal and Moral Virtues (3)
  Christian Social and Sexual Teaching (3)

• Scripture (18):
  three courses from Old Testament offerings (9)
  three courses from New Testament offerings (9)

• Church History (6):
  two courses chosen from the appropriate offerings

• Preaching (9):
  Communicating God’s Word (3)
  Theology and History of Preaching (3)
  Preaching: Preparation and Presentation (3)

• Canon Law (6):
  two courses from the appropriate offerings
  

• Pastoral Theology (9):
  Introduction to Pastoral Ministry (3)
  Supervised Ministry (3)

• Electives (9):
  three courses chosen from the appropriate offerings

Grade Point Average
The student must maintain a grade point average of 2.75 or above.

Field Education
Supervised field education offers a realistic and broadly based experience of ministry both within the Church and in secular settings. It allows students to develop professional competence, typically in parishes or social service organizations, and to explore theological issues in these contexts. M.Div. degree candidates are required to complete at least two units of supervised field education. Each unit involves a planned, specified commitment of hours that are spent on site as well as in preparation, reflection, and travel. A field education unit may take place over the academic year or during the summer. Field education choices are expected to be congruent with the student’s academic and vocational goals.

Comprehensive Examination
To qualify for the comprehensive examination, the student must have satisfied the language requirements and have a grade point average of 2.75 or above.  The awarding of the M.Div. degree depends upon the successful completion of the comprehensive examination and a cumulative grade point average of 2.75 or above from all required courses.  Usually the student takes the comprehensive examination during the sixth semester of study.  The subject matter is material covered in the courses in systematic and sacramental theology, moral theology, and Scripture.  In order to pass the comprehensive exam, a student must receive an average grade of 2.0 on the exam.  A candidate for the M.Div. degree may not continue candidacy after two failures in the comprehensive examination.

This examination consists of two parts:

Part One: Written Component. A three-hour written examination in which the candidate for the M.Div. will be asked to write on three themes (theses), one each from the assigned areas of sacred scripture, systematic theology and moral theology. In each area the candidate will be able to choose from three possible questions. The principal purpose of the written component of the M.Div. examination will be to test the candidate's ability to expose theological materials, with the special emphasis (as appropriate) on the pertinent contributions of historical and positive theology.

Part Two: Oral Component. A three-quarter of an hour examination before three faculty members who will examine the candidate in the three assigned areas. Questions may be drawn from any of the thirty themes. The principal purpose of the oral component of the examination will be to test the candidate's ability to order these materials towards a reasoned theological judgment or conclusion.