Master of Arts Degree Program
More: Curriculum | Content | Outcomes and Assessment | Continuance and Withdrawal
Kenrick School of Theology offers the Master of Arts degree in theology (M.A.). The degree provides a graduate-level understanding of the theological disciplines for general educational purposes. Like the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) Program, the M.A. Program is based on the four-year Ordination Program at Kenrick, which consists of basic and advanced components. The basic components of the Ordination Program constitute the M.Div. Program; the advanced components constitute the distinctive elements of the M.A. Program. The two degrees are further distinct in that the purpose of the M.Div. Program is to prepare students for the priestly life and for pastoral leadership. The specific components of the Kenrick M.Div Program that are oriented to priestly life and pastoral leadership do not form part of the M.A. Program.
Summary of Program Goals
By its mission to prepare men for the Roman Catholic priesthood, Kenrick School of Theology seeks to instill in its students:
1) an abiding priestly identity, founded on Christ Jesus and in his Church;
2) a cooperative priestly ministry, comprised of teaching, sanctifying, and leading; and
3) an integrated priestly spirituality, embracing celibacy, simplicity, obedience, and prayer.
At Kenrick this preparation for the priesthood takes place in the Ordination-M.Div. Program, which is articulated in four interrelated dimensions: human formation, spiritual formation, intellectual formation, and pastoral formation. The Kenrick M.A. Program is based in the intellectual formation component of the Ordination Program. The goals of the Master of Arts degree program are that the student acquire the following:
1) an ability to conduct and present theological research on an advanced academic level.
2) a competence for future teaching of theology or religion courses at the high school or college level.
3) a competence for the possible pursuit of post-graduate academic study in one of the theological disciplines.
The goals of the Master of Arts Degree Program also conform to the standards of Accreditation of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, which require that a Master of Arts degree program provide "a basic understanding of theological disciplines for further graduate study or for general educational purposes" (ATS Standards, E. 1.0). The understanding of theological disciplines and general education purposes are explicit foci for all three goals: further graduate study is the focus of goal three.
Read the Complete Statement of the Goals of the Master of Arts Degree and Curriculum.
Graduation from the M.A. Program
Degrees are awarded by the Board of Trustees at the time of the annual spring Academic Convocation. Kenrick School of Theology awards the honor “Graduates with Distinction" to degree recipients with a G.P.A. of 3.80 or higher. There is a diploma graduation fee, regardless of whether one attends the Academic Convocation; fees are posted annually by the Academic Office.
Location and Duration of the Program
The Master of Arts degree program is contemporaneous with the four-year Ordination Program but entails the equivalent of two years of work. The program is subject to the same residency requirement as the Ordination Program, at the campus of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.
Distinctive Resources for the Programs
Kenrick School of Theology affords to students enrolled in the Master of Arts Program the General Institutional Resources. In addition to these, Kenrick also affords its students adequate faculty, library resources, and support services to sustain specialization in the M.A. Program. Students are provided with M.A. advisors, as applicable, for guidance and support in the particular decisions related to this program, and the program itself is administered by the Academic Dean with the assistance of the Coordinator of Summative Evaluation.
