Graduate Curriculum

An Intellectual Journey that Deepens Your Faith

The curriculum at Christendom, centered upon Christ as professed in the baptismal faith of the Church, is designed to enable students to penetrate the truths of faith more deeply, to hand on an authentic understanding of the basics of sacred theology, and to continue their study of theology with competence. In a curriculum that systematically integrates instruction in theology, philosophy, morals, Sacred Scripture, catechetics, and spirituality, each course contributes to the formation of the catechist and theologian. Theology courses provide an academic study of core areas of the Faith, while those in philosophy establish the preambles of the Faith and the nature of the human person. The Word of God gets in-depth penetration in Scripture courses, and catechetics courses focus on both the content and method of the Church’s catechetical tradition, while spirituality and morality courses reflect on the meaning of life in Christ. Depending on faculty specializations and student interests, the Graduate School occasionally offers additional courses in such areas as Christian culture, Church history, and pastoral ministry.

Christendom College acknowledges in its curriculum the essential role played by St. Thomas Aquinas in Catholic theology. Courses in philosophy and theology are taught according to the spirit, method, and principles of the Common Doctor. The graduate-level courses at Christendom presuppose a general knowledge of the Catholic Faith as presented in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The curriculum delves into the mysteries of faith using as primary sources Sacred Scripture, the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and magisterial and conciliar documents, especially those of Vatican II, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI. At Christendom the study of theology proceeds within the Faith, being, as St. Thomas Aquinas says, “the science of those things which can be concluded from the articles of Faith.”

Students matriculating in the Master of Arts in Theological Studies program choose to concentrate their studies in systematic theology, moral theology, catechetics, or theology of the consecrated life.. All students take certain core courses which are foundational to the various concentrations. Three of these are in dogmatic theology (God the Father, Christology, Holy Spirit & Ecclesiology), one is in Moral Theology, two are in Scripture (Old Testament and New Testament), and another two are in philosophy (Philosophy of God and Man, and Philosophical Errors).

The purpose of the required philosophy courses is to assist students in a philosophical understanding of the preambles of the Faith, the nature of the human person, and certain philosophical errors which influence contemporary thought and scholarship, with the ultimate aim of enabling them to present the Faith more reasonably and effectively.

The systematic theology concentration allows a student to delve into the articles of faith more deeply than in the core requirements, by studying them from the vantage point of the writings of the fathers of the Church, and also historically, by way of the challenges to the Faith encountered in the Church’s history. The Catechetics Concentration prepares students to teach children and adults the truths and practice of the Faith and the worship of God, and to administer religious education programs at both parish and diocesan levels. The Moral Theology Concentration aims to train theologians who are steeped in an understanding of the Christian moral tradition, especially as it applies to contemporary moral questions, so they can explain and defend the Church’s moral teaching. The Theology of the Consecrated Life Concentration focuses on various aspects of the religious life as reflected in the missions and life of the Church. It is designed for, and limited to, persons called to the consecrated life who attend the summer Vita Consecrata Institute. The curriculum at the Christendom Graduate School is a flexible one, without any prescribed order in which courses may be taken. Students may begin in any semester, and may enroll either full-time or part-time. Forty-two credits are required for the master’s degree and for the Apostolic Catechetical Diplomas.

Prerequisite Course
Students entering the Master’s program or either Apostolic Catechetical Diploma program without sufficient previous coursework in theology must successfully complete THEO 590: Introduction to Theology, preferably before taking other theology courses. This course is graded on a pass/fail basis and the credits earned do not count in the required credit total for the Master of Arts degree or the Apostolic Diploma. This course is available in online format at any time.

Language Courses and Requirement
MA students concentrating in systematic or moral theology must demonstrate an ability to read Latin as part of their degree requirements. Students may take a competency exam to satisfy this requirement. The exam consists of a theological passage in Latin to translate into English with the aid of a Latin/English dictionary. Alternatively, students may satisfy this requirement by successfully completing LATN 501: Introduction to Ecclesiastical Latin, which is usually offered in the spring semester and occasionally during the summer. This course is graded on a pass/fail basis and the credits earned do not count in the required credit total for the Master of Arts degree. There is no language requirement for the Consecrated Life or catechetics concentrations. Occasionally, other language courses may be offered as a convenience for students, but the credits earned for language courses never count towards the Master’s degree or diploma, nor may language courses be audited – they must be taken for credit because of the grading work involved for the professor.

Online Courses
The Christendom Graduate School offers many of its theology and catechetics courses in online format for distance students. The online courses are the same courses that are taught on campus, with the same professors, and they use video recordings of classroom lectures in addition to various media such as print, Power Point, audio recordings, email, and discussion forums. Students may take all of their courses online, or they may combine online and on-site courses in any combination. Students may take individual courses, earn the Christendom Certificate in Catechetics, or earn the Master of Arts in Theological Studies degree and/or the Apostolic Catechetical Diploma online. Christendom online courses qualify for catechist certification in many dioceses, and for teaching licensure/certification in most states. Many students take them for adult Faith formation or for personal enrichment.

Admissions requirements and procedures are the same for online and on-campus students. Online students have the same easy access to academic advisement, to the graduate school administrative staff, and to the grad school professors as on-campus students have. The Christendom Libraries are committed to accommodating distance students and providing them full use of the library resources and services for their studies and research.

Required Courses

Core Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree and the Apostolic Catechetical Diplomas
THEO 601: God the Father (Cycle A)
THEO 602: Christology (Cycle B)
THEO 603: Holy Spirit and Ecclesiology (Cycle C)
THEO 604: Moral Theology (Cycle D)
PHIL 602: Philosophy of God and Man (Cycle A)
PHIL 603: Philosophical Errors (Cycle B)
SCRI 606: Old Testament (Cycle C)
SCRI 607: New Testament (Cycle D)

Requirements for the Systematic Theology Concentration*
HIST 610: Church History, PartI (Cycle A)
HIST 611: Church History, Part II(Cycle B)
THEO 712: Patristics (Cycle C)
THEO 605: Liturgy and Sacraments (Cycle D)

Requirements for the Moral Theology Concentration*
THEO 720: Theological Anthropology (Cycle A)
THEO 721: The Virtues (Cycle B)
THEO 724: Sexual Ethics (Cycle C)
THEO 802: Catholic Social Teachings (Cycle D)

Requirements for the Catechetical Concentration and the Apostolic Catechetical Diplomas
EDUC 606: Apologetics (Cycle A)
EDUC 602: The Catechetical Tradition (Cycle B)
EDUC 603: Catechetical Norms and Methods (Cycle C)
EDUC 605: Liturgy and Sacraments (Cycle D)
EDUC 801: DRE Internship (optional)

Requirements for the Theology of the Consecrated Life Concentration
(offered summers only, in cycles listed below)
CONL 621: History of the Consecrated Life (Cycle B)
CONL 622: Liturgy and the Consecrated Life (Cycle A)
CONL 623: Scriptural Foundation of the Consecrated Life (Cycle C)
CONL 624: The Vows According to St. Thomas Aquinas (Cycle D)
CONL 625: Consecrated Life and Vatican II (Cycle C)
CONL 626: Consecrated Life in Canon Law (Cycle A)

*Latin also required