Dual Degree Candidacy

Qualified students at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary may enroll in one of the dual degree programs. The Mount offers two such programs, each with its own focus, entrance requirements, curriculum, and concluding exercise. Students may choose between an M.Div./M.A.(Theology) or an M.Div./S.T.B. combination.

Degree Distinctions

• The Master of Divinity degree is a fully accredited basic professional degree oriented towards ministerial leadership. Designed to foster basic theological understanding and develop pastoral competence on the part of students preparing for ministry, it is the normative degree to prepare seminarians for ordained ministry. It includes a thorough study of the Catholic theological heritage and its faithful contemporary expression and a supervised practice of ministry. The degree conforms to the standards of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).  All seminarians entering First Theology are enrolled in the M.Div. program.
  
• The Master of Arts (Theology) is a fully accredited graduate academic degree. It provides students with competence in the study of theology as a scientific discipline. It includes both the attainment of survey knowledge of theology as well as a focus in an area of concentration for study and research writing in Sacred Scripture, Systematic Theology, Church History, or Moral Theology. Conforming to the standards of the ATS, it can be of particular value for those interested in teaching positions or who hope to enter Ph.D. programs.
  
• The degree of Bachelor of Sacred Theology provides the student with a solid, Thomistic, organic, and complete instruction in theology at the basic level. As a first-cycle ecclesiastical academic degree, it enables graduates to pursue further studies in the sacred sciences. The degree is a prerequisite for further pursuit of an ecclesiastical licentiate degree, and is also accepted for further study in universities of the European Union where the M.Div. is not recognized