Master of Arts in Theology

Required Courses
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THL 500 – Theology: History and Methods
THL 512 – Introduction to the Old Testament
THL 520 – Introduction to the New Testament
THL 535 – Patristic Theology
THL 550 – Christ: Word and Redeemer
THL 670 – Fundamental Moral Theology

The remaining 12 credits may be chosen from the other courses offered through the M.A. program in Theology.

After completing the required 30 credit hours of graduate course-work, students will take Qualifying Exams based on a bibliography of primary and secondary sources, write a thesis under the guidance of a director, and present an oral defense of the Thesis before the faculty.

Qualifying Exams
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Following the completion of course work the student will take three 1-hour written exams over the span of one day. Each exam will be drawn up and graded by a single professor with whom the student has previously arranged a topic and bibliography. The topic chosen by professor and student should allow for a certain degree of breadth even within the limits of a manageable research area.

The bibliography will include both primary and secondary sources (5-7 books/articles) pertinent to the topic, the content of which the student will be expected to be conversant with by the time of the exam. The graduate director will approve the topic and bibliography for each exam in order to ensure basic uniformity across the board. Within two weeks of the exam, the essays will each be graded by the individual faculty member who assigned the question. That professor will then assign a letter grade on the A-F scale. Students who earn a “B” or better average grade for all essays, with no grades below a “C”, will be considered to have passed their exams. A student with an average grade of “A-” or better will be considered to have passed their exams “With Distinction.

After the Exams
M.A. in Theology students who have passed the qualifying exams will be eligible to begin writing the thesis. The Graduate Director will notify the Records Office that the student has passed the qualifying exams, or has passed them with distinction.

Any student who has not passed the qualifying exam will be informed which essays were deficient, and will be permitted an opportunity to sit for the exam again within three months of the first attempt. A second failure to successfully answer the exam questions will mean that the student cannot proceed to the stage of thesis writing. At this point, at the discretion of the graduate faculty, the student may be granted the opportunity to receive a Master of Theological Studies degree upon completion of the requisite exams assigned to that degree program.

Thesis
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A thesis is a written product of original research of approximately 75 pages, produced by the student under the direction of an advisor and publicly defended before the faculty and students in the Graduate Program in Theology. This thesis is intended to demonstrate the student’s mastery of the skills and theological knowledge acquired through their participation in the program.

Thesis Proposal:

1. Once a student has successfully passed comprehensive-exams, the student will meet with the Graduate Director to begin creating a thesis proposal. In light of the student’s area of research interest and previous work with particular faculty, the Graduate Director will create a thesis committee consisting of a Thesis Director and Two Readers. The Thesis Director normally will have expertise in the student’s area of research and take primary responsibility for guiding the student in the research and writing and defense of the thesis. The Readers will assist the Thesis Director and provide guidance to the student.
2. In consultation with the thesis-committee, the student will produce a five- to 10-page written thesis-proposal that will contain the following:

a) Cover sheet

b) Table of contents

c) A detailed description of the research problem or hypothesis to be addressed in a thesis, including an explanation of the appropriate methodology to be used

d) An annotated bibliography, accompanied by a substantial, preliminary literature review of the current and past research related to the chosen topic, and the additional sources to be examined and presented in the final thesis

e) A detailed explanation of the reasons for choosing the topic Thesis Requirements Cont.

f) A timeline for completion of the thesis that has been coordinated with the committee members, prior to the proposal Submission

3. After consultation, the Thesis Committee will either approve the Thesis Proposal, or return it to the student with recommendations for revisions prior to approval.
4. The Graduate Director will review the thesis-proposal approved by the thesis-committee, and either approve, or recommend revisions for the proposal.

Thesis Writing:

5. A student will ordinarily complete the thesis writing full-time during the semester in which it will be defended.
6. During that time, the student will remain in regular contact with the thesis-advisor, submitting portions of the work for review and revision.
7. The student will submit the final and complete version of the thesis to the thesis director for review by the thesis committee.

Thesis Defense:

8. Once the thesis-committee has agreed that the thesis is ready for its public defense, the thesis advisor will confer with the Graduate Director and the department secretary to schedule a date and reserve a room in which the public defense will take place. The thesis defense will be advertised to graduate faculty and students, who are all welcome to attend, along with friends and family of the candidate for the M.A. student.
9. At the appointed time, the thesis advisor and readers will take seats facing the candidate, and the thesis advisor will introduce the committee and candidate to the assembled faculty and students.
10. The candidate will introduce and summarize the topic of the thesis and the argument by which it proceeded. (15-20 minutes) In-turn, beginning with the thesis advisor, the members of the thesis-committee will raise questions to the candidate about the thesis. Each member will have approximately 20 minutes for such questions.
11. Once the committee has completed its questioning of the candidate, the floor will be opened to questions from the assembled audience, who may ask questions of the candidate, moderated by the thesis-advisor.
12. The committee will determine whether the candidate has successfully defended the thesis (letter-grade “B”), has defended the thesis with distinction (letter-grade “A”), or has failed to defend the thesis (letter-grade “F”).
13. The grade assigned by the committee is final. The committee may recommend to the candidate minor corrections or revisions to be made to the written thesis, but these will not change the grade the faculty have assigned to the thesis.

Post-Defense Procedures:

14. Students who successfully defend will earn an M.A. and must submit to the Graduate Director an electronic copy with recommended revisions.
15. A student who has successfully defended the thesis will be eligible to graduate.

Aquinas Studies Courses
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Students pursuing the concentration in Aquinas Studies will take, in addition to the required courses, these four courses:

THL 640 – Thomas Aquinas: Doctrine of God
THL 642 – Thomas Aquinas: Doctrine of Christ
THL 644 – Thomas Aquinas: Moral Theology
THL 646 – Thomas Aquinas: Doctrine of Sacraments and the Church