Theological & Pastoral Studies Program

THEOLOGICAL & PASTORAL STUDIES PUTTING FAITH INTO ACTION. ursuline.edu

A graduate education at Ursuline College is an opportunity for transformation. It equips students with the knowledge and skills they need for a new career or a new direction in life.

Graduate education is a vital component of Ursuline’s mission, offering programs that prepare men and women for their lives as intellectuals and professionals. Each program builds on a strong undergraduate foundation and provides for continued comprehensive development in the student’s selected area of study. All graduate programs offer a robust theoretical grounding for students, extended with discipline-specific knowledge and integrated through reflective practice. Not only do the graduate programs at Ursuline College address the significant issues facing society today, they also prepare students for visionary leadership that enables them to meet the challenges of the future.

Since 1871, Ursuline College has been widely recognized for its quality education. Ursuline’s graduate programs are rigorous and challenging; students benefit from small, interactive classes with faculty who are experts in their fields. These teacher-mentors bring vast knowledge and experience to the classroom, as well as a genuine commitment to each and every student’s success. All graduate programs at Ursuline include hands-on experiences, where students apply classroom learning to the field.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW The Master of Arts in Theological & Pastoral Studies program at Ursuline College prepares women and men for professional work in the church and in society. Grounded solidly in the Catholic and Ursuline tradition, the program has, from its inception, welcomed students of all denominations, and in recent years, has been increasingly deliberate in reflecting a more broadly ecumenical approach in its course content and curricular offerings, as well as in the makeup of its leadership team. Ursuline’s Master of Arts in Theological & Pastoral Studies degree will prepare you to serve in a broad range of pastoral and ministerial settings, both in the church and in the world.

The Master of Arts in Theological & Pastoral Studies program is designed for women and men who are called to leadership and service in the church and in the world, and is ideally suited for: • Current parish staff who want to retool or refresh their knowledge and skills to better serve the people of God in the 21st century; • Women and men currently serving in active ministry who want to grow intellectually and spiritually; • Women and men pursuing a call to ministry who seek spiritual formation, a rigorous and high quality academic program, and hands-on experience in the field of ministry.

The Theological and Pastoral Studies program provides theological and ministerial preparation for those individuals interested in professional ministry.

Theological and Pastoral Studies creates opportunities for: • the development of personal ministerial goals • the reflective assessment of those goals • practical skills to achieve the goals in a ministerial setting The program fosters an environment in which participants can integrate academic preparation (content) with practical application (praxis) through supervised ministry (context).

What can I expect from a master’s degree in Theology from Ursuline College?

First, you will find that theological education at Ursuline is rigorous yet practical. The Master of Art in Theological and Pastoral Studies program provides students with a professional degree that integrates theological education with ministerial formation and practical experience. Second, you will find that theological education at Ursuline is integrative. There is a constant conversation taking place in our classrooms between the body of tradition we study critically and the many varied experiences each of us brings with us into the same classroom. Finally, theological education at Ursuline is transformative. A fundamental principle is that we are transformed by what we study.

Ursuline College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

CURRICULUM The Master of Arts in Theological & Pastoral Studies requires 36 credit hours of graduate work. Coursework is generally offered in a traditional semester format. Fall and spring courses are offered in the late afternoons and evenings, following the regular academic calendar. Courses offered during the summer are structured in an intensive format designed to meet the needs of working adults. In addition to the regular rotation of courses, the TPS program offers 1-credit graduate workshops each semester on a variety of academic and practical topics related to theology and pastoral ministry. Up to three (3) 1-credit graduate workshops may be taken by students and applied toward their coursework as electives. At least once a semester students meet with an advisor and evaluate the goals they set at the time of their assessment in the areas of academic course work, pastoral skill development and spiritual growth.

Required Coursework (21 credit hours) TPS 610 Foundations of Theology

3

TPS 641 Christian Scriptures

3

TPS 642 Hebrew Scriptures

3

TPS 670 Church History

3

TPS 643 Pastoral Care and Counseling

3

TPS 644 Liturgy and Sacraments

3

TPS 700 Final Practicum/Master’s Thesis

3

Specialization Core Requirements (6 credit hours) TPS 654 Ministry and Spirituality

3

TPS 655 Praxis of Pastoral Care & Counseling

3

Dedicated Electives (6) TPS 661 Christology 3 TPS 662 Christian Anthropology

3

TPS 663 Ecclesiology 3 TPS 680 Social Justice

3

TPS 681 Moral Theology

3

General Electives (3) TPS 601w Workshop TPS 686 Independent Study TPS 688 Special Topics

Total credits 36

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS Students applying for admission must meet both the general requirements for admission to all graduate programs and the specific requirements of the particular program of study. For the Master of Arts in Theological & Pastoral Studies, admission requirements are as follows: 1. Application for Graduate Studies including the essay of 500 – 1,000 words. Application for admission may be submitted online at ursuline.edu/ apply.

2. Non-refundable $25 application fee.

3. All official transcript(s) for baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and any additional undergraduate or graduate academic coursework whether or not credit was earned, the program was completed, or the credit appears as transfer credit on another transcript. Transcript(s) must be forwarded to the Office of Graduate Admission directly by the issuing institution.

4. Evidence of ability to do graduate work as indicated by a recommended 3.0 GPA shown on the applicant’s transcript(s). Students may be asked to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or provide other evidence of academic ability if their GPA is below 3.0. At the discretion of the dean, students may be admitted conditionally if their GPA is below 3.0.

5. Three recommendations utilizing the required recommendation form.

Recommendations should be written by appropriate professionals attesting to the suitability of the applicant for graduate work in the particular field. The recommendation form is available online at ursuline.edu/ recommendation* or by request from the Office of Graduate Admission.

6. Satisfactory completion of an interview with the program director and/or graduate faculty.

International students, in addition to the above criteria, must also comply with Ursuline College’s procedures for admission as an international student. Visit www.ursuline.edu/Admission/Graduate/requirements.html for more information.

* The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and its amendments give registered students the right to see all references submitted with an application for admission, unless the right to such access has been waived. Recommendations received online are automatically considered confidential and the right to view it is waived. If an applicant does not wish to waive his/her right to inspect the content of the recommendation, the paper recommendation form is required and must be signed by the applicant indicating such.

Application Deadline Applicants are urged to initiate formal application as far as possible in advance of the semester or term in which they plan to enroll. Theological & Pastoral Studies courses begin in the fall, spring and summer semesters.

Career Opportunities Ursuline’s Master of Arts in Theological & Pastoral Studies degree will prepare you to serve in a broad range of pastoral and ministerial settings, both in the church and in the world.

Our graduates serve in a variety of ministries, including parish ministry, youth ministry, Christian education, campus ministry, social justice ministries, prison ministries, chaplaincy and hospice.

Alumnae Testimonial The Ursuline ministry program has helped me to better and more intentionally help from future Christian business and technology leaders - leaders with the motivation, knowledge and 21st century skills to lead the formation of the technology based worldwide economy for the benefit and participation of all. This personal mission derives from and is consistent with the Catholic social teaching, particularly the pastoral letter “Economic Justice for Al” that I studied in detail in the Ursuline Social Justice course.

- Steve Wallace I chose Ursuline College and the Theological & Pastoral Studies program to pursue my graduate studies in theology and ministry because of the program’s holistic approach to ministry and the exceptional faculty. The program at Ursuline is a balance of theory and praxis. Not only is the training in traditional and contemporary theology challenging and exhilarating, the application of that theology to everyday living as a Christian is treated with equal importance. The faculty is composed of women and men who are both scholars and practitioners of the Christian way of life. Their combined educational and life experiences provide a balanced vision for their students of what it means to be a thinking Christian in a sometimes hostile and contradictory world. The experiences of the other students going through the program was also of immense value in discerning my own call and vocation.

- Frank Zalar I walk with God through this program and I am amazed at how the Theological & Pastoral Studies program at Ursuline College has already changed my life in so many positive ways!

- Daniela Archer

ursuline.edu/taps