We have information about admission requirements and application process on this page.

In light of our Augustinian tradition, we have developed a flexible academic full- and part-time Master’s Program in Theology that prepares women and men for the academy, the church, and the world by enabling them to accomplish tasks of the mind and of the heart.

The program invites you to accomplish these tasks by engaging theology with a faculty deeply committed to providing our students with a Christian intellectual and moral environment; integrating contemporary thought, experience, and method in course work; and advancing the various disciplines of Systematic Theology, Biblical Studies, Historical Studies and Historical Theology, Christian Ethics, and Spirituality.

Tasks of the mind

• construct, evaluate, and advance theological arguments and discuss their significance for Christian living;
• describe central characteristics of the Christian understanding of human existence, the world, and God;
• investigate the resources of the Christian theological tradition in light of the questions raised by contemporary culture and the continuing challenges of human life;
• demonstrate knowledge of biblical traditions and interpret biblical texts using current exegetical methods;
• examine Christian ethical traditions, think systematically about moral and ethical questions, and evaluate the impact of individual and collective actions on the common good;
• trace continuity and changes in Christian belief and practice from biblical roots, through historical developments, to contemporary forms of expression;
• understand the methods appropriate to research and pursuit of knowledge in the diverse fields of inquiry within the program; and
• use these methods to produce research suitable for the MA level and beyond, whether for the pursuit of further study or professional, practical, and personal purposes.

Tasks of the heart

• engage their mind and deepen their Christian lives by integrating the speculative (mind) and practical (heart) in their studies and dialogues with faculty and fellow students;
• discern the relevance of Augustinian vision that all authentic human wisdom is ultimately in harmony with divine wisdom for their own lives and values;
• advance academic ways of understanding Christian belief and practice by doing theology as “faith seeking understanding” (Anselm), that is, as a critical, systematic reflection on the life of faith;
• recognize Christian theology as a living, enduring way of knowing that continues to be refined, developed, and extended as it engages the contemporary world;
• respond to Augustine’s call to the restless search for wisdom by responding to a relationship offered from beyond the boundaries of human existence;
• deliberate and form judgments about the implications of Christian moral principles for building a more just, sustainable and peaceful world; and
• assume positions as productive, ethical, intellectual, and socially responsible citizens and leaders.

We invite you to also read the Academic Program Objectives of Villanova University, published in the Graduate Catalog.