Who we are
Catholic universities traditionally endeavor to serve as an academic
and intellectual resource for the extended local community and the
Church by being a place of the discovery of God through learning and a
place where the Church can do its thinking and engage its own
traditions. Studying Catholic Christian theology at Villanova means
experiencing this discovery and reflection at an Augustinian university,
the oldest and largest Roman Catholic university in the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania.
Our graduate program fulfills this traditional role in fidelity to St.
Augustine’s contributions to Western thought. His emphasis on the human
will and decision, particularly the decision to love, as the proper
fulfillments of all knowing has mediated to the West the biblical
understanding of the human being as person who recognizes the unitive
quality of his or her relationships with God, fellow human beings, and
the world. Theological knowing in the Augustinian tradition is thus both
speculative and practical and distinctive in its emphasis on the union
of mind and heart.
What we offer
In light of this Augustinian legacy, the Department of Theology and
Religious Studies has developed a flexible academic full- and part-time
Master’s Program in Theology. The program invites students to accomplish
the tasks of the heart and the mind by engaging theology with a faculty
deeply committed to (1) providing our students with a Christian
intellectual and moral environment, (2) integrating contemporary
thought, experience, and method in course work, and (3) advancing the
various disciplines of Systematic Theology, Biblical Studies, Historical
Studies and Historical Theology, and Christian Ethics.
Who our students are
The program welcomes men and women, ordained and lay, from near and far,
from all Christian traditions, of all ages, and with diverse educational
and professional backgrounds and equally diverse professional goals. In
particular, they have recently completed undergraduate or graduate
degrees and majored in theological or non-theological fields of study;
they value the academic study of theology and seek to enrich their
personal and intellectual lives in the midst of likeminded men and women; or they are professionals interested in changing careers,
choose the master’s degree as a terminal degree, and pursue further
academic work or careers in secondary school education and ministerial
leadership.
What our students accomplish
Our graduate program prepares men and women for the academy, the church,
and the world by enabling them to ...
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;
- 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.
|
What we offer our University
Our
graduate program is pivotal to the mission of Villanova University,
which stresses the disciplines of Philosophy and Religious Studies (see
VU Mission Statement). Located within the College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences, the program is the theological and spiritual core of its
graduate academic enterprise, providing vibrancy, effectiveness,
distinctiveness, and excellence in theological education to its
students.
|
