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Archdiocese of Philadelphia and Villanova University’s School of Business to Announce Partnership to Offer Master of Science Degree in Church Management

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia is pleased to announce it has entered into a unique partnership with Villanova University’s Center for Church Management (CCM) to offer an innovative two-year, online Master of Science in Church Management (MSCM) degree designed to provide students with a high-level skill set in effective church management. In addition, a 50 percent scholarship is available to any new students from the five-county Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

“I’m delighted to see new and innovative educational programs being made available to the faithful of the Archdiocese who utilize their professional skills to serve our Church,” said Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. “Partnering with Villanova University to provide a Master of Science in Church Management provides a unique and valuable opportunity for professional administrators working within our parishes, schools, and various ministries.”

“At Villanova, we frequently speak about the value of community, which is why I am incredibly pleased to partner with our Philadelphia diocesan community through the Center for Church Management,” said University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD. “Villanova is honored to help the Philadelphia region’s parishes flourish by training the next generation of church managers with our online Master of Science in Church Management degree.”

“We are committed to providing education and scholarship in the Augustinian Catholic tradition on strategic, management and temporal matters in service to leaders of Churches and other Christian ministries,” says Matthew F. Manion ’11 MSCM, faculty director, CCM. “It is an honor to partner with our home diocese, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, where so many of us live and worship and we are extremely grateful for the generosity of our donors who make programs like this possible.”

Recently ranked the #1 online graduate business degree program in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, the MSCM program at VSB is designed to meet the needs of an international student body of church leaders and managers—including parish business managers, people serving in pastoral ministry roles who would like to provide greater value and support to their parish or diocese, and individuals who have worked in business professionally and want to transition to church work. It is ideal for professionals who cannot take leave of their positions to relocate and pursue full-time study. The MSCM can be completed online in only two years of part-time study.

Villanova School of Business currently has similar partnership arrangements with the Archdiocese of New York, the Diocese of Trenton and the Diocese of Camden.

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Editor’ Note: The first of its kind in the nation, VSB’s Center for Church Management is dedicated to serving the church through education and research. The Center offers a Master of Science in Church Management, as well as several certificate programs and resources for Church management.

The Villanova School of Business (VSB) undergraduate program is ranked #1 in the nation by Bloomberg Businessweek and has been at the forefront of business education since it was founded in 1922. The VSB part-time MBA program is ranked #12 in the nation by Bloomberg Businessweek. VSB also offers Executive and Online MBA programs, as well as a Master of Finance and Master of Accounting with Data Analytics, and our #1 ranked online grad programs by U.S. News & World Report, the Master of Science in Analytics and Master of Science in Church Management. Serving over 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students, VSB is known for academic rigor; creativity and innovation; hands-on and service learning opportunities; a firm grounding in ethics; and an applied education that prepares students to become outstanding leaders and global citizens within the global, complex, and fast-paced world of business. For more, visit business.villanova.edu.