People are often curious about the program of studies that we go through here at the seminary on our way to becoming priests. I often get asked, “What degree will you receive when you’re done?” The events of recent weeks here at the seminary provide a good opportunity to answer that question. There are actually two possible degrees that seminarians will earn while studying at Mundelein Seminary. The first degree that every student is working toward is a Master of Divinity degree. The curriculum focuses on a broad range of topics that would include theology, church history, liturgy, and many pastoral preparation classes such as counseling and preaching. The goal is to prepare men to be ministers, priests in this case. This same degree structure is used by other religious groups in forming their own ministers. However, the M Div. is relatively unknown in Europe.

In addition to the Master of Divinity degree, which takes 4 years to complete, European universities, and the Catholic Church in particular, have their own degree structure. In this system there are three “cycles” to academic studies. During the first cycle students get a broad exposure to a discipline. The second cycle focuses more on specialization and prepares one to be a teacher of a topic. The final cycle is designed to train people to do in depth research and teach, such as at a university or seminary.

Completion of the first cycle normally takes 3 years and ends with the awarding of a Baccalaureate degree. Although the word is the same that we use for the typical degree awarded upon graduating from a 4-year college in the United States, this degree is really somewhere in between what we would consider a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s degree. The second cycle involves two more years of study and ends by the awarding of the Licentiate degree or “license.” This could be a terminal degree or one could go on to study for a doctoral degree.

Here at Mundelein Seminary, we have not only an American system academic faculty, but also an Ecclesiastical Faculty approved by the Pope which is able to grant degrees according to the Roman system mentioned above. In our case, the particular discipline we are studying goes by the name “Sacred Theology.” Hence, the degree we are working toward in the first cycle is a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology, or STB. It is optional for students to participate in this degree program and many will do just the M Div. curriculum. The STB curriculum involves taking some additional classes, writing some extra papers, and passing a comprehensive test at the end.

The comprehensive test I just mentioned is really the occasion for me to write this little entry today. You see, the STB curriculum is completed in three years as opposed to four for the M Div. and so last week was the date for the big comprehensive exam. This partly explains why I’ve been absent from my blog lately; there’s been much to study. Unlike the M Div., the STB does not involve any kind of pastoral training in the curriculum. It is an academic degree. Topics for the exam are broken down into seven areas of focus, Christology, Doctrine of God, Revelation, Moral Theology, Anthropology, Sacramental Theology, and Ecclesiology. The test is written and questions are asked from three of the seven areas selected by the Dean. In order to pass the STB exam you need to receive a passing grade on all three questions which are graded individually by the professors that asked each question. Just yesterday I received the official word that I not only passed the exam, but I received an ‘A’ on all three questions. Hence, I am awarded the STB degree “With Distinction.”

With the completion of the first cycle degree I am now able to begin studying for the second cycle Licentiate in Sacred Theology, or STL. This is a two year program, so I will only complete the first year in my studies next year. The goal would be to come back either for another year to complete the degree or return over the course of a couple summers. That’s all up to the Archbishop in the future. For now, I am just looking forward to finishing up this year and getting home to Kansas. This summer I will be working as a hospital chaplain as a part of a program known as “Clinical Pastoral Education.” This is a requirement for the M Div. degree. I will try to do a better job of updating my blog as I go since this could provide for some interesting reflections. For the next couple weeks I’m just going to enjoy being a Bachelor…of Sacred Theology.