His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan, D.D., Ph.D. Archbishop of ...

THE INSTITUTEThe Institute of Religious Studies is the graduatetheological studies branch of St. Joseph=s Seminary andCollege open to qualified laity, religious and clergy.The Institute offers graduate courses in sacred scripture,liturgy and theology, faithful to the Church Magisterium,to serve either as preparatory or ongoing formation forthose actively involved in the work of the Church or asdoctrinal formation for those who wish to deepen theirknowledge of the Catholic faith through systematicstudy.The Institute offers two programs of study: a Master=s(M.A.) degree in Religious Studies and a Post-Master=scertificate in Religious Studies. In addition, nonmatriculatedand auditing students are welcome to takecourses at the Institute.Courses are offered at the Institute=s principal campus atSt. Joseph's Seminary and College in Yonkers and atCathedral High School in the Cardinal Cooke CatholicCenter, 1011 First Avenue, New York City.ADMISSIONMASTER=S (M.A.) PROGRAMApplicants must possess a bachelor=s degree, havingcompleted a minimum of 18 credit hours in philosophy,theology or religious studies. Persons possessing abachelor=s degree, who have not completed theprerequisite credit hours in philosophy, theology orreligious studies, are able to satisfy the requirement bycompleting a variety of courses for credit at the Institute.In addition, a limited number of credits may berecognized for this purpose from certain educationalexperiences of an applicant. Such persons are nonmatriculatedstudents during this period and mustconsult with the dean of the Institute for this type ofrecognition.A maximum of six (6) credits from other recognizedgraduate theological programs may be accepted fortransfer in the M.A. degree program with the dean’spermission. Further recognition of transfer creditsrequires the specific approval of the dean.-2-APPLICATION TO THE M.A. PROGRAMThose interested in applying for the M.A. program willbe required to:1. Be interviewed by the dean of the Institute.2. Submit a completed application obtained from theInstitute Office at Dunwoodie together with anon-refundable $50.00 application fee.3. Include with the application a typed, one-pagestatement explaining the applicant's motivation forgraduate theological study.4. Request that official transcripts, from each undergraduateand graduate institution attended, be sentdirectly to the Institute.5. Request letters of recommendation from twoindividuals familiar with the academic backgroundand abilities of the applicant.REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREECandidates for the Master of Arts degree in ReligiousStudies must complete 30 credits (ten courses), maintaina minimum cumulative B grade point average and pass awritten comprehensive examination at the end of theprogram. Only students with a minimum cumulative Bgrade point average will be permitted to take thecomprehensive examination.All candidates are required to take the following four(4) introductory core courses: Sacred Scripture;Liturgy; Dogmatic Theology; and Fundamental MoralTheology.In addition to the aforementioned core courses,candidates must take one (1) required course in theirselected program concentration as listed in the StudentHandbook. Program concentrations available to thecandidates include Dogma; Liturgy; and SacredScripture. All candidates must take four (4) additionalcourses in the area of their concentration and a fifthcourse of their choice. Candidates must complete thedegree requirements within seven (7) years from the startof their matriculation in the program or request anextension from the dean. The specific requirements forthe M.A. degree program are listed in the StudentHandbook which is available upon request.-3-