M.A. in Christian Spirituality

The M.A. and advanced certificate programs in Christian spirituality are grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition. It provides you with the knowledge and skills to lead or accompany others on their spiritual journey. As a lay minister, teacher, social worker, counselor, or spiritual director, you will gain the competencies to engage more intentionally your understanding of the biblical, theological, and historical foundations of spirituality with your professional development and practice.

Program Highlights

• Choose one of three degree program concentrations: spiritual direction, research, or generalist.
• Teach and learn with our renowned faculty and international students from more than twenty countries.
• Take courses at the member schools of the New York Theological Consortium.
• Prepare for doctoral work by pursuing the research concentration. 
• Consider becoming an accredited spiritual director; pursue the concentration in spiritual direction.
• Be enriched by spiritual retreats and campus ministry experiences.

Program Basics

• The curriculum requires satisfactory completion of 12 courses (36 semester credits).
• You may pursue the program either as a full-time or part-time student.
• Classes may be taken on campus, online, or a combination.
• See the requirements information in the GRE bulletin for complete information on the Thesis and Comprehensive examination options.
• Candidates in the research concentration must complete a master’s thesis and demonstrate competency in a second language.
• Candidates in all concentrations who select the Thesis option must demonstrate competency in a second language.
• Generous scholarships and tuition waivers are available.

Careers

• Spiritual director
• Retreat facilitator
• Chaplain
• Religion teacher
• Parish or diocesan faith formation leader
• Archivist

Learning Outcomes

1. Students will demonstrate facilities with methods of research in specific theological disciplines for post-graduate and doctoral studies.
2. Students will communicate the Christian story competently to make it accessible through a variety of means (e.g. teaching, writing, dialogue, personal consultation).
3. Students will articulate the relationship between the Christian tradition and their professional practice and spiritual development.
4. Students will articulate a well rounded knowledge and critical appropriation of Jesuit Spirituality and the Catholic intellectual tradition.
5. Students will use tools of literary, cultural, historical, and social analysis in the interpretation of various cultures and their relationship to the Christian tradition.