Baccalaureate in Theology (ThB)

The program is open to any qualified student, seminarian, lay or religious who desires to get a thorough and solid training in Catholic theology. The aims of the ThB program are to present in an organic manner the whole of Catholic doctrine; to introduce the student to the scientific method in theology; to assure student comprehension through appropriate required examinations.

Areas of Theology

The course of studies, which all students pursuing the ThB are expected to take, covers the following areas of theology:

Students seeking admission to this program must have a high school diploma with at least 12 units of of undergraduate theology and must have completed the systematic study of philosophy required by the Church. While course descriptions and the distribution of matter will vary from place to place the following will generally be considered as normative in determining whether the minimum requirements of the philosophical studies have been met: introduction to philosophy, philosophy of the human person, foundations of moral value or ethics, history of ancient, medieval, modern and contemporary philosophy, logic, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of nature, political philosophy, Asian philosophies, Reason and the Christian Faith and a philosophy synthesis course (total of 15 three-unit courses). Certain courses which are not readily available in some schools may be substituted with corollary philosophical disciplines. Nevertheless, a total of 45 units of philosophy should still be completed. Two semesters of Latin as well as one modern language (6 units, choice of Italian, Spanish, French, German) are also required.

Deficiencies in the above requirements at the time of application can be completed at LST. An applicant short of 6 units or less of Philosophy may be accepted on probationary status subject to completion of these lacking units during the first semester of studies at LST. Those who lack the credits in the language courses may be accepted with the compliance of these requirements during Theology. Applicants without the 12 units of undergraduate theology are asked to take 9 units of propaedeutic theology courses during the Intersession Term (July-August) prior to first semester of ThB-1, and 3 units during the first semester itself.

Applicants must pass an Entrance Exam administered by the Ateneo de Manila University and an LST English Proficiency Test.

For individuals who have taken some theology courses in other seminaries: (a) LST applies a 2/3 rule for both Philosophy and Theology requirements (LST Statutes, art. 36). Two-thirds of the LST ThB program must be studied in LST to earn the ThB degree; (b) Fundamental and Systematic theology courses must be studied in LST since they are matters of the comprehensive exam for ThB; (c) A maximum of 10 courses with a minimum of three credits each can be transfer credited subject to approval of the VPAA.

ThB Coursework

The new ThB curriculum covers First Year STB students admitted to LST beginning the Academic Year 2025-2026. Those admitted to LST prior to March 2025 remain in the 2018 curriculum.

Priesthood Track

Seminarians and scholastics aspiring for ordination to the priesthood take additional courses and exams to prepare themselves for the priestly ministry: e.g., homiletics, presiding on the liturgy, the administration of the sacraments, and preparation for and examination on hearing confessions.

Major Research Paper

Towards the end of third year, all ThB students must submit to the LST Registrar one major research paper they had written in one of their theology courses. The paper must conform to the following specifications:

• It must be between 15-30 pages in length.
• It must be formatted according to LST Style Manual based on Turabian, 6th edition.
• It must include footnotes and at least one full-page bibliography listing only the titles of books and articles that have actually been cited in the paper.
• It must have received a grade of at least 2.5 (B)

Note: The sources of quotations and borrowed ideas must be fully acknowledged in the footnotes. Failure to do so is tantamount to plagiarism, which is penalized with a failing grade in the course and an appropriate sanction (Code of Discipline, pp. 9-10).

ThB Dogma Comprehensive Examination

All students in the ThB program take an oral dogma comprehensive examination after completing all required course work. This examination aims to determine whether students have attained sufficient theological knowledge for the fruitful exercise of their ministry.

The matter for this comprehensive examination is distributed to the students at least three months before the examination date. Since early publication of the composition of the board of examiners is judged to be detrimental to the review and preparation for the examination, the names of the examiners are made public only two days before the examination date.

Depending on academic performance, students take either an honors or an ordinary comprehensive examination:

1. The Ordinary Comprehensive Examination
   The ordinary comprehensive examination lasts 45 minutes before a board of three professors. The basis of the examination is the ordinary comprehensive theses sheet. Each professor questions the examinee for 15 minutes.
2. The Honors Comprehensive Examination

   It is a 90-minute examination before a board of three professors. The preparation for it affords an opportunity for the students to achieve more thorough overview of the whole ThB program and to assimilate it in a more personal and creative way. The examination itself allows the students to manifest exceptional mastery of the program in theology in view of their ministry.

Qualification

Students in the ThB program with a 1.00-1.5 weighted average are required to take the honors comprehensive examination. This average is computed from all the courses taken in the ThB program. Those whose average falls between 1.51 and 1.75 may appeal to the Standards and Degrees Committee to be allowed to take the honors comprehensive examination.

Students who have four or more of the ThB courses taken from another school, i.e., 12 or more of ThB credit-units obtained from transfer credits, are allowed to take only the ordinary comprehensive examination.

Procedure

The honors examination consists of two parts. In the first, the candidate is examined by each of the three professors for 20 minutes each on the basis of the ordinary comprehensive examination theses sheet. After a break, the candidate presents his synthesis within ten minutes. He is then questioned on the synthesis presented by the examiners for 20 minutes. Each examiner gives a mark based on the total performance. The first part counts for 2/3 and the second for 1/3 of the final grade for the examination.

Synthesis

The synthesis is intended to help honors students personally integrate the main themes of their study of theology by articulating it in relation to a particular focus. The theses studied in preparation for the comprehensive examination express the main areas of the Christian message that should be included in the synthesis. In presenting their syntheses, students are expected to show a creative grasp of the contents of the Catholic faith as it relates to a topic that they have found meaningful, and which has relevance for an inculturated theology.

The synthesis is normally five to ten pages in length. It is prepared in consultation with his/her mentor. The synthesis should be submitted to the mentor at least two weeks before the comprehensive examination.

Five working days before the examination, five typed copies of the synthesis, approved by the mentor, should be submitted to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Forms for assigning the mentor and for obtaining approval of the synthesis may be obtained from the Loyola School of Theology Secretariat.