Master in Pastoral Ministry

The professional degree Masters program serves the following purposes: to help priests, pastors, catechetical coordinators, religious educators, social action leaders, and various ministerial workers to acquire the knowledge and skills requisite for effective work in the pastoral setting.

To get accepted to the professional degrees Masters program, the applicants must have a government-recognized (civil) bachelor’s degree with at least 12 units of undergraduate (college) theology courses. Moreover, they must have attained at least a general undergraduate average of B (2.5 or 85) with no grade of “failure” or “condition”.

This program requires at least four semesters of course work in which the student must complete successfully fifteen (15) master’s level courses.

a) Foundation Courses (15 units):

The five core courses: [1] Revelation-Faith (3 units); [2] Christology (3 units); [3] Ecclesiology (3 units); [4] Fundamental Moral Theology (3 units); and [5] Christian Worship (3 units).

b) Professional Courses (15 units):

Five courses or seminars in the student’s area of specialization or concentration:
for students specializing in New testament Biblical Theology: Synoptic Gospels, John, and Paul;
for students specializing in Old Testament Biblical Theology: Pentateuch, Prophets, Wisdom Literature and Psalms. All Biblical Theology students are required to take Biblical Hermeneutics and Research Methods.
for students specializing in Systematic Theology: Scripture, Tradition, Magisterium; Theological Anthropology I: Creation and Eschatology; Theological Anthropology II: Sin and Grace; Soteriology and Mariology; God One and Triune.
for students specializing in Sacramental Theology: Sacraments of the Church, Sacraments of Vocation and Holy Eucharist.
for students specializing in Moral Theology: Special Moral Theology I: Medical/Sexual Ethics, Special Moral Theology II: Christian Social Ethics.

c) Electives (15 units):

Five electives courses chosen from outside the student’s area of concentration. Courses in excess of the minimum requirements under Professional Courses may count as electives.

After completing his/her course work, the student must pass a written comprehensive examination. The students must be registered with the Ateneo de Manila University to take the comprehensive examination. Note: one cannot register for comprehensive examination while still on course work or still have an incomplete grade (INC) in his/her course work.
The comprehensive examinations are scheduled once each semester and in the summer. Students who cannot take the comprehensive examination during the regular schedule must wait until the next examination period. Those who cannot complete the two parts of the examination at the schedule must repeat the entire comprehensive at the next examination period.
The examination has two parts, scheduled on separate dates: Part I covers the foundation courses (Revelation-Faith; Christology; Ecclesiology; Fundamental Moral Theology; and Christian Worship); and Part II covers the courses the student has taken in his/her area of concentration.
The two parts of the exams are graded separately. The passing grade for the comprehensive examination is 2.5 (B). In case of failure, only one retake is allowed. Students who fail the retake are dropped from the program unless, for special reason, the Standards and Degrees Committee recommends a second retake. In retake comprehensive examinations, students need to repeat only the parts failed.
The STB dogma comprehensive examination may serve as the MA comprehensive examination for students taking both STB and Master programs simultaneously. In this case, the student must be registered with both LST and the Ateneo to be able to take the comprehensive exam.

After completing his/her course work and passing the comprehensive examination, the student prepares and submits a Capstone Project or Integrating Paper. Students enrolled in the professional masters programs must consult the VPAA for details of this requirement.