Master of Arts (Summer Program)

The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Theology responds to a student’s desire for advanced theological training and the goal to be a theological resource for others. The M.A. degree will prepare you for such roles as serving the Church or diocese, teaching theology at the high school level, or ministering to people in contexts like health care and social work.

Poona, India

The popular option to pursue this degree exclusively during the summer has made the program ideal for a dynamic community of individuals who are passionate about theological exploration. Up to 200 students may be enrolled during a given summer, pursuing somewhat different programs and goals but all well-positioned for a unique experience of personal and intellectual growth.

Summer 2010

Module 1: June 21-July 9, 2010 and Module 2: July 12-July 30, 2010

The Notre Dame Campus Ministry and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart invite you to join us for daily Morning and Evening Prayer, daily Eucharist, weekend Masses, and Sunday Vespers. The full schedule of liturgies may be found on the Basilica website.

Theology students, faculty, and staff are invited to help lead prayer at the Basilica during their department's six week summer session. We rely on students, faculty, and staff to fill these roles and welcome you to sign up for Morning and Evening Prayer ministries online.

If you have any questions about Morning and Evening Prayer, the Basilica, or Campus Ministry, please contact Daniel Bayless at dbayless@nd.edu or 574-631-7800.

Deadline for Applications to Graduate Admissions

The application deadline as a "Degree Seeking Student" or to "Reactivate" your student status for Summer Session to the M.A. (Theology) degree program is April 15, Fall Semester is July 15, and for Spring Semester is November 1.

Online/Off Site Courses and Registration Information

THEO 60602. Catholic Social Teaching (Spring 2010 Online Course)
3 credits, Professor Margaret Pfeil
Location code: Distributed Education
The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the tradition of Catholic social teaching with a view to developing skills for critical reading and appropriation of these documents. We will examine papal, conciliar, and episcopal texts from Rerum novarum (1891) up to the present time, identifying operative principles, tracing central theological, ethical, and ecclesial concerns, and locating each document in its proper historical context.

THEO 64212. Eucharist in the Middle Ages (Fall 2009 Online Course)
Professor Joseph Wawrykow
Location Code: Distributed Education
The Eucharist stands at the heart of western European Christianity in the high Middle Ages. The insistence of church officials on regular reception of the Eucharist; the numerous scholastic treatments of the theoretical issues associated with the Eucharist; the recourse by spiritual authors, especially women, to the Eucharist to express their most profound religious and devotional insights; the pointed reference to the Christ Eucharistically-present to establish Christian identity and to distinguish the members of Christ from others, both within and outside of western Europe; the development of new rituals focused on aspects of the Eucharist; the burgeoning of artistic representations of Eucharistic themes-all testify to the centrality of the Eucharist in medieval theological and religious consciousness. Through the close reading of representative texts by a wide variety of 13th-century authors, and, the study of the different kinds of 'Eucharistic' art, this course examines the uses made of the Eucharist by a broad spectrum of high medieval Christians. A special concern of the course is the relation between Eucharistic doctrine and religious practice-to what extent have teachings about transubstantiation and real presence shaped religious expression? How has religious experience itself occasioned the refinement of these doctrines?

Redemptorist Renewal Center, Tucson, Arizona

Notre Dame Course at Redemptorist Renewal Center

THEO 60240 Contemplation and Action (Spring Semester 2010) Syllabus
Instructor: Prof. Matt Ashley
Location: Tucson, Arizona, Redemptorist Renewal Center
Dates: December 27, 2009-January 8, 2010
What is the relationship between contemplative prayer and action on behalf of others? The tendency in the Christian tradition has been to see prayer as superior to action, since it is there that one experiences, however fleetingly, that union with God that is our ultimate beatitude and destiny. However, there have been innovative attempts in the history of Christian spirituality to break down overly rigid barriers between these two essential components of the Christian life. This course will look at a cross-section of views on this question. We begin with scriptural loci for considering the relationship between prayer and action, and then move to Greek thought, with the distinction between theoria and praxis. We then consider how this conceptual pair was taken over in the history of Christian spirituality in some classic understandings of the relationship between the vita contemplativa and the vita activa. We will focus in particular on patristic and medieval homilies on Martha and Mary (Lk 10: 38-42). Figures in this section include Augustine, Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Aquinas, and Meister Eckhart. In the next section of the course we consider the late-Medieval and Reformation spiritualities of Catherine of Siena, Ignatius of Loyola and John of the Cross. We conclude with three contemporary figures who have attempted to interrelate contemplation and action: Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, and Gustavo Gutiérrez.
Syllabus for course (pdf document)

Costs: $1,590 for room and board (12 nights, includes meals and 24/7 beverages, coffee, tea, juices)
$1,092 tuition ($364 per credit hour)
Cost of travel to and from the Redemptorist Renewal Center

Unique Attributes

Flexible Approach
Content: Choose a standard area of concentration or an overview approach.
Timeline: Attend during the summers only or extend into the academic year. Five to six consecutive summers in residence are the typical preparation. Take courses online during the academic year. If pursuing the degree only during the summer months, students must complete the degree within seven years. If pursuing the degree during the summer and the academic year, students must complete the degree within five years.
Outcome: Receive a master’s degree or a certificate with reduced requirements.

Occasional Satellite Course Offerings

Engage in courses away from Notre Dame's main campus. The Department offers courses in different settings on occasion: in Tucson, Arizona, at the Redemptorist Renewal Center and in Israel at the Tantur Institute for Ecumenical Studies.

Community Prayer

During the M.A. program’s summer session, an important part of student life is liturgical celebration. Morning and Evening Prayer are celebrated each day. Join in these common prayers and participate in various ministerial roles, including joining the choir, playing the organ or other instruments, or becoming a cantor.