Master of Theological Studies

Student Profiles

Michael Rubbelke

Your area of concentration and expected graduation date:
Systematic Theology, hoping to graduate in May 2010.

Degree and college you attended before ND, and any jobs you had between graduation and coming to ND:
I graduated from St. John’s University (Collegeville, MN) in May 2008 with a B.A. in English and Theology.

What attracted you to the MTS program:
Initially, Notre Dame’s strong reputation as a Christian theology program appealed to me. I had wanted to immerse myself in the methods and substantial contributions of thinkers who identified themselves as conversation partners operating within the Christian Tradition. The commitment of the MTS program to critically pursuing understanding from a Christian starting-point struck a chord in me. However, when I was deciding between programs, two meetings—one with Professor Cyril O’Regan and one with my former colleague Clarey—set my heart on the MTS, and they highlight two of the most enduringly appealing parts of the program for me: the ability to interact on a personal level with world-class faculty and the almost-Benedictine hospitality of my colleagues.

The greatest strengths of the MTS program:
There are obvious though entirely correct answers to this question: the star-studded list of professors who are available for classes; a full tuition scholarship (and sometimes even a modest stipend); a wonderfully helpful administrative team, notably Cheron Price; interdepartmental cooperation.

I want to note two further strengths. First, theology is not medicine or psychology or law: most theology graduate students need a two-year Masters degree, because there is a major difference between undergraduate and doctoral level theological reflection. The MTS program bridges this sophistication-gap, serving two purposes: it humbles our fumbling attempts to bridge the gap before we are ready, since the program shows how little we know; at the same time, it also builds solid foundations—perhaps even the first frameworks—for doctoral studies in pursuit of further knowledge. At program’s end, I feel that I will be able to apply confidently and competently to any doctoral program in theology. 

Second, my colleagues are committed to building an atmosphere in which this kind of intellectual preparation is possible, one which is not devoted to competition among students or attempts to one-up someone else in every conversation. Most students here realize how much there is left to learn and that time is only wasted trying to best others under false pretenses. Cooperation, patience, and dialogue characterize most of my interactions with my fellow students, and this makes an enormous difference to both the quality and the intensity of my own studies.

Greatest challenge since beginning the MTS:
I have often heard it said that if you survive your first semester of the MTS, everything else comes naturally. The first semester is like the fun-house mirror version of this program’s difficulties: always-looming deadlines, enormous papers, vast reading assignments, incredible amounts of stress, alienation from friends and family. At times, it seems as if every available moment could be devoted to homework, and even then one would still be behind. One can feel enormously frustrated leaving for Christmas break, wondering why—or if—one should be so masochistic as to choose to return.

But this is the fun-house mirror version; though the same difficulties remain with you throughout the program, they are distorted by an initial adjustment to both a new environment and an entirely new way of studying. Professor Joseph Wawrykow likes to compare undergraduate studies to sprinting and graduate studies to running a marathon. Once one learns to pace (and often triage) assignments and homework, everything comes a little more easily: friends start coming out of the woodwork; one discovers that one does remember what Karl Barth wrote about Christ and double election; and one learns an awful lot about oneself, academically and personally.  

Employment opportunities you have pursued while in the program:
Even with the twelve-hour-per-week work cap, I feel lucky to have found good on-campus jobs while in the program. I have been blessed with the opportunity to be a Teaching Assistant for Fr. Richard McBrien’s “Catholicism” course in the fall semesters of both 2008 and 2009. It goes without saying that direct experience working with students and leading discussion groups can only help one prepare for a teaching job or even a doctoral teaching assistantship.

Last spring, I perused the Student Employment Job Board on the ND website and randomly stumbled into the best job for a graduate student alienated into the abstract: library preservation. Though it did not pay as well as an off-campus job, this job provided an escape from deadlines and papers; I liked it so much that I worked there over the summer as well and hope to go back in the spring. If you can find a job which either pays and distracts you at the same time or prepares you for further work—all the while keeping you focused on your studies (as is the case for many on-campus jobs)—this kind of employment might just save your sanity at low points in graduate studies.  

Your housing situation:
Last year, I lived on-campus in the Fischer Graduate apartments. The apartment was spacious; my roommate was fun and helpful; the convenience was incredible. It is a great starting point for getting acclimated to South Bend and Notre Dame. However, the price tag was a little high for me, so a friend of mine in Biblical Studies and I searched on Craigslist for a place off-campus. We found a small, fully furnished house in a nice neighborhood not far from campus with rent under $850. It is not too difficult to find a reasonably priced, nice place off-campus, but it does take a little work. I also know some MTS students who bought a house here; prices are low, and conditions are amicable for graduate students looking to own. With all these options, housing need not be a problem here.

Any other thoughts about South Bend, ND, the program:
I am originally from North Dakota and have rather simple tastes to boot, so my podunk sensibilities color my view of South Bend differently from other people’s views. This town seems huge to me: no town in North Dakota has a jazz bar, an authentic Irish pub, a local chocolate store, and a theater for off-Broadway shows and concerts within walking distance of each other. However, even the “city-folk” find that a weekend jaunt to Chicago can satisfy their need for fun and enjoyment. In my view, South Bend offers more (or is at least better located) than one might initially think.