Master of Theological Studies
Welcome from the Director
Welcome to an Extraordinary Community
The Master of Theological Studies (M.T.S.) program at the University of Notre Dame offers students the opportunity to pursue rigorous and critical study in the context of a collegial community of faculty and students, a community informed by the idea of theology as fides quaerens intellectum: “faith seeking understanding.” We invite you to discover a program that is distinguished by its dedication to academics, collegiality, and faith.
The M.T.S. program at Notre Dame is ideal for students who plan eventually to apply to Ph.D. programs and to pursue an academic career. Students will have the opportunity to study with top professors of all fields from Notre Dame’s extraordinarily large and diverse Theology faculty. Students are able, as appropriate, to take Ph.D. seminars and to register in courses from other departments. Our M.T.S. students also develop modern language skills, and in some fields ancient language skills, and thus have an advantage in their Ph.D. applications and future research. At the same time a number of graduates from the program move directly into a career of teaching, or into the religious life, and in both cases have found their rigorous academic training to be of lasting benefit.
During their time at Notre Dame students often remark that the high level of academic study in the MTS program is accompanied by a culture of friendship and support. This is in part the result of our student to faculty ratio. With about 30 M.T.S. students and about 50 theology faculty members in residence at any given time, students in our program have frequent and direct contact with professors. Often they work one-on-one with professors, either in the role of a Teaching Assistant or for independent research. In addition, three times a semester our students meet for a colloquium, during which students – at times in collaboration with professors – present original research. So too our students and faculty meet in less formal contexts, whether football tailgates, social hours, or meals at a professor’s house.
The focus of community in the M.T.S. program emerges principally from our department’s understanding of theology. In line with Catholic teaching we hold that theologians should be informed by the tradition of their religious community even as they pursue critical research. Accordingly, students in the M.T.S. program at Notre Dame will have the opportunity to ask not only technical questions during their study, but also the sorts of religious questions that will shape their faith and ultimately contribute to the enrichment of the Church.
You will find more information, and some detailed answers to more specific questions, in this website. Still I will be pleased to hear from you if you would like any other information about our unique program, and I hope we will have the chance to meet in person.
In friendship,
Gabriel Said Reynolds