Design Degrees Online

Program Requirements
Students will be required to complete a set of five (5) core courses that provide them with a broad understanding of key aspects of the Roman Catholic tradition–scripture, history, theology, ethics and spirituality. As well, students will complete five (5) elective courses and a master’s-level research paper or project.

Course Requirements
Core Courses

Students will be required to complete the following set of five (5) core courses:

CT 601: The Books of the Church
CT 602: The History of Catholicism
CT 603: Foundations of Theology
CT 604: Catholic Moral Life and Thought
CT 605: The Prayer Life of the Church: Spirituality and Liturgy

Elective Courses
Students in the MCT program must complete five (5) elective courses.

The following is a list of possible courses that will be available:
CT 610: Catholic Sacramental Life
CT 611: Catholic Perspectives on Ecology
CT 612: Special Topics in Catholic Theology
CT 613: The Catholic Imagination in Art and Literature
CT 614: Catholicism and Education
CT 615: Catholic Social Ethics
CT 616: Gender Ethics in Roman Catholicism
CT 617: Contemporary Bioethics: Issues of Life and Death
CT 618: The Catholic Church in Canada

Other Elective Courses
This is a list of possible elective courses that will be taught by St. Jerome’s University faculty. Students in this MCT program may also choose electives from appropriate graduate-level theology courses offered at another university such as Conrad Grebel University College. The maximum number of courses that can be taken from another university is three.

Students must obtain a minimum overall average of B or 75 in all courses.
Research Paper or Project Requirements [CT 606]

Students are expected to complete a master’s-level research paper, 35-50 pages [8750-12,500 words] or complete a discipline or profession-related research project. The nature of the research project will be determined in consultation with the Director of the program.

Normally, students will begin to work on their paper or project after the completion of the 10 courses that are required in the program.

The paper/project will be evaluated by two faculty members: the supervisor and one other faculty member who teaches in the core of the program.

A conversation focusing on the research paper or project shall normally take place between the student, the supervising faculty member, the second reader, and the Graduate Program Director (or designate). This provides the student with an opportunity to present and discuss the research undertaken in the paper or project.

Students must obtain a minimum grade of B or 75 for the paper or project.

Modes of Delivery
To meet the needs of part-time students, the modes of delivery of the courses will be many. For example:

(i) courses can be taught during regular semesters but offered in the evening, e.g., one evening per week for 12 weeks, 3 hours per evening;

(ii) courses can be taught in a two-week intensive period, 4 hours per day, 5 days per week.

Check Course Registration and Schedule for information on upcoming courses.

As well, because the program is meeting the needs of a wide geographical area, courses will be taught off-site when feasible.

Completion of the Program
The five electives in this program can be taken in any order provided that any course prerequisites have been met. It is expected that at least one elective, and typically more, will be offered every term.

Normally, the research paper/project will be started only when the coursework is completed.

Students wishing to take two courses every term can complete their course work requirement in six consecutive terms. Students wishing to take one course every term can complete their course work requirement in ten consecutive terms. Given the students that are expected to take this MCT program, interruptions due to professional or personal commitments are anticipated.

Typically, students should be able to complete their course requirements in four years, five years when allowing for significant interruption. The research paper/project is expected to take one year to complete. Hence, there is every reason to believe that students can complete all of their degree requirements in a maximum of seven years.

Core Curriculum

At the heart of a Mount education is the Core Curriculum, designed as an interdisciplinary Liberal Arts and Sciences foundation. Graduates possess not only the professional skills necessary for success in the workplace, but also qualities associated with a liberally educated person able to thrive in a complicated and diverse world. Some of those skills are thinking critically and creatively, communicating effectively, appreciating the complexity of human behavior, knowing the relation among various ethical systems, and appreciating the relationship of Roman Catholicism to other belief systems.

As part of the required 52 credit hours in the Core Curriculum, freshmen begin with a three-credit Foundations Seminar (interdisciplinary studies) course. Later, students take another three credits with an advanced-level interdisciplinary course. A majority of the credits of the Core Curriculum are distributed among discipline-specific courses that expand concepts introduced in Foundations Seminar. Students choose from courses in humanities, social sciences, history, natural sciences, mathematics, religious studies, philosophy, and ethics.