The Bachelor of Sacred Theology (STB) degree is an ecclesiastical degree program offered through affiliation with the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. The purpose of this program is to provide the student with a solid, organic, and complete instruction in theology at the basic level, enabling graduates to pursue further studies in the sacred sciences. Seminarians at St. Patrick’s may pursue the MDiv and STB degrees concurrently.
Prerequisites for Admission:
Applicants for admission to the STB program must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. The applicant must have a minimum of thirty (30) semester credit hours in philosophical studies appropriate for theological coursework (including the History of Philosophy, Logic, Philosophical Anthropology, Philosophy of Nature, Metaphysics, Philosophy of God, Philosophical Ethics, Epistemology) and a reading knowledge of Latin as verified by coursework, or the passing of a reading exam administered by the Academic Office.
All other admission requirements as outline in Section IV of the catalog apply. The academic prerequisites for admission will be evaluated by the Academic Dean who may, in individual cases, allow the student to remedy particular deficiencies during the first year of the program.
Program Requirements:
The program requires completion of 90 credits according to the following distribution:
- Sacred Scripture 20 credits
- Moral Theology 17 credits
- Dogmatics 41 credits
- Pastoral Theology 6 credits
- Biblical Greek I and II 6 credits
If the student enters the STB Program with a reading competence in Greek, coursework in Greek may be waived if competence is demonstrated with the successful passing of a reading examination administered by the Academic Office.
The student in the STB Program must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in STB coursework. He must pass oral and written comprehensive examinations in the final semester of the program with an average score of 3.0 out of 4.0. Further details about the STB comprehensive exams may be found in the STB Study Guide made available from the Academic Office.
The STB Course of Study is as follows: