As an academic discipline, Christian Spirituality is interdisciplinary and embraces biblical, liturgical, historical-systematic, catechetics, and moral disciplines. Students may matriculate for a PhD in Spirituality or a Master of Arts.

As a pastoral discipline, Christian Spirituality also embraces the contemporary understandings of psychological, social, and political sciences. Students desiring a professional degree may matriculate for a Doctor of Ministry with a concentration in Spirituality. For further details see announcements for the Doctor of Ministry program and for the specific D.Min. concentration in Spirituality. See the link on this page. The Ph.D. degree in Spirituality prepares a student for advanced research, writing, and teaching at the college, university, and seminary levels. Since Christian Spirituality is an academic discipline that, of its nature, is interdisciplinary, the course of study includes biblical, liturgical, historical-systematic, and moral disciplines.

Prerequisites

  • A Master of Arts degree in Theology or Religious studies or an equivalent degree is required with a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher.
  • The area director may require additional prerequisite coursework when deemed necessary for the student's successful completion of degree requirements.
  • A proficiency in Latin and French are required by the end of the first semester of doctoral course work.
  • Students whose native language is not English must meet the university requirements for proficiency.
  • Three letters of recommendation from persons able to evaluate an applicant's ability to successfully complete graduate studies are required.
  • A report of scores obtained from the General Aptitude Test of the Graduate Record Examination is required.