Question about university

[repo_man]

… i’m considering majoring in theology at a catholic college and then eventually pursuing a master’s and a doctorate in the subject. how practical is this though? if i were to go to graduate school, who would help me pay for it? is it even worth it?

why couldn’t i have been born interested in biology or chemistry or business administration like everyone else?

 

[puzzleannie]

frankly I would not advise anyone to pursue graduate degree in any field unless and until they know why they are getting it, know what field they will be working in, what degree is required for that field, and what areas of research under that major will be most helpful, and if possible, not unless and until they are already employed by someone who will help with all or part of the cost.

if you want to do it for general interest, and have the luxury of time and money to pursue, go for it by all means, but as part of a career path, first discern your vocation, then discern the career that will help you carry out that vocation, then do research on what degree or credentials are required, and go after what you need.

 

[mschrank]

Not practical at all. Sorry.

I read for politics at university. I am glad I did it because the Bible says wisdom is better than silver and gold- and I have to put my money where my mouth is and not rue the day I got accepted to my course.

Now I am in the military doing a job that doesn’t even require a college degree. Although I got in with a bit higher rank due to it.

 

[PoliSciProf]

… i’m considering majoring in theology at a catholic college and then eventually pursuing a master’s and a doctorate in the subject. how practical is this though? if i were to go to graduate school, who would help me pay for it? is it even worth it?

why couldn’t i have been born interested in biology or chemistry or business administration like everyone else?

Not very practical but so what? Not everything worth doing is practical. You need to think about how this can support careers outside of academia (though you may have one) in things like free-lance writing, journalism, or other areas. If you can get a fellowship or an assistantship (which usually includes tuition and a stipend) for graduate work, consider doing it and trust in God.

 

[joamy]

Most certainly go for it if it is where your talents are, but have a career path outlined as well. If you are blessed with a gift for teaching, that may be one path.

 

[Joannm]

… i’m considering majoring in theology at a catholic college and then eventually pursuing a master’s and a doctorate in the subject. how practical is this though? if i were to go to graduate school, who would help me pay for it? is it even worth it?

why couldn’t i have been born interested in biology or chemistry or business administration like everyone else?

Just know that if you are going to persue this path you probably would need to learn Latin, Greek, Hebrew, German and French. Most theology doctorates require proficiency in reading these languages…well maybe not Hebrew as much. I know that if you get into the PhD program in theology at Notre Dame there is no tuition. Not sure if other schools do this.

 

[repo_man]

Most certainly go for it if it is where your talents are, but have a career path outlined as well. If you are blessed with a gift for teaching, that may be one path.

well yeah, what i really want to do is teach. i’d even teach theology as a high school teacher for foodstamps. i’m pretty sure i want to be a teacher, specifically i wanted to do high school, of history or theology. it just seemed like the latter is more frowned upon so i would need to have an MA or PhD to be a ‘productive member of society’ and therefore end up teaching at the college level.

not a diss to high school theology teachers. that’d be like my dream job.

not to mention the fact that if tax exempt status went away for churches, there’d be no mor catholic high schools to teach at. kind of a volatile career.

 

[1234]

well yeah, what i really want to do is teach. i’d even teach theology as a high school teacher for foodstamps. i’m pretty sure i want to be a teacher, specifically i wanted to do high school, of history or theology. it just seemed like the latter is more frowned upon so i would need to have an MA or PhD to be a ‘productive member of society’ and therefore end up teaching at the college level.

not a diss to high school theology teachers. that’d be like my dream job.

not to mention the fact that if tax exempt status went away for churches, there’d be no mor catholic high schools to teach at. kind of a volatile career.

Not to rain on your parade, but I’ll bet there are a LOT of folks with degrees in theology out there who would kill (metaphorically, of course ) for a job teaching theology in a Catholic school. Lots of competition, in other words. And it’s even harder to get a high school job with a PhD (over-trained-too expensive).

Are you considering religious life? Like the Jesuits, Dominicans, or Benedictines, all of whom TEACH, especially the Jesuits, who were founded by Ignatius Loyola , ie your avatar?

I think that they (all of the above) would be very interested in talking to you!

 

[repo_man]

Not to rain on your parade, but I’ll bet there are a LOT of folks with degrees in theology out there who would kill (metaphorically, of course ) for a job teaching theology in a Catholic school. Lots of competition, in other words. And it’s even harder to get a high school job with a PhD (over-trained-too expensive).

Are you considering religious life? Like the Jesuits, Dominicans, or Benedictines, all of whom TEACH, especially the Jesuits, who were founded by Ignatius Loyola , ie your avatar?

I think that they (all of the above) would be very interested in talking to you!

no, i’m not a fan of the jesuits at all (anymore at least). i actually will probably not go to a certain jesuit university i got accepted to BECAUSE it is a jesuit school (amongst other financial reasons, haha). the school i’m planning on going to is a little less … heretical.

i wouldn’t do religious life either. i discerned being a priest for a long while, but ultimately decided against it because i don’t feel i was built for that committment. at one point i was trying to rationalize becoming orthodox so i could be a priest and be married. so that was the point where i was like “you know what, this is definitely not for me if i’m seriously considering this.” so for the same reason i couldn’t do religious life/orders.

and i wouldn’t want the job with a PhD. the reason i would want the PhD is because i don’t think i would be able to get a job as a catholic high school teacher.

i’ll just drop it and look into being a history teacher i guess. even then i have two more years to decide before declaring a major so maybe i’ll find something else. a tad upsetting, but c’est la vie.

thank you for your help, guys.

 

[wjp984]

Why not double major or get a minor? That way you can have your history background as well as theology and I would think a lot of the classes double count. Oh, and while the overpaid/overqualified may be true for public schools, Catholic school teachers are paid very little regardless and aren’t required to pay you any more if you are overqualified, well at least I don’t think they are. I had a couple teachers with a masters at my Catholic school and one with his phd even and they just wanted to teach at the school. I think they eventually left for a better job but not when I was there.

 

[repo_man]

Why not double major or get a minor? That way you can have your history background as well as theology and I would think a lot of the classes double count. Oh, and while the overpaid/overqualified may be true for public schools, Catholic school teachers are paid very little regardless and aren’t required to pay you any more if you are overqualified, well at least I don’t think they are. I had a couple teachers with a masters at my Catholic school and one with his phd even and they just wanted to teach at the school. I think they eventually left for a better job but not when I was there.

yeah my freshman bio teacher has either his MA or PhD and used to teach college but teaches us (a catholic high school) because it’s more rewarding to him being able to talk about god in the classroom.

i’ve considered double majoring or just minoring in theology. i’ll have to talk to a counseler when i actually go to the school though to see.

again, thanks guys!