Much is going to depend on which degree you want. There are BA (undergrad) degrees in theology. Franciscan U. is very good.
If you want a graduate degree in theology, there are many to choose from:
Master of Divinity (four-year master’s degree requiring at least a minor in philosophy and theology)
Master of Theology (two-year master’s degree in theology, does not require the undergrad in philosophy and theology)
Master of Arts (four-year master’s degree with an undergrad in philosophy) and a major in a specific area of theology
An ecclesial degree – these require at least a Master’s in Theology followed by two years for a STB and five years for an STD.
Doctor of Divinity – requires a four-year Master’s in Divinity then five more in Divinity.
M.Div and the M.Th. are more applied degrees. The ecclesial degrees are research oriented degrees.
Depending on what you want to do, will narrow down the choice of schools. The only school of theology in the country that offers all of these degrees is at The Catholic University of America, which is a pretty good school. It’s also very expensive and very competitive to get into and even more difficult to graduate from. About 20% of those who enter never finish. It’s one of my Alma Mater’s. I went there up to the M. Div. then to Rome for the STB and STD. I lost 35 lbs at CUA too.
It is an excellent school, but it is not a friendly school in the sense that it is deliberately competitive. Theology is taught as a discipline, not for the purpose of enhancing your faith, but for the purpose of giving you knowledge. You will find this at all of the Pontifical Schools. They do not exist to strengthen faith, but to challenge the student. The student must be ready to tackle the most unorthodox hypotheses and arrive as the most orthodox responses, but he or she must be able to sustain his responses without saying, “The Church says so” or “The Bible says so.” There is an a priori assumption that your faith is rock solid.
The Pontifical Universities deliberately create environments where reason and faith must work together. They can be a lot of fun and very exciting for the person who likes to fry his brains and very frustrating for the person who wants to be told what the Church teaches. This is not what they do. You will learn what the Church teaches, but how they get you there is by taking you through many exercises in logic, scientific reasoning, historical exploration, biblical exegesis, philosophical arguments, literary analysis, and challenging your faith every step of the way.
They will also take you down the road of the classics and the modern theologians. You will have to sort through them to understand what they say and to reconcile them or prove one wrong.
I call them theological gymnasiums. I loved it.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
