What do you do with your Master's Degree in Theology?

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In what fields/careers would this degree be “useful” (aside from your own personal growth)?
 
In what fields/careers would this degree be “useful” (aside from your own personal growth)?
Well, aside from personal growth, you could use them for Pastoral Ministry in your Church, you could be a Religious Education Director, a professor at a Catholic university. If God is calling you to the priesthood (I don’t know if you are a man or woman 😊 ) or religious life, a Master’s in Theology would do wonders, especially in the seminary! Hope you find what you are searching for! God bless!
 
If might be good for teaching in a Catholic school (high school or younger since you’d likely need a doctorate to teach at the college level). It might be good if you wanted to work as a director of religious education, pastoral associate, or the like.

If you’re not looking for a paid position it would be a good background to teach in a religious education program or RCIA.

I have a masters in pastoral theology and lead the adult faith formation program (RCIA, adult confirmation, returning Catholics program) in my parish. All of this is very fulfilling to me but it’s not what pays the mortgage.
 
I have an MA in theology, a D. Min and, please God, will be getting a second MA in liturgical studies this summer. I work full time as a Pastoral Associate in a parish with my basic responsibilities being liturgy, adult education, formation and spirituality, and overall pairsh ministry coodination. I also teach in our diocesan lay formaiton program, am on the diocesan liturgy and RCIA committees, have taught in our seminary’s MA program, diaconate formation program, liturgical formation and I do some free lance teaching and lecturing. I am sharing all these things not to toot my own horn but so you can see there are lots of things you can do with the MA in theology aside from teaching in HS. I could have done all these things without the D.Min.(except maybe the teaching in the seminary). That I got for my own edification, just to see if I could do it, but it has opened some doors for future ventures or jobs. I also encourage people to get the MA, even if they don’t plan working full time in the field. Some people I know get the degree just for themselves but perhaps teach a course in their parish or volunteer to coordinate a ministry like RCIA.
 
Well, aside from personal growth, you could use them for Pastoral Ministry in your Church, you could be a Religious Education Director, a professor at a Catholic university. If God is calling you to the priesthood (I don’t know if you are a man or woman 😊 ) or religious life, a Master’s in Theology would do wonders, especially in the seminary! Hope you find what you are searching for! God bless!
All an MA would do for a priest candidate is maybe cut off a couple of required classes for the MDiv as the MDiv is what is required for ordination.
 
All an MA would do for a priest candidate is maybe cut off a couple of required classes for the MDiv as the MDiv is what is required for ordination.
Actually, I meant on a more personal level. I have no idea what it takes to become a priest since I am a woman. Sorry! :o
 
Actually, I meant on a more personal level. I have no idea what it takes to become a priest since I am a woman. Sorry! :o
I know a few seminarians who had the MA before starting the seminary, and they were working for the CHurch before the entered. So the MA helped them in their job. When it came down to seminary courses, they were exempt from some classes. I know we had a trasitional deacon who lived in our parish for 6 months since he had all the required courses and his classmates, who did not have the MA, still had more classes to complete. He got a lot more parish experience than his classmates because of it. Also, in order to get into some doctoral programs the MA is necessary. I know a friend of mine had this problem getting into the doctoral program at CUA since he only had the MDiv. WHich I do not really understand since the MDiv actually requires more credits than the MA, but the MDiv is a professional degree. Currently in our seminary, and maybe this is the reason, the men can receive both the MA and the MDiv.
 
I do not see how an MA degree could get you all the required courses for the MDiv. The MA is a two year degree while the MDiv is a four year degree.

Not only that but we only get 5 or 6 electives (can’t recall at the moment).

It works out to being four years of five classes a semester.

Not only that but there are the two supervised ministries (one year each) and all the practicum classes where one learns how to celebrate the Sacraments.
 
I do not see how an MA degree could get you all the required courses for the MDiv. The MA is a two year degree while the MDiv is a four year degree.

Not only that but we only get 5 or 6 electives (can’t recall at the moment).

It works out to being four years of five classes a semester.

Not only that but there are the two supervised ministries (one year each) and all the practicum classes where one learns how to celebrate the Sacraments.
They take the two degrees concurrently. The MA requires a thesis and the MDiv does not. The MA does not fill all the requriement for the MDiv, it just cuts down the number of course for those who enter the seminary with the MA already.
 
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