PhD in Theology (Thomistic Studies)

The program consists of three parts: coursework, comprehensive examinations, and dissertation. First, the student must complete a specialized two-year program of courses consisting of 38 credits. Second, the student must draw up ten approved themes, inclusive of bibliographies, within defined areas of Thomistic studies, and will be given both written and oral comprehensive examinations. Third, the student must write and defend a dissertation of original work within Thomistic Studies. After successfully completing the comprehensive examinations, the student becomes a PhD candidate who must submit a dissertation proposal. Once that is approved, the candidate needs to pass a midcourse review before the dissertation board, after submitting approximately half of the dissertation work. The candidate completes the program after submitting the defended dissertation, with any revision, to the Pontifical Faculty as a matter of record. The total expected time from beginning the program to graduation is five years, inclusive of full-time work in the summers. Of course, there would be no obstacle to graduating from the program more quickly if a satisfactory dissertation were completed earlier.

Candidates to the doctoral program may apply for scholarships. Such scholarships, when available, normally consist in a waiver of tuition fees. Candidates may also apply for a Thomistic Institute doctoral fellowship, which awards a full tuition waiver and a $20,000 stipend to cover living expenses each year of study, for up to four years. If a fifth year of funding is needed, the student may apply for a one-year extension of the fellowship. These doctoral fellowships are dependent on satisfactory and timely completion of the program requirements, as detailed in the fellowship agreement. All students receiving a tuition waiver (whether as recipients of tuition scholarships or of tuition and stipend doctoral fellowships) are to be research assistants for faculty for the four semesters of their second and third years of the program. Typically, they are expected to work about 8 hours per week during a semester.

If the student has not yet demonstrated reading proficiency in Latin, French, and one additional modern language before beginning coursework, that student must normally demonstrate reading proficiency in all three languages by the end of the second full year. This can be done by written examination or six credits of graduate coursework. Language proficiency exams are offered twice per semester.

A minimum of 38 semester hours of credit is required in twelve three-credit courses and two one-credit pass/fail courses. The twelve three-credit courses include three specialized sections: Historical Context of Aquinas’ Thought, Thomism in Modernity, and Special Topics in Speculative and Moral Thomistic Thought. The Director of the Doctoral Program serves as the advisor for PhD students during the stages of coursework and comprehensive examinations, and the student requests from the Director a mentor who may be considered to become the dissertation director after the successful completion of the comprehensive examinations. If the student has graduate coursework in theology beyond the MA before entering this PhD program, the Director of the Doctoral Program may recommend to the Academic Dean that the student be excused from no more than 6 credits of coursework. The Director of the Doctoral Program may also recommend to the Academic Dean to allow up to 6 credit hours of graduate studies in disciplines ancillary to theology on the graduate level (such as in philosophy, Church history, paleography, or advanced language study beyond what is already necessary for admission to the PhD program), whether those courses are the same as those counted for previous coursework beyond the MA requirements or done concurrently with theology in this PhD program. At least 18 of the 36 credits must be done on the doctoral level (800-level). These courses could run as seminars or tutorials. In order to advance to the stage of comprehensive examinations, the student must maintain a grade point average of 3.5 in the two-year program of coursework. Two one-credit pass/fail courses, each of four meetings per semester (with each meeting 90 minutes), assist the doctoral students in research and writing as well as in learning and teaching.

For further information about the PhD program, see the program description or contact the director of the doctoral program.