General Information
Program Elements
The comprehensive examination is based on the areas of study in the M.T.S. curriculum, including the areas of Sacred Scripture, patristics, fundamental and systematic theology, philosophy, moral theology, law, and science. Each of the M.T.S. specializations has its own examination, in accordance with the differences in the two curricula. In either case, the purpose of the comprehensive examination is to assist the candidate in synthesizing and integrating his or her knowledge in the specialization.
The examination consists in three two-hour written examinations. All components are graded on a pass-fail basis. If a student should fail any one of the questions, he or she may be required to retake the examination in whole or in part. If a student fails the second time, he or she will cease to be a candidate for the degree.
In the examination, the student must demonstrate a mastery of the material covered in the program commensurate with graduate study, including concrete historical and theoretical bases, and offer substantive interpretations, pertinent interrelationships between fields, and relevant concluding judgments.
The Book Forum consists in a series of evening lectures followed by discussion on selected works of literature. The purpose of the Forum is to promote common reflection and conversation around the themes of person, God, love, marriage, and family, as these have been articulated especially within the great tradition of twentieth-century Catholic/Christian authors in fiction, poetry, drama, essays, and the like. The authors to be read may include Bernanos, Chesterton, Claudel, O’Connor, Péguy, and Berry, (possibly Eliot, Waugh, Percy, and others). In the words of Joseph Ratzinger, “culture at its core means an opening to the divine.” At the heart of every culture is an implicit understanding of ultimacy. . . of the meaning of our existence in relation to God. It is this relation to God that endows all of the activities of a culture—raising and educating children, marriage, music, dance, architecture, economy, etc.—with their deepest significance. Reciprocally, in order to discern how a culture conceives the human being’s relation to God, all the aspects of that culture should be considered. Reflection on great works of literature is integral to cultural discernment, and thus integral to the educational mission of the Institute.
Students receive a “pass” or “fail” grade for the Book Forum based on attendance and participation in the discussion and on a short paper, to be submitted the day before the meeting.