Accreditation

St. Patrick’s Seminary & University is dedicated to the quality, integrity, and effectiveness of its academic programs. The Seminary is committed to a solid formation program for the preparation of men to serve as Catholic priests. All graduates of St. Patrick’s Seminary & University satisfactorily complete programmatic requirements and fulfill the stated learning outcomes. Upon successful completion of the program, all those who are ordained receive a pastoral assignment.

Master of Divinity/Bachelor of Sacred Theology (MDiv/STB)

Benchmark: 90% of graduates will be ordained by the Roman Catholic Church within one year of graduating.

2023: 6 ordained (100%)
2022: 6 ordained (100%)
2021: 7 ordained (100%)
2020: 6/7 ordained (86%)
2019: 11 ordained (100%)
2018: 7/8 ordained (88%)
2017: 12 ordained (100%)
2016: 13/15 ordained (87%)
2015: 12 ordained (100%)
2014: 11 ordained (100%)

10-year average = 96%

Benchmark: 100% perseverance of graduates who were ordained to the priesthood will be active in priestly ministry five years post-graduation.

2024: 90% of 2019 graduates are still active five years post-graduation
2023: 88% of 2018 graduates are still active five years post-graduation
2022: 91% of 2017 graduates are still active five years post-graduation
2021: 85% of 2016 graduates were still active five years post-graduation
2020: 92% of 2015 graduates were still active five years post-graduation
2019: 100% of 2014 graduates were still active five years post-graduation

Comprehensive Exam Scores: Graduates must past a comprehensive exam process that serves as a core assessment tool designed to measure achievement and proficiency. Average scores are listed below using a 4-point grading scale. Students must earn > 2.5 for an MDiv and > 3.0 for an STB. * Only includes 2020 graduates who took the STB comprehensive exams in February 2021 (4 of 7). MDiv comprehensive exam was waived due to the pandemic. **STB degree no longer offered as of 2024.

2024: 3.37**
2023: 3.39
2022: 3.44
2021: 3.39
2020: 3.51*
2019: 3.25
2018: 3.26

Retention and Graduation Rates: The MDiv graduation rate is calculated using the entering Theology I cohort (Table 1). This accounts for those who graduated, discerned out, or transferred to other institutions.

Table 1: Retention rates for seminarians entering the Theologate as a Theology I student.

Benchmark: According to CARA’s Catholic Ministry Formation Enrollment: Statistical Overview (June 2019), the average retention rate of seminarians over the last ten years was 76%.

Time to Completion
• 2017-2018 cohort – seven out of eleven (64%) seminarians completed the program in an average of 4.67 years (+/- 0.52 SD).
• 2016-2017 cohort – four out of eleven (36%) seminarians completed the program in an average of 4.75 years (+/- 0.50 SD).
• 2015-2016 cohort – three out of four (75%) seminarians completed the program in an average of 5.7 years (+/- 1.15 SD).
• 2014-2015 cohort – seven out of fourteen (50%) seminarians completed the program in an average of 5.0 years (+/- 0 SD).
• 2013-2014 cohort – twelve out of nineteen (63%) seminarians completed the program in an average of 5.1 years (+/- 0.61 SD).
• 2012-2013 cohort – twelve out of twenty-five (48%) seminarians completed the program in an average of 4.8 years (+/- 0.39 SD).

Master of Arts in Theology

Since 2017, 57 seminarians have earned the Master of Divinity degree and of those, 17 (30%) also received the Master of Arts in Theology degree. Eighty-nine percent of the seminarians that earned the MA in Theology degree were ordained in the Roman Catholic Priesthood. Seventy-four percent of students that completed the degree since 2017 chose the coursework option instead of the thesis option. The coursework option is no longer available, only the thesis option (effective 2021). Graduates must have a GPA greater than 3.0 and successfully defend their thesis.

Table 2: MA in Theology graduate statistics last eight years.

BA in Theology Completion Degree Program

• Since 2015, ninety percent of those that successfully completed the program advanced to Major Seminary.
• Since 2015, eighty percent of BA graduates have been ordained or are continuing their studies towards ordination in the Roman Catholic Priesthood.
• The average time to completion for the BA Degree Completion program is 2.0 years.