This degree is designed primarily for those men who wish to study for the Priesthood but who do not have the required college background. The program provides the opportunity for prospective students to finish college studies, earn a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, and continue their formation in the Seminary.
Prerequisites for entering this program are based on a typical college program of classes which are found in five coordinate groups. Students must have completed a variety of at least 60 units from these groups and must have a grade point average of at least a “C”. Students must also present SAT scores. Credits will only be accepted towards the BA Completion Degree for work completed by the student at another regionally accredited institution. Transfer credit is only allowed in those courses in which a grade of C- or better has been achieved. Please note that the required number of units or hours transferred in from another educational institution must correspond to the following distribution:
- Verbal Skills (12 units): 4 courses or 12 units in the areas of grammar, speech, foreign languages. One course must be in composition and a second in speech.
- Quantitative Skills (6 units): 2 courses or a minimum of 6 units in the areas of mathematics, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, or computer science.
- Social Sciences (18 units): 6 courses or a minimum of 18 semester units in American history, western civilization, social and political history, psychology, sociology, economics, anthropology, archeology, political science.
- Natural Sciences (6 units): 2 courses or a minimum of 6 semester units in physics, geology, chemistry, biology, physiology, physiological psychology, anatomy, embryology, general science, ecology or health science.
- Humanities (18 units): 6 courses or a minimum of 18 semester units in world literature, drama, literary criticism, art, art history, intellectual/cultural history, history of science, music or history of music.
Once these prerequisites have been reviewed and approved by the Academic Dean, students will be able to apply for entrance into the BA Completion Degree Program. Students wishing to enter this BA Completion Program for the purpose of continuing on to ordination for the priesthood should contact the Bishop or Vocation Director for preliminary consultation. As the well-formed human intellect demands a truly liberal education, the BA Completion Degree Program features coursework in Philosophy, Theology, and the Humanities. The learning outcomes and program of study are identical to the Pre-Theology program. Upon successful completion of the coursework, students will then be prepared to enter the Theologate.
All prospective students will meet with the Academic Dean to review student transcripts and develop an appropriate academic program. Students wishing to enter this BA Completion Program for the purpose of continuing on to ordination for the priesthood should contact the Bishop or Vocation Director of the Diocese for preliminary consultation.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of St. Patrick’s Seminary’s BA Completion Degree Program in Philosophy, students will:
- Demonstrate a capacity for critical and charitable thinking through careful reading, clear writing, and disciplined reasoning;
- Present central ideas of major philosophers of the ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary periods, demonstrating understanding of their relationship to the Christian development of the Platonic-Aristotelian tradition;
- Articulate responses informed by the Church’s tradition of Christian humanism to questions raised by trends of life and thought in contemporary culture;
- Demonstrate understanding of basic elements of Biblical literacy and exegesis;
- Explain Catholic liturgy and spirituality in light of the sacraments, the Church, and the Trinity;
- Articulate the role in the Christian life of beauty and the imagination as it is manifested in Christian music, art, Scripture and literature;
- Acquire and utilize language skills necessary for priestly ministry.
