Apply

In 2005–2006, the Department of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry (DREPM), now part of the School of Theology and Ministry (STM), and the Carroll School of Management (CSOM) developed the dual degree program in Pastoral Ministry and Business Administration.  The program has now evolved to include the new M.A. in Theology and Ministry in the dual degree M.A./M.A. program.  The M.A. in Pastoral Ministry if for those students pursuing Option A in which the classes at the STM are taken in the summer and the M.A. in Theology and Ministry is for those students pursuing Option B in which the classes at the STM are taken during the academic school year.  These programs are designed for students interested in careers in the management and administration of churches and Church-related organizations and corporations such as dioceses, hospital systems, and social service agencies.  Understanding competent and ethical management as a ministry to the Church and related organizations, the program reflects the University’s mission to educate individuals to serve with excellence in their fields and to work for social and economic justice.

OBJECTIVES:

• To educate students in the languages and cultures of best management practices, theology and pastoral ministry.
• To provide the core curriculum of each discipline while enabling students to concentrate in specific areas of knowledge and practice that correspond to their professional goals.
• To provide applied learning experiences in contexts related to the student’s professional interest, with competent and knowledgeable supervision from faculty and/or practitioners in management and pastoral ministry.
• To prepare practitioners who have a commitment to work with the Church in bringing best management practices to the Church and related agencies, while bringing theological expertise and a social-ethical perspective to management in these contexts.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS:

• Students must apply to and be accepted independently to the STM and to CSOM. All admissions standards and requirements for each school apply to applicants to the M.A./M.B.A. program. Typically, an M.A./M.B.A. student will enroll in the Evening / Part-time CSOM M.B.A. program. Only in rare cases for students with exceptional credentials would an M.A./M.B.A. student be admitted to the full-time M.B.A. program.
• Students may begin their studies in either STM or CSOM. CSOM requirements are sequenced but STM requirements need not be.
• Full-time students in the program typically take both STM courses and CSOM courses in a given semester and complete the MA/MBA in three and a half years. However, students have the flexibility of doing the M.A./M.B.A. program on a part-time basis, thus spreading their coursework over a longer period of time.
• The entire dual degree program must be completed in six years.
• Handbook
• Curriculum worksheet
• Credit Totals:
  • The STM M.A. requires 35 credits for summers-only students and 44 credits for all other students.
  • Both the CSOM Evening M.B.A. (part-time) Program and the CSOM full-time M.B.A. Program require 56 credits.
  • Each school accepts 12 credits from the other program to reach its required total.
  • CSOM gives 12 credits for the M.A. program and STM accepts the following courses:
    • MB 709 or 712 Managing People and Organizations
    • MA 701 or 713 Accounting
    • MF 704 or 722 Financial Management
    • MB 702 Management Practice III: Leadership Workshop or
    • MB740 Business Plan Project (this course is a field education project)
  • Therefore the following are the credit totals for the M.A./M.B.A. program:
    • STM Summers-Only Program and either CSOM Program: (56-12 =44 credits in CSOM courses)+ (35-12=23 credits in STM courses) =67 credits total (rather than 89 if the programs were done separately)
    • STM Academic Year and either CSOM Program:(56-12=44 credits in CSOM courses) + 44-12=32 credits in IREPM courses) = 76 credits total (rather than 97 if the programs were done separately)
• All students in the M.A./M.B.A. program enroll in STM course TM 730 Holistic Formation in their first academic year of study, regardless of whether they are enrolled primarily in STM or CSOM.

STUDENT ADVISEMENT:
The STM Associate Dean for Academic Affairs assigns each student a Course Selection Advisor when his or her graduate studies begin. The CSOM Associate Dean for Graduate Programs will manage the advisement process for all M.A./ M.B.A. students.


FIELD EDUCATION:
At the same time as they are enrolling in MB 702 Management Practice III: Leadership Workshop or MB 740 Entrepreneurship and Business Planning, dual M.A./M.B.A. students enroll in TM 530 Contextual Education. Using their leadership or business plan project as their field placement and receiving the benefit of feedback from CSOM faculty, students also attend the TM 530 practicum course and participate in theological/ministerial supervision. By combining supervision from the two fields of study, the student integrates these fields into his/her management practice in a Church or Church-related setting. STM summer students enroll in Contextual Education for three credits; STM academic year students enroll in Contextual Education for four credits.


TUITION AND FINANCIAL AID:
Tuition is paid to the school in which the dual degree student is currently enrolled. If a student is taking some courses in each of the two schools, s/he should pay tuition to the school in which s/he is enrolled for more credits. Financial aid packages are provided by each school independently. Students must apply for financial aid in each school.

COURSEWORK:
Course worksheets and/or programs of study are provided by each school. CSOM lists specific courses for its requirements, but the STM usually lists requirement areas, in which many courses could fulfill a given requirement area (this is the case unless a specific course number is listed). The STM does not require that courses be sequenced in the order that they are listed on the worksheets, but CSOM generally does. For exceptions to this sequencing, students should consult the CSOM associate dean for graduate programs.


PREREQUISITES FOR ADMISSION:

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
• You must also apply to CSOM.

Apply