Dual Degrees
Our dual degree programs pair the M.A. in Theology and Ministry with one of four master's programs across Boston College: social work, counseling, business, or curriculum & instruction.
M.A. in Theology & Ministry
Dual Degree Options
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Dual Program with M.A. in Counseling
<p>This program is designed for individuals who wish to combine theories and practice of psychology with studies in religion and the pastoral dimensions of caregiving.</p>
<p>You’ll benefit from faculty advisors in both schools, spending your first year and summers in STM and years two and three in the Lynch School. Graduates emerge with both an M.A. in theology and ministry and an M.A. in counseling and can seek licensing as professional mental health counselors. Students usually complete the program in three years. You must apply separately and be admitted to both STM and the Lynch School.</p>
<p>Learn how to incorporate faith and spirituality successfully into mental health care. Alumni work in mental health agencies, shelters, pastoral placements in parishes, campus ministry programs, prisons, and youth and young adult programs.</p>
Spiritual and pastoral care
Counseling
High school or university ministry
Parish ministry and religious education
High school teaching
bc:schools/stm/program-browser/cards/dual-counseling
Dual Program with M.B.A.
<p>Combine an M.A. in theology and ministry with a renowned Boston College M.B.A. This program manifests the University’s mission to educate individuals who serve with excellence in their fields and work for social and economic justice. Students generally begin their studies in STM and maintain close contact with advisors both in STM and the Carroll School. The program must be completed within six years. Students must apply separately and be admitted to both STM and the Carroll School.</p>
<p>Calling all future leaders—prepare to apply management best practices in the Church and ministry. Graduates work in the administration of churches and Church-related organizations such as dioceses, hospital systems, and social service agencies.</p>
MBA
Church management
Finance and administration
Parish ministry and religious education
High school or university ministry
Non-profit work
bc:schools/stm/program-browser/cards/dual-MBA
Dual Program with M.Ed. (Urban Catholic Teacher Corps)
<p>Combine an M.A. in theology and ministry with an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction through <a href="/content/bc-web/schools/lynch-school/academics/departments/tcs/urban-catholic-teacher-corps.html">Boston College's Urban Catholic Teacher Corps (UCTC)</a>. Through this program, students take coursework in both disciplines while serving as a full-time teacher in the Archdiocese of Boston. This dual degree prepares faith-filled teachers to make a strong impact on Catholic education. Students generally begin their studies in UCTC and maintain close contact with advisors both in STM and the Lynch School. Students must apply separately and be admitted to both STM and UCTC. </p>
<p>Develop as a Catholic school educator through strong foundations in both theology and education. This dual degree equips Catholic educators to navigate the relationship between faith and culture. <br />
</p>
High school teaching
Religious education
Campus ministry
School leadership
Dual Program with M.S.W.
<p>This program integrates theological understanding with social work theories and practice. Students develop the skills to plan, administer, and provide social services within local churches and faith-based agencies. You must apply separately and be admitted to both STM and the School of Social Work. </p>
<p>Highlights:<br />
</p>
<ul><li><p>Your social work field work counts as your supervised ministry</p>
</li><li><p>Spend your first year and summers at STM and years two and three at SSW</p>
</li><li><p>STM and SSW faculty advisors guide your program</p>
</li><li><p>Earn both degrees in three years </p>
</li></ul>
<p>Interested in serving both the pastoral and social needs of individuals, families, and communities? Acquire an M.A. in theology and ministry from STM in conjunction with an M.S.W. and effect greater equality for the world’s most vulnerable populations.</p>
Clinical social worker
High school or university ministry
High school teaching
Hospital chaplaincy
Non-profit
bc:schools/stm/program-browser/cards/dual-MSW
Interdisciplinary Excellence at BC
BC School of Social Work
#11 Nationally
Lynch School of Education & Human Development
#21 Nationally
#1 Catholic School of Education
Carroll School of Management
#26 Faculty Research, Worldwide
At a Glance
Applicants must apply separately to both schools. Full dual degree status is granted when accepted to both.
Each student is supported by a faculty advisor from both schools throughout their time in the program.
Design your own personal formation plan in the first year and complete it during your time in the program.
Complete a thesis on a topic that spans both fields, creating a pastoral program of your own design.
Develop the skills to integrate life experience and service with theology, theory, and knowledge of scripture.
We offer funding for all students to pursue spiritual direction and attend the guided retreat of their choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dual degree students receive separate financial aid packages from both schools as part of their admission decisions. Each term, dual degree students will have a "home school" in which they are enrolled. During that term, the student will pay tuition to the school in which they are enrolled and the financial aid package that they receive from that school will apply to all credits being taken during that term, regardless of if you are taking classes at both schools during that term. For example, if a M.A./M.S.W. student is enrolled at the CSTM and taking classes at both schools, their CSTM financial aid package would apply to credits from both schools for that term.
For the M.A./M.S.W. and M.A./M.A. programs, the CSTM's financial aid package will apply to Academic Year I and both summers of the dual degree program, while the other school's financial aid package will apply to Academic Year II and Academic Year III of the dual degree program.
For the M.A./M.B.A. program, the CSTM's financial aid package will apply to Academic Year I, Summer I, and the Fall semester of Academic Year III. The Carroll School of Management's financial aid package will apply to Academic Year II, Summer II, and the Spring semester of Academic Year III.
For students in the MA/M.Ed. program in partnership with BC's Urban Catholic Teacher Corps, the CSTM's financial aid package will apply to Academic Year II and onwards, and the Lynch School's financial aid package will apply to Summer I, Academic Year I, and Summer II.
If a student starts at Boston College in one graduate program and then later adds the second, the funding schedule may need to be altered. The admissions office will discuss specific details with each applicant. Never hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!
All dual degree students complete placements as part of their program, providing students with the chance to apply their studies and build their ministerial toolbox through rich field experience.
M.A./M.S.W. and M.A./M.A. students do not complete a supervised ministry placement through the CSTM, but instead complete a field placement through their partner school. M.A./M.S.W. students complete two social work field placements in Academic Year II and Academic Year III, while M.A./M.A. students complete a full-year counseling practicum in the final year of their program. M.A./M.S.W. and M.A./M.A. students can speak with their field advisors through the School of Social Work and Lynch School of Education and Human Development to identify field placement sites that are a good fit for their unique hopes and goals as dual degree students.
M.A./M.Ed. students do not complete a supervised ministry placement through the CSTM; their teaching position through the Urban Catholic Teacher Corps takes the place of the CSTM placement.
M.A./M.B.A. students do complete a supervised ministry placement through the CSTM and will complete this contextual education during the final year of their program. More information on contextual education for the M.A./M.B.A. program can be found in the program handbook.
The dual degree program is a great fit for students with a wide variety of interests who hope to incorporate faith and spirituality into their professional and personal lives, and who also view their current and future work in related fields as their call to ministry. On a personal level, the dual degree has been valuable to students by providing them with academic and faith communities, classes, and practical experiences that are rooted in their values and align with their professional, personal, spiritual, and social interests. On a professional level, dual degree students are equipped with a unique interdisciplinary skill set that opens up professional possibilities, with graduates living out their call to ministry through a wide variety of fields, or applying the lens of the partner field to more explicitly ministerial settings.
Contact
Clough School of Theology and Ministry
stmadm@bc.edu
617–552–6506
Carroll School of Management
bcmba@bc.edu
617–552–3920
School of Social Work
swadmit@bc.edu
617–552–4024
Lynch School of Education and Human Development
gsoe@bc.edu
617–552–4214