M.A. in Christian Spirituality

This program is offered online or on campus.


The M.A. in Christian spirituality program is grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition. It provides you with the knowledge and skills to lead or accompany others on their spiritual journey. As a lay minister, teacher, social worker, counselor, or spiritual director, you will gain the competencies to engage more intentionally your understanding of the biblical, theological, and historical foundations of spirituality with your professional development and practice.

Program Highlights

  • Choose one of three degree program concentrations: spiritual direction, research, or generalist.
  • Teach and learn with our renowned faculty and international students from more than twenty countries.
  • Take courses at the member schools of the New York Theological Consortium.
  • Prepare for doctoral work by pursuing the research concentration. 
  • Consider becoming an accredited spiritual director; pursue the concentration in spiritual direction.
  • Be enriched by spiritual retreats and campus ministry experiences.

Program Basics

  • The curriculum requires satisfactory completion of 12 courses (36 semester credits).
  • You may pursue the program either as a full-time or part-time student.
  • For the research and generalist concentrations, classes may be taken on campus, online, or a combination of both.
  • The concentration in spiritual direction has some on-campus requirements; however, most courses may be taken either online or on campus.
  • Intensive summer courses are offered yearly.
  • Candidates in the spiritual direction and generalist concentrations must pass a comprehensive exam.
  • Candidates in the research concentration must complete a master’s thesis and demonstrate competency in a second language.
  • Generous scholarships and tuition waivers are available.

Careers

  • Spiritual director
  • Retreat facilitator
  • Chaplain
  • Religion teacher
  • Parish or diocesan faith formation leader
  • Archivist