School of Theology
The School of Theology at the Byzantine Catholic Seminary includes lay individuals—both men and women—who seek to further their theological education for leadership roles at the parochial or eparchial level or as a step towards further advanced degrees. The accredited Master of Arts in Theology (M.A.T.) is a 37-credit graduate degree program offering classes both on campus and online year round, delivering both flexibility and convenience. Students choose one of four areas for their focus– Dogmatics, Liturgy, Sacred Scripture or Chaplaincy—while immersed in Eastern Christian theology, history and practice.
Note: The Ministerial Leadership focus area is available only to deacons in the Seminary’s Community of Priestly Formation and is not offered online. Applicants for the Ministerial Leadership focus follow the admissions procedures for the Program of Priestly Formation
Application Deadlines (for all applicants):
Fall: all materials must be
Spring: all materials must
Summer (online only): all materials must be to the Seminary no later than April
DEGREE CANDIDATES
Application for the Master of Arts in Theology (MAT) includes:
- Completed application form
- Professional resume (if applicant is working)
- Completed essays
- Sealed original transcripts of undergraduate degree and all other undergraduate or graduate studies. **
- Two letters of recommendation (one should be from pastor)
An application will not be considered complete without all elements.
** Official transcripts of undergraduate degree and all other undergraduate and graduate studies must be sent directly from university registrar to Seminary registrar.
NON-MATRICULATING STUDENTS AND AUDITORS
The seminary welcomes qualified persons who wish to study without matriculating into one of the degree programs. Non-matriculating students enroll in courses of their choice for academic credit and are responsible for all class assignments and examinations. The option to audit a course is meant to accommodate interested individuals seeking general exposure to a subject or who may lack the time or resources necessary to complete all the work required for academic credit. Audited classes are counted as part of the student’s load, but do not count toward any degree requirements.
Non-matriculating students must submit the complete application as required of MAT applicants (see above list)
Auditors must submit the following:
- Completed application form.
- Professional resume and/or curriculum vitae (if any work history)
- Two letters of recommendation (one should be from pastor).
An application is not considered complete without all elements.
Via Email: Send documents to office@bcs.edu (Please designate On-Campus or Online) | Via US Mail: Seminary Registrar (Please designate On-Campus or Online) 3605 Perrysville Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15214 |
Please note: Ultimately, it will be your responsibility to ensure that all necessary documents reach the Registrar in a timely fashion. Please refer to the Admissions Process tab for all appropriate requirements.
Application deadlines:
Fall: all materials must be to the Seminary no later than July 20.
Spring: all materials must be to the Seminary no later than December 1.
Summer (online only): all materials must be to the Seminary no later than April 20.
MAT online is solely an academic program. It is not a formation program for holy orders candidates. Applicants for Seminary formation must apply directly to their own eparchies (vocation directors or bishops) and not via this application process.
Candidates for the MAT degree must complete the required curriculum of 37 credits with a Capstone, achieving a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.
Each candidate chooses a focus (at least 3 courses) of either Dogmatic Theology, Liturgical Theology, Pastoral Theology (plus CPE), or Sacred Scripture. Based on this focus, MAT students will choose either Capstone Essays or Theological Research Capstone in consultation with an advisor in fulfillment of the MAT degree. Students in the Chaplaincy track will do the Pastoral Research Capstone.
The degree can be completed in two years with full time study. Part-time students have a six year limit to complete the program. With the permission of the Academic Dean, a total of 15 hours of compatible graduate-level theological studies may be completed at other institutions. Any grade below a B- does not transfer.
Electives and Directed Independent Study
Elective courses are regularly offered to allow professors and students to explore particular questions in detail or to approach issues and fields not covered in the core curriculum. Academic progress normally does not allow MDiv students to enroll in electives until their third or fourth years.
Students in all degree programs may elect to pursue an area of particular interest as a Directed Independent Study (DIS). All DIS courses must be approved by the Academic Dean upon presentation of a written description of the area and goals of the investigation, together with a bibliography. The course may be directed by a core or adjunct member of the academic faculty or, extraordinarily, by another qualified professional who must be approved by the Academic Dean. A DIS may be designed for 1, 2 or 3 credit hours. Evaluation of the work by the director should normally be based on one or more papers, projects or examinations. A student may take only two DIS courses per degree program.
Transfer Credits
For the MDiv/MAT programs, the Seminary will accept 15 credits, including those successfully earned from Byzantine Online, as transferable. Only academic credits from an accredited Masters program will be considered for transfer. Credits earned in the last six years prior to application are eligible for transfer.
Applicants who have already achieved a Master’s Degree cannot use credits from the previous program towards a second Master’s Degree at BCS. BCS will only consider transferring credits which were not used towards the awarding of a degree.
Formal application for consideration of transfer credits is made to the Academic Dean.
CAPSTONE REQUIRMENT
The final requirement for the Master’s degree (M.Div. or M.A.T.) is a concluding exercise that demonstrates mastery of theological literacy. This is undertaken in the last year of studies in consultation with a student’s advisor. Students can elect one of three options:
| CAPSTONE ESSAYS | To complete the Capstone Essays, a student will be given five questions based on coursework taken and in departmental areas of the student’s choice, one of which must be dogmatics, liturgy, or sacred scripture.* The student will select three of the five questions and respond to each question with an essay between 3,500 and 4,000 words (about 15 pages each; 45 total pages not including bibliography). At least one of the three selected questions must come from dogmatics, liturgy, or sacred scripture. The essays should demonstrate achievement of the learning outcomes associated with the degree. They should draw on established sources and follow Turabian/Chicago style. Essays will be evaluated by the faculty members who set the essay questions. The grades for all three essays will be averaged to determine overall grade for the concluding exercise. A grade of B- (76%) or above is required to pass. If lower than a B- is earned, the student may retake the exam once, within six months of the first attempt. When: Essays must be completed by March 15th for Spring graduation, July 15th for Summer graduation, or November 15th for Fall graduation. Students may request questions no earlier than ten months before applicable due date. *Faculty from each department will provide at least one question that will serve as a capstone question in their area. These will be compiled and presented to the student; the choices will not number more than five. |
| THEOLOGICAL RESEARCH CAPSTONE | This option entails working with a faculty member to write a 40- to 60-page research paper (10,000-15,000 words, doublespaced, not including bibliography) that demonstrates achievement of theological literacy. The topic will be determined by the student, the faculty advisor for the project, and the Academic Dean. The paper must include an introductory chapter that demonstrates how this research fits within the larger field of research on this topic (this is sometimes called a State of the Art). This paper must further identify how it satisfies at least one other degree outcome. The paper must draw on established sources and follow Turabian/Chicago style. Papers will be graded by a chosen research director and one other faculty reader. A grade of B- (76%) or above is required to pass. When: Must be completed by March 15th for Spring graduation, July 15th for Summer graduation, or November 15th for Fall graduation. |
| PASTORAL RESEARCH CAPSTONE | The Pastoral Research Capstone is for students whose curriculum includes C.P.E. It has two components: a project that has direct pastoral application; and a research paper for which the project serves as the main focus. After completing C.P.E. (Clinical Pastoral Education), the student may begin developing a project in consultation with a faculty member serving as project director. The student and selected director will agree on a combined project/paper that is of comparable scope to a 10,000- to 16,000-word paper (about 40 to 65 pages, double-spaced, not including bibliography). The Pastoral Research Capstone should demonstrate pastoral application of theological concepts. In addition, it must demonstrate achievement of at least one learning outcomes associated with the degree. The Pastoral Research Capstone must draw on established sources and follow Turabian/Chicago style. The project will be graded by the project director and one other faculty reader of student’s choice. A grade of B- (75%) or above is required to pass. When: upon successful completion of C.P.E. It must be completed by March 15th for Spring graduation, July 15th for Summer graduation, or November 15th for Fall graduation. |
The cost for MAT as well as non-matriculating and auditing students is computed per semester. The current fees are:
- Registration Fee (one time fee) …………….. $ 70
- Tuition per course-hour (on-campus)…………………….. $380
- Audit fees per course-hour (on-campus)…………………… $276
- Tuition per course-hour (online)…………………….. $415
- Audit fees per course-hour (online)…………………… $310
Technology fee (MAT students only) includes 250 pages of free printing per semester as well as unlimited use of library resources including wireless access, scanning, online databases and computers. If student exceeds 250 printed pages per semester, they will be billed at the rate of 8 cents per page.
Non-matriculating and auditing students have full use of the library printer and scanner. They will be billed monthly for these services at the rate of 8 cents per page.
Financial aid arrangements may be available for priests of the Byzantine Catholic
These costs are subject to change.