Programs
Saint Vincent College & Seminary accepts qualified men & women into its graduate programs.
Degrees offered are the Master of Divinity, Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Ministry with Specialization and Master of Arts in Ecclesial Ministry. Saint Vincent Seminary trains men for the permanent diaconate in a special program with the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. Saint Vincent Seminary also offers graduate courses for continuing education for lay persons. Each respective degree program has its own requirements. Please refer to the descriptions under the specific program for details on the degree requirements for each program.
Academic Calendar
Fall Semester 2024
August 26 Final registration and adjustments; Classes begin
September 2 Labor Day; (no classes)
September 3 Last day for adding courses
September 9 Last day for withdrawal without permanent record
September 10–November 17 Withdrawals receive a “W”
September 20 Last day to change to Pass/Fail designation; last day to change to Audit
September 20-October 6 Deacons’ two-week parish practicum
September 23 Pennsylvania March for Life (no classes)
September 26 Spring & Summer 2024 incomplete grades not changed become an “F”
October 14 and 15 Extended weekend for seminarians
October 16 Classes resume
October 29 Seminary Registration for Spring 2025 Semester
November 1 All Saints Day (no classes)
November 18 Withdrawals receive a WF
November 21 Founders’ Day (classes canceled 3:30 p.m. 7 p.m.)
November 27–December 1 Thanksgiving vacation
December 2 Classes resume
December 6 Last day of classes
December 7 and 8 Reading Days
December 9–12 Final examinations
December 17 Final grades are due at noon
Spring Semester 2025
January 12 Students return
January 13 Final registration and adjustments; Classes begin
January 20 Last day to add courses
January 27 Last day for withdrawal without permanent record
January 28–April 12 Withdrawals receive a “W”
February 7 Last day to change to Pass/Fail designation; last day to change to Audit
February 13 Fall 2024 incomplete grades not changed become an “F”
March 1–March 9 Spring break for seminarians
March 10 Classes resume
April 4-20 Deacons’ two-week parish practicum
April 8 Seminary Registration for Fall 2025 Semester
April 14 Withdrawals receive a “WF”
April 16-21 Seminary Easter Vacation
April 22 Classes resume
May 2 Last day of class
May 3 and May 4 Reading Days
May 5–8 Final examinations
May 7 Graduating Seminary students’ grades due at noon
May 9 Seminary Commencement
May 13 Final grades are due at noon
Saint Vincent Seminary Bulletin
The Bulletin of Academic and Formation Programs and Policies of Saint Vincent Seminary is available online by clicking on the image on the left, describes our current course offerings and programs.
The Seminary Bulletin is also available for purchase, in full color, or in black and white (interior).
Read the Seminary Bulletin directly on this website here.
Degrees and Programs
The Pre-Theology Non-Degree Program
There are two possible Pre-Theology programs a student may pursue at Saint Vincent Seminary – a Non-Degree Pre-Theology Program and a Master of Arts: (Catholic Philosophical Studies) degree program.
Master of Arts (Catholic Philosophical Studies) (MACPS)
The two-year Master of Arts (Catholic Philosophical Studies) degree program was accredited in 2015. This academic degree, together with the formation program which the students also partake of, fulfills all the requirements of the Pre-Theology formation program required for entrance into the M.Div. program.
Master of Divinity (M.Div.) (Four-Year Degree)
The four-year Master of Divinity degree (M.Div.), a fully accredited professional ministerial degree, is designed to be completed by seminarians while they are fulfilling the requirements of the ordination formation program.
Master of Arts (Systematic Theology or Sacred Scripture) (Two-Year Academic Degree)
The Master of Arts degree program goals include both the attainment of a general knowledge of Theology, as well as a focus for study and research writing in one of two areas of concentration: Systematic Theology or Sacred Scripture.
Master of Arts in Ecclesial Ministry
The Master of Arts in Ecclesial Ministry degree program (MAEM) is a professional degree open to candidates for the permanent diaconate and lay students. This is a three-year program. The curriculum consists of three major areas: Systematic Theology, Sacred Scripture, and Pastoral Studies.
Formation
Like all U.S. seminaries, Saint Vincent seeks to “foster the formation of future priests by attending specifically to their human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral formation” – the four core “pillars” or “dimensions” of priestly formation. These “dimensions” of formation for the priesthood have been increasingly emphasized by the Church in recent history, i.e., Saint John Paul II in his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis (25 March 1992); the USCCB’s Program of Priestly Formation, (5th edition, no. 70), Benedict XVI, in his Apostolic Letter ‘motu proprio’ Ministrorum Institutio (16 January 2013); and Francis whose suggestions gave rise to the Congregation for the Clergy’s, The Gift of the Priestly Vocation – Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis Veritatis Gaudium. Each seminary approaches these formational dimensions in a manner that is unique to its institutional charism. For Saint Vincent Seminary, these “dimesions” are understood as inter-relational dimensions that must be presented in an integrated manner, without compromising the unique character of each.
Here one can appreciate how natural such an approach is to a Benedictine environment that seeks to cultivate personal holiness within the context of community life. Classic Benedictine mottos such as “work and prayer,” “stability,” conversion of life,” and “obedience as the hallmark of free will” demonstrate a predisposition toward integration. Nevertheless, each formation dimension is unique and requires specific attention.
Saint Vincent Seminary requires priesthood candidates to complete a program of priestly and academic formation of at least four years. An average course load consists of 17 credits per semester for eight semesters. Those who have not met the requirements for admission into the Seminary’s four-year Priestly Formation Program may be admitted into the Seminary’s Pre-Theologian Formation Program which is designed for students who have an undergraduate degree but are lacking in the philosophical, spiritual, and religious foundation required for admission to first theology.
The Seminary is open to accepting undergraduate students who have successfully completed two full years of undergraduate work in an accredited college. They will take classes at Saint Vincent College to complete an undergraduate degree. They will participate in the Seminary’s Philosophical Formation Program and live in the Seminary community, while at the same time completing their Pre-Theology requirements.
For additional information on the Formation Program please refer to the Seminary Bulletin. A link to the Bulletin is available elsewhere on this page.
Institute for Ministry Formation
Mission
The Institute for Ministry Formation (IMF) is an outgrowth of Saint Vincent Seminary’s commitment to the formation and education of priests, laity, and religious. The Christian life is about service, and service is ministry. Using new technology and traditional methods for learning and gathering, the IMF gathers this community, grows and supports its faith, and helps guide its response to God’s call by forming hearts and minds.
Programs
The greater the number of people who come together to do good, the more good can be done. The IMF gathers like-minded people using the latest in education technology and a vast and historic network of theologians, ministry leaders, subject experts, and spiritual directors to continue to form the hearts of those in ministry. The IMF’s goal is to become a single source of learning connecting students with others across the US or across the world, while creating a unique outlet to share collective wisdom. The IMF offers a degree, certificates, retreats, workshops, parish resources, and spiritual development programs. Explore programs, events, and virtual and electronic content at: http://imf.saintvincentseminary.edu/.
Certificate Programs
Certificate programs are open to clergy, seminarians, religious, and lay students. These are 1–2-year programs leading to a graduate certificate. They are designed to equip students with core theological, spiritual, and pastoral formation for use in active ministry or to pursue more advanced graduate studies. The programs are flexible to accommodate those working in active ministry and/or the working professional. Courses are mainly online and can be taken in any sequence unless otherwise specified. Students may elect to complete their studies with a certificate, or they may elect to apply these credits towards a “stackable” Master of Arts in Ministry (36 Credits, beginning in the spring of 2023).
As the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) states:
Schools are welcome to offer these credentials before or within graduate programs as they wish and may include such credentials as a stackable option, as long as the school attends to the Commission’s expectations regarding non-degree programs (Standard 3.15) as well as the expectations of the particular graduate degree program. (Guidelines for Reduced-Credit Master’s Degrees, 2020.)
To receive the M.A. in Ministry, students will need to pair an 18-credit specialized certificate, such as the Certificate in Spiritual Direction, with the 18-credit Certificate in Catholic Theology. The program requirements of both Certificates must be fully completed. When two certificates are combined, they will satisfy the 36 credits of the M.A. in Ministry with a specialization. For additional requirements and more details concerning the M.A. in Ministry program beyond the minimum credits needed to satisfy the degree, see the below section on the Master’s Degree in Ministry with Specialization.
The Institute for Ministry Formation envisions creating several specialized certificates that will either stand alone as graduate certificates or may be combined and “stacked” with the Certificate in Catholic Theology leading to an M.A. degree in Ministry with unique ministerial specializations.
The Master of Arts Degree in Ministry (with Specialization)
The Master of Arts degree program consists of the Certificate in Catholic Theology stacked or paired with another certificate in a specialized area of ministry. A minimum of 36 total credits is required for satisfactory completion of the M.A. in Ministry (combining two 18 credit certificate programs). Goals for the M.A. in Ministry include both the attainment of a general knowledge of Catholic Theology, a focused study in a specialized area of ministry, and the application of Theology to a specialized ministerial focus. Successful candidates complete the required coursework, achieving a minimum of a 3.0 GPA each semester and a “B” in each course. This coursework, together with the comprehensive exam, demonstrates the student’s knowledge and ability to integrate principles of Theology into active ministry. The written M.A. comprehensive exam measures the candidate’s knowledge of general theological principles and the application of theology to the area of specialized ministry.
Admission
Saint Vincent Seminary provides programs for permanent diaconate candidates and offers degree programs to qualified men and women seeking a theological education. Students from a diocese or religious order wishing to apply for the priesthood ordination program should view the admission checklist for that program and fill out that application, either online or via the pdf file. Institute for Ministry formation applicants should view that particular application checklist and fill out the IMF application, either online or via the pdf file. All other students should view the non-ordination programs checklist and fill out the non-ordination programs application, either online or via the PDF file.
Downloads
Fact Sheet
Seminary Bulletin
Saint Vincent Seminary
Program of Priestly Formation
