Program Goals

  • Articulate and apply principles of Catholic theology and God’s relationship to the created order to the problem of authentic happiness and the edification of the human community.
  • Demonstrate how the New Testament fulfills the Old Testament with regard to Jesus Christ, the Church as the People of God, and its sacramental life.
  • Explain the role of philosophy in theological controversies in Church history and in the development of Church doctrine.
  • Synthesize the development of the Catholic Church’s understanding of the relationship between Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium, and their significance with respect to historical and contemporary challenges.
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PROGRAM GOALS
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Program Requirements

Program Time Limit: 5 years

Application Process

  • Complete the free online application for admission.
  • Have an official transcript from the accredited institution where you completed your undergraduate degree sent to registrar@cdu.edu.
  • Have someone who is familiar with your academic or professional work submit a letter of recommendation to registrar@cdu.edu.
  • Submit a brief statement of purpose (250 words or less) to registrar@cdu.edu on why you are pursuing online graduate study in theology.

Students will be notified of acceptance via email shortly after all materials have been submitted and reviewed.

Those who complete this degree program with a minimum GPA of 3.0 are eligible for fast-track admission to the Doctor of Ministry program at the University of St. Mary of the Lake.

Accepted students may begin by taking one of three courses: THEO 503 The Catholic Theological Tradition, THEO 510 Revelation and Faith, or SCRPT 530 Introduction to Scripture and Salvation History.

Program Costs

  • Tuition: $1,485 x 12 courses = $17,820
  • Technology fee: $165/course x 12 courses = $1,980
  • Comprehensive Exam fee: $150
  • Books: $100/course (estimate) x 12 courses = $1,200
  • Total: $21,150
  • Detailed cost of attendance budgets can be found here.

Transfer Credit

A maximum of 6 theology graduate credits earned within the last 5 years with a grade of 3.0 or higher may be transferred if earned from an institution(s) accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or whose courses are endorsed by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Acceptance of transfer credit is at the discretion of Academic Leadership.

Students from John Paul Catholic University’s former online MA in Biblical Theology click here.

Course Preview

“Knowing what I believe and what the basis of those teachings and beliefs is has helped me immensely. I work full time and absolutely needed the asynchronous format where I could work on the courses when I had time during the day, weeks or months, etc. I could not fit a traditional face-to-face course format into my schedule.”

—Dr. Angelo Giardino, MA in Theology

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PROGRAM GOALS
COURSE LIST
CDU ADVANTAGE

Course List

CORE CREDITS

Course Number Course Title Credits
THEO 503 The Catholic Theological Tradition 3
THEO 510 Revelation and Faith: Fundamental Theology 3
THEO 541 Theology of Church 3
THEO 552 Sacraments and Liturgy 3
THEO 560 Fundamental Moral Theology 3
THEO 632 Christology 3
PHIL 508 Philosophy for Theology 3
SCRPT 530 Introduction to Scripture and Salvation History 3

Courses are 8 weeks long unless otherwise noted.

THE CDU ADVANTAGE

In a 2022 survey of CDU graduate students, 100% reported that they had achieved their learning goals.

CDU Offers:

  • Flexibility to study where and when you choose
  • Authentic Catholic teaching
  • Affordability
  • A global Catholic community
  • Knowledgeable and accessible faculty
  • Engaging online courses with discussion forums
  • Mobile app for study on the go
  • Online library staffed by a theological librarian
  • 24/7 technical support

Get started today!

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The MA program is nationally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), which is recognized as a national accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education and is a recognized member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The university is certified as a degree-granting institution by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission.