During the
first three years of life in Rome, students are enrolled in theological
studies resulting in a bachelor’s degree in sacred theology (STB). This
is called the “first cycle”. In the fourth year, students begin the
“second cycle” program of study, which involves more concentrated
study of a particular area. Second cycle usually leads to a License or
Master’s degree. Second cycle extends from one to three years, depending
on the degree, area of theology, and university chosen. Second cycle
studies are offered at a number of pontifical universities and institutes
in Rome. The choice of a first-cycle program does not determine what will
be studied in second cycle.
Registration for the first cycle is in September. North American College students attend either the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (known as "the Angelicum"), the Pontifical Gregorian University or the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (known as "Santa Croce"), all of which are located in the city, about a half an hour to 45 minutes walk from the college. One should discuss the matter with the diocesan superiors and have selected a university before departing for Rome.
These Universities follow a similar core program and have an international
faculty and student body. The universities are distinguishable, however,
on the basis of size, language, pedagogical style, and, to some extent,
theological method.
Philosophy pre-requisites:
For admission to First Cycle Theology at any of the pontifical universities, a Ph.B. (approx. 70 credits) is the norm. They will accept Americans and Australians who come with at least 30 credits in Philosophy (as long as ALL TEN required areas have been covered by an appropriate course -- ethics, logic, metaphysics, epistemology, theodicy, anthropology (human nature) ; plus the four areas of the history of philosophy: ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary. Coverage of these ten specific areas is non-negotiable. If you have any questions about the philosophy requirements, please contact the Academic Dean, Rev. Joseph Betschart, at jbetschart@pnac.org.
Latin & Biblical Greek
Both the Angelicum and Gregorian Universities will accept prior credit in Latin (must be one year, or two semesters – college or high school). The Angelicum will also accept credits in Biblical Greek, but at the Gregorian the student must test out of Greek or simply take the course.
Italian
The Gregorian, also tests all new, non-native Italians on their proficiency in the Italian language. Following EU requirements, a student must test at a B1 Level of proficiency in the language a course is being taught in. This testing will take place the first week of class in October. NAC is providing all New Men with Italian Language courses in September, and even prior to that will arrange a 4-week Italian program for incoming seminarians in Assisi or elsewhere, starting around July 20.
To arrive at a B1 Level of proficiency, as required, usually requires an average of 250 hours of formal study.
The Angelicum
is the university of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). A semester
usually consists of an average of 18 credit hours divided between six to
eight courses. The first cycle classes are conducted in either English or
Italian, depending on the student’s preference. Class size is relatively
small with approximately 40-50 students in attendance. (Seminars in the
second and third years usually involve fewer than a dozen students.) While
classes normally follow a lecture format, comments and questions from
students are encouraged. A student’s progress is evaluated by means of
either oral or written examinations administered periodically throughout
the semester or simply at the conclusion of the term. In addition to
exams, some professors assign term papers as part of the student’s grade
for the course.
At the
Angelicum, an attempt is made in the first cycle to confront and analyze
the questions posed explicitly or implicitly by the Second Vatican Council
and the theological reflections which it has prompted. Thomistic theology,
and its relationship with both classical and modern issues, is at the
heart of this exploration.
The
Angelicum’s website: http://www.angelicum.org
Academic
Preview:
ADMISSION
The
requirements for admission to the First Cycle are as follows:
- a
secondary-school ("high school") diploma
which would qualify the applicant for admission to a college or
university in his or her own country;
- Successful
completion of two years of
university-level study in
philosophy, including courses in Logic, Epistemology,
Philosophical Psychology (Philosophy of the Human Person,
Philosophical Anthropology), Philosophy of Nature, Ethics (Moral
Philosophy), Metaphysics, and the History of Philosophy;
- A
sufficient knowledge of language (English or Italian); the students
whose mother tongue is neither English nor Italian, will have to
undergo a test of language proficiency on Wednesday 15 October, h. 12.30. Those who fail the test will
have to attend an intensive language course (€250,00) organized by
the Faculty which will run from 20 October to 20 November;
PLAN
OF STUDY
In
the three-year baccalaureate cycle, a general and organic exposition of
Catholic theology is offered in the form of courses and seminars.
-
The
principal subjects of the courses are as follows:
a. Scripture: a
general Introduction course, and six additional courses concentrating on
different parts of the Old Testament (historical books, prophets, wisdom
literature) and the New Testament (synoptic gospels, Pauline letters,
Johannine writings).
b. Dogmatic Theology:
two initial courses in fundamental theology __ Introduction to
Theology and Theological Method, and Theology of Revelation __
followed by specialized courses offering a systematic exploration of the
mystery of salvation in three phases, according to the theological vision
of St. Thomas' Summa Theologiae
i. its origin: the
mystery of God, the beginning and end of the whole order of salvation;
ii. its historic
center: the mystery of Christ and of the Church __ Christology,
Mariology, Ecclesiology;
iii. its eschatological
intentionality: the full revelation of Christ's glory at theParousia, and
its anticipation meanwhile in the sacramental life of the Church whereby
Christ remains a vivifying presence to his members.
c. Moral Theology and
Spirituality: initial courses in fundamental moral theology and spiritual
theology, followed by specialilzed courses on grace, the theological and
moral virtues, and contemporary issues especially in the realm of social
justice.
d. Positive Theology:
this category includes subjects which constitute additional
"sources" of theology (patrology, Christian archeology, church
history) and applications of theology to church life (liturgy, pastoral
theology, canon law).
2. The auxiliary
subjects are: Latin, New Testament Greek, and biblical Hebrew.
Methodology, also considered an auxiliary subject, is treated as part of
the Introduction to Theology course.
3. Besides their
course work, students are required during their second and third years to
take four seminars which
acquaint them with a variety of special contemporary problems in theology,
and which also serve as a practical initiation into scientific theological
work.
ATTAINMENT
OF THE DEGREE
A
cumulative average of 8/10 in the courses and seminars of the three-year
institutional cycle is required for the baccalaureate degree. Students who
have not attained this average may be offered the opportunity to qualify
for the degree by means of a supplementary examination, at the discretion
of the Dean.
(This
academic preview information taken from: http://www.angelicum.org/facolta/paginephp/framecorsi.php?valore=teoloen&valanno=2003)
 The Gregorian
is the university of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). A semester usually
consists of 20 credit hours divided between four or five lecture courses
and a seminar. The first-cycle classes are conducted in Italian. Class
size is relatively large with approximately 150-200 students in
attendance. Classes follow a lecture format. Questions are usually not
taken during class and students are encouraged to ask questions before or
after class or at some other suitable time outside of class. Students are
graded by means of either oral or written examinations administered at the
conclusion of the term (these may be taken in a number of different
languages, including English). The seminar course, however, is available
in English and in the first year is conducted at the NAC. The first year
seminar develops many of the themes that are being taught in class and is
a general overview of theology. Seminars involve regular written
assignments to determine the student’s grade for the course.
 At the
Gregorian an attempt is made in the first cycle to present an organic
vision of Revelation and a solid knowledge of the full range of the issues
of theology. Theological developments and expressions of the Magisterium
are analyzed with a methodological emphasis on Scripture in respect to the
particular matter being treated: Christ - the Fullness of Revelation
(first year); the Church, the Sacrament of Christ (second year); and
Humanity in Christ (third year).
The
Gregorian’s website: http://www.unigre.it
Academic
Preview:
Structure
of the first cycle.
The
main objective of the first cycle is to present a systematic outline of
the Revelation and a solid knowledge of the general problems of theology.
The program of the studies is divided into three different steps. During
the first year it is centred on the person of Christ, fullness of the
Revelation of the Father, who takes on our condition and announces the
Spirit to us. In the second year the studies are centred on the mystery of
the Church and on the Sacraments; during the third, the accent is placed
on the assumption of man into the fullness of God. The first step, then,
is mostly Christological, the second ecclesiological, the third,
anthropological, but each one is closely connected to the others in the
perspective of the only mystery of salvation in Jesus Christ.
Studies
required for the admission at the first cycle.
The
Faculty requires, before the admission to theology, two years of
philosophical studies or equivalent in case the latter are part of a
philosophy-theology, literature- philosophy, science- philosophy
curriculum.
The
elements of philosophical studies required are: philosophy of knowledge,
metaphysics, natural theology, philosophic anthropology, general and
social ethics, and history of philosophy (ancient, medieval, modern, and
contemporary).
The
students with a university education of at least three years may, if the
Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy judges their preparation at the same
level with that achieved after one year at the Faculty of Philosophy,
start their preparation for the study of theology with a special
integrating program, offered by the
Faculty
of Philosophy.
Every
candidate for the first cycle needs to have:
1)
Knowledge of Italian to be able to follow the lessons. New non-Italian
students should prove their knowledge of the language with a certificate
and/or by an oral exam.
2)
Knowledge of Latin and Biblical Greek, proved by a certificate and/or an
exam. Otherwise, it is obligatory to enter specific two-semester Latin
and/or Biblical Greek Languages courses during the first cycle. These
courses do not give credits like the optional courses for the first cycle:
Latin is a pre-requisite, Biblical Greek is needed for the Baccalaureate.
(see below)
3)
Knowledge of at least one of the following modern languages: French,
English, Spanish, and German. This knowledge must allow the student to
read fluently and must be proved at the moment of entry.
4)
Knowledge of two of the above mentioned languages (French or Spanish,
English or German) is required for the II cycle, three for the III cycle.
Biblical
Languages
Knowledge
of Biblical Greek equivalent to the level “Greek 1” and “Greek 2”
(about 50 hours of lessons) is required to achieve the Baccalaureate in
Theology.
1)
The following courses GR1001 (Greco1) and GR1002 (Greco2), or GR1101
(Greek1) and GR1102 (Greek2), must be considered obligatory for the first
year of theology. These courses have 2 credits and their marks are counted
in the Baccalaureate.
2)
Students who have already studied Greek can do an exam of Biblical Greek
(qualification exam) at the beginning of the year (October 13). In some
special cases the exam can be done on February 9. The program of this exam
can be withdrawn at the Deanery. The text is written in Italian, English,
French as well as Spanish and the answer can be written in the same
languages. The aim of this exam is to establish the level of knowledge of
the language; depending on the results, the student can be exempted for
one or both first cycle obligatory courses; if the third or the fourth
level is also reached, the student can be exempted for the courses of the
II cycle, in case he/she decides to enter for the Licentiate in Biblical
Theology.
3)
A similar exam will be arranged towards the end of the Academic Year for
those who attend Greek Language courses in a College.
4)
First year students must fill-in the Greek questionnaire and give it back
to the Deanery at the moment of their entry declaring whether they want to
do the qualification exam or prefer to attend the Language courses.
It
is possible, during the First cycle, to attend the courses EB1001 (Ebraico
1) and EB1002 (Ebraico2) as optional courses. Those who pass the exams
obtain credits for the Baccalaureate.
Acknowledgement
of previous studies.
Degrees
(Certificates and Diplomas) written in one of the official languages of
the University do not need to be translated. Those written in any other
language must be presented in their original language and in a certified
translation into one of the official languages.
Certificates
declaring studies that can be acknowledged must state: courses attended,
marks obtained, credits (1 credit = 1 weekly hour for a semester), system
used to give marks (lowest mark required to pass the exam and highest
mark).
The
Faculty of Theology acknowledges studies done in another Faculty of
Theology. The candidate must present a certificate stating courses
attended with their marks and credits. However, the Faculty of Theology of
the Pontifical Gregorian University will give a final degree only to
students who have attended its lessons for a whole Academic Year,
following the rules on the attainment of degrees.
Candidates
who have done parts of their studies in a Seminar and fulfil the
Faculty’s entry requirements (especially as far as Philosophy and
ancient Languages are concerned), can be admitted at the following
conditions:
After
one year of Theology in a seminar, they are admitted to the first year;
after two years in a Seminar, they are admitted to the second year; after
three years in a Seminar, they are admitted to the third year.
An
equivalence between courses attended in other Institutes and those of the
Faculty will be acknowledged if there is a parity in the contents of the
courses, level of the studies, number of hours, etc. Courses offered in
secondary schools or in the college curricula (e.g. North-American school
system) usually do not exempt the student in doing the Faculty’s
obligatory courses.
Exemption
from courses
At
the moment of the first matriculation in the Faculty, students can ask for
a exemption to courses (for the whole three-year period) if they have done
them already. There is a form to fill-in that must be withdrawn from the
Deanery. This form must be returned to the Deanery together with the
documentation of the course already done. The student will be told if
his/her requests have been met and in that case the Secretariat will be
informed. The exemption requests can be presented even after the
matriculation, but always before November 6 1999.
Languages
used in the Faculty of Theology
First
cycle obligatory courses are in Italian.
Seminars
are in Italian, French, English, German and Spanish.
The
Faculty admits the usage of six languages (Italian, French, English,
German, Spanish and Latin) for written exams and essays; as for the oral
exams, the examiners and the students may agree on the easiest language
for both of them
Exams
The
Exams of the obligatory courses are either oral or written, usually it is
the student who chooses. When a Professor can not be present at the oral
exams they are done only in a written form.
The
repetition of a failed exam requires the study of the whole subject, even
in the case that the course has been taught by more than one Professor.
All
the exams must be passed to enter the following year, including the
written work for the seminar (cf. Ord. Fac. Art. 37).
The Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Santa Croce) is operated by Opus Dei. The courses of the first cycle aim at presenting an organic exposition of all the Catholic Doctrine, along with an introduction to the method of scientific research. The first cycle program, leading to the completion of the STB degree, has a duration of three academic years divided into semesters, and is concluded with the comprehensive degree exams. Each semester, students take six to seven classes totaling 20 credit hours. The classes are taught in Italian, altough many of the professors speak English. Classes are relatively small in size, approximately 40-60 students, and generally follow a lecture format with some student-professor interaction depending on the professor. Students are graded based on oral and written exams administered at the end of the term, although some courses also have periodic midterm exams or other course work.
Santa Croce's web site: www.pusc.it
Prerequisites
and Dispensations
The College
conforms to the Philosophy requirements as presented in the Program for
Priestly Formation.
Because of the
many challenges that one can face in the first semester, it is best to
fulfill all of the prerequisites for the College and for both
universities. The Angelicum
and Gregorian
Universities agreed to evaluate the applications of new students from the
North American College
more on content than on the number of credit hours earned. Although course
hours still matter, the following were the required curriculum of
philosophy for admittance to these two Roman Universities: Logic, Ethics,
Ancient Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy, Modern Philosophy, Contemporary
Philosophy, Epistemology, Natural Theology, Anthropology and Metaphysics.
Although provision is made for students that have less philosophy than
this, it is highly recommended that candidates arrive with these
requirements in place. If at all possible, one should enroll in summer
courses that will fulfill any of the requirements below. Many colleges
offer summer programs that can lighten future course loads. The Gregorian
will typically require a total of 36 credit hours of philosophy unless the
student has a doctorate in any field of study. Those students with less
than 36 credit hours of philosophy should try to satisfy this requirement
before arrival to Rome as often students who have not must take philosophy
concomitantly with their theological courses during their first semesters,
creating a very hectic schedule.
Certain first
cycle courses may allow for a dispensation if it can be demonstrated to
the university dean that the material has been covered in previous
courses. A transcript alone is inadequate. Course outlines,
bibliographies, and descriptions, such as provided in course catalogues,
are necessary if the dispensation is to be obtained. Students should
ensure that they bring this information if planning to be dispensed from
certain university courses.
Students who
have not had at least one year of Greek and one year of Latin are required
to take a full-year course of each of those languages concomitantly with
their theological studies. Although the Angelicum will dispense students
from these language requirements when the student produces an official
transcript, the Gregorian University requires all students to take a
rather comprehensive and intense exam in order to be dispensed from the
Greek language requirement. The test is quite difficult and those who
would like to prepare for it during the summer are advised to review Koiné
Greek, focusing especially on biblical passages. The Gregorian also has a practice Greek test available on their website. The Gregorian will
dispense those students who have taken at least one year of Latin and who
can produce an official transcript testifying to this fact.
If
you have any questions regarding the fulfillment of any of these
requirements, please contact the Academic Dean as soon as possible. Students should be
aware that the above mentioned philosophy, Latin, and Greek credits are
prerequisites. Students arriving without having all of these requirements
fulfilled may encounter significant difficulties when applying to the
Roman universities. Even though supplemental courses are offered in some
cases here in Rome, these courses can take substantial time away from
intended theological studies.
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