The Master of Theological Studies: Biotechnology and Ethics (M.T.S.)
Introduction
In light of the mission statement of the Institute, the M.T.S. Biotechnology and Ethics program prepares students for further academic study in higher degree programs as well as for professional engagement in a variety of contexts such as teaching, research, policy development, and clinical consultation work related to bioethics. The program also offers continuing education for professionals in the medical, legal, and other fields.
The M.T.S. conforms to the special provisions of Magnum matrimonii sacramentum, which establish a basic pontifical degree program for students who have completed an undergraduate liberal arts curriculum.
Applicants must possess an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution in the United States or from its equivalent in foreign countries. While it is advisable that applicants for admission have a previous background in philosophy and theology, students without a background in philosophy and theology are strongly encouraged to apply. Further requirements are enumerated in the application for the program.
Degree Requirements
M.T.S. students are subject to the degree requirements of the academic catalog of the year in which they were first enrolled as degree-seeking students.
M.T.S. students must complete 48 credits of course work, in addition to a certain number of audits, as announced during the course of the school year, with a grade-point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0-point scale. Additionally, students must pass a comprehensive examination administered in the final semester of study.
The comprehensive examination is based on the areas of study in the MTS curriculum, including the areas of Sacred Scripture, patristics, fundamental and systematic theology, philosophy, moral theology, law, and science. Each MTS specialization will be offered its own examination, in accordance with the differences in the two curricula. In either case, the purpose of the comprehensive examination is to assist the candidate in synthesizing and integrating his or her knowledge in the specialization.
The examination consists in three two-hour written examinations. All components are graded on a pass-fail basis. If a student should fail any one of the questions, he or she may be required to retake the examination in whole or in part. If a student fails the second time, he or she will cease to be a candidate for the degree.
In the examination, the student must demonstrate a mastery of the material covered in the program commensurate with graduate study, including concrete historical and theoretical bases, and offer substantive interpretations, pertinent interrelationships between fields, and relevant concluding judgments.
This degree program requires four semesters of full-time study in residence. In certain cases, the Provost/Dean will consider requests to fulfill course requirements on a part-time basis. In all cases, total tuition payments for the degree must equal at least the cost of four full-time semesters.
First Year,
Fall Term
Being as Gift: Philosophical Foundations
Faith and American Culture
Fundamental Moral Theology: Freedom and Human Action
Jesus Christ: Revealer of God and Man
Theological Anthropology: History and Method
Spring Term
Science, Theology, Ethics
Revelation, Scripture, Exegesis
Technê and Bios: Ancient and Modern
The “Nuptial Body” in Historical–Theological Perspective
Theology of Mary
Second Year,
Fall Term
Beginning/End of Life Issues
Communio Personarum: Trinity and Church
Creation: Nature and Life
Marriage and Virginity as States of Life
Foundations of Bio- and Sexual Ethics:
The Body and Freedom
Spring Term
Genetics and Medical Interventions
Law, Family, and the Person
Modernity and Humanism
Technê and Bios: Ancient and Modern
Technology and the Environment