Introduction The Licentiate in Marriage and Family conforms in its specifications to the requirements set forth in Sapientia Christiana and Magnum Matrimonii. This degree program provides instruction in theological research and method with a concentration in the field of marriage and family. As an ecclesiastical degree, the Licentiate is granted by the authority of and in the name of the Holy See. This is a post-M.Div. program focusing on fuller mastery of resources in the theological field of Christian ethics and anthropology. The degree is designed to conform to the standards established by the Association of Theological Schools for the Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.), although, as provided for in the Association, the customary A.T.S. nomenclature is not used. The Licentiate program prepares the graduate for first-level teaching posts in colleges and universities, especially in Roman Catholic seminaries, as well as for further studies at the doctoral level. Admissions Admission to the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family is granted to applicants: a. who have received the pontifical Bachelor of Sacred Theology (S.T.B.) or its equivalent, i.e., three years of full-time study in the theological disciplines in an approved institution. Ordinarily, the M.Div. degree provides the equivalent of the S.T.B. for those students who have not matriculated in a pontifical faculty. A student may be required to complete as many as 30 credits of prerequisites when, in the judgment of the Admissions Committee, his or her previous work does not meet the requirements set down for the S.T.B; b. who have achieved a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0/4.0; c. who, if clerics, have received a letter of authorization from their Ordinary, or, if lay persons, from any priest. Course Requirements S.T.L. students must complete 42 credits of prescribed courses with a grade point average of 3.0. All students are required to take and successfully complete, during their first semester of registration in this program, the non-credit course Proseminar in Research and Thesis Methodology. Languages Students are required to demonstrate reading proficiency in scholastic Latin, demonstrated by successful completion of a written exam. This requirement is to be fulfilled during the first semester of residency. Reading proficiency in one modern language (French, Spanish, Italian, or German), demonstrated by successful completion of a theological reading test administered by a faculty member. This requirement must be fulfilled by the end of the third semester, zzbut students are urged to fulfill it by the end of the first year. Lectio Coram The student must satisfactorily present a lectio coram. The lectio coram is a magisterial lecture, of at least one hour and a half (45-minute lecture/45-minute question period) before a board of four examiners, at least three of whom are members of the ordinary faculty. The candidate may present the lecture using a two-page written outline. The lecture may not be delivered from a written text. If an outline is used by the candidate, it must be submitted to the board immediately following the question period. After the lectio coram each examiner will give a secret grade, and the final grade will be the average of the four examiners. If the candidate fails this examination, he or she will not be permitted to defend the thesis. The Dean, in consultation with the chairman of the board of examiners, will determine when the examination may be repeated. A second failure means that the student ceases to be a candidate for the licentiate degree. The lectio coram should demonstrate the candidate’s competence in theology and as a teacher. It should be a lecture on a specific theological issue taken up during the course of studies for the licentiate. It must be clearly and logically organized, manifest the candidate’s familiarity with a wide range of relevant literature and exhibit his or her soundness of theological judgment. Each candidate is to submit a list of ten topics to the Dean and the examining board for approval two weeks prior to the time the lectio coram is scheduled. The Dean will select one of these topics 48 hours prior to the lectio coram and notify the candidate. The lectio coram is open to the public, and students are encouraged to attend. Thesis The licentiate thesis is an integral part of the curriculum requiring several months’ planning, research, analysis, exposition, revision and discussion. It entails both the independent investigation of some significant question arising from the work of the program and a defense of the conclusions reached. It should give evidence of training in research and make a contribution to theological knowledge involving a limited, yet significant, problem of investigation. It must prove the student’s familiarity with basic methods and techniques of research, mastery of the limited subject matter, and ability to exercise sound theological judgment and formulate accurate conclusions. The thesis director, more critic than teacher, provides major assistance in defining the question to be examined. The student alone is responsible for working out the question and its resolution. The completed thesis must be judged worthy of publication, at least in part, in a scientific journal. Schedule of Production of Thesis By the end of the first semester, and in consultation with the Dean/Assistant Dean, the student asks a faculty member to direct his or her thesis. Once a faculty member agrees to direct the thesis, the Dean, in consultation with the Director, appoints two other faculty members to a Board under the chairmanship of the Director. By midterm of the second semester, and in consultation with the Director, the student prepares and submits to the Dean/Assistant Dean a five-page proposal, including a proposed title, a statement of the proposed thesis topic and purpose, an outline of the proposed major headings and chapters, and a preliminary select bibliography. Within two weeks, the Board and the Dean/Assistant Dean meet with the candidate to discuss the proposal. The Director and other Board members and the Dean/Assistant Dean may accept or reject the proposal, or they may specify required modifications to it. If substantial revision is required, the Board and Dean/Assistant Dean meet again with the student, either accepting or rejecting the proposal or requiring further modifications. The proposal is deemed to be approved when it has been signed by the Director, the other Board members, and the Dean/Assistant Dean. The proposal, with original signatures, is held in the student’s official file. Once the proposal has been approved, the student is free to commence writing the thesis in consultation with the Director and the other Board members. At least six weeks prior to the expected date of defense, the student must submit to the Dean/Assistant Dean five copies of the completed thesis. The copies must be bound with a black plastic “comb binding,” a black vinyl back cover, and a clear plastic front cover. The Dean/Assistant Dean distributes the copies of the thesis to the Director and the other Board members. The exact date for defense cannot be set prior to approval by the Director and the Board members, and this date cannot occur fewer than 30 days following this approval. Also, the date for defense of the thesis cannot be set until all language requirements have been met. The completed thesis must be defended within five years of the date the student enters the S.T.L. program at the Institute. If the student is not able to defend the thesis within five years, the student may petition the Dean for a one-year extension. If a student fails to defend the thesis within this period, he ceases to be a candidate for the S.T.L. The thesis itself should be 60-70 pages in length and written according to the Chicago Manual of Style. Upon completion of the thesis, the director and reader signify their approval in writing on appropriate forms from the office of the Dean. (The director and reader may judge the thesis substantively complete and worthy of defense, while noting some mandatory corrections to be made in it prior to its final acceptance.) A student may not present the lectio coram until such approval has been secured. After the student has successfully passed the lectio coram and the defense of the thesis, two unbound copies of the thesis, one of them being the original, must be submitted to the Dean. Defense of the Thesis After successful completion of the lectio coram, the student must then defend the thesis in an oral examination of at least one hour, to be conducted by a board of three examiners made up of the director and reader of the thesis and one other member of the ordinary faculty. The student will begin with a presentation of his thesis no more than fifteen minutes in length. At the end of the defense, both the thesis and the oral examination will be graded by the members of the examining board. The vote will be taken in secret and supervised by the chairman for the examination. The final grade in each case is the average of the grades given by all. If a candidate fails this examination, he or she must obtain permission from the Dean to retake the examination. A candidate will not be permitted to retake the examination until at least one semester, or an equivalent period of time, has elapsed from the date of the failure. If the student fails a second time, he or she ceases to be a candidate for the licentiate degree. Residency The program of studies for the licentiate degree normally requires two years (four semesters) of full-time study. However, in certain cases, the Dean will consider requests to fulfill course requirements on a part-time basis. It is expected that all the requirements for the S.T.L. Degree will be completed within a five-year period. In certain cases involving extenuating circumstances, an extension may be granted.