Be prepared to serve the diverse pastoral needs of the Church through the University of Dallas Master of Pastoral Ministry

The master’s degree in pastoral ministry is designed to equip those who wish to serve in parishes, dioceses or other ministerial settings with in-depth theological knowledge and effective pastoral skills.

The Master of Pastoral Ministry program consists of 36 credit hours. Students combine the ministry core curriculum (21credit hours) with degree-specific courses (9 credit hours) and elective courses (6 credit hours). The core curriculum includes a capstone project in which students have the opportunity to integrate their knowledge with pastoral practice within a dynamic ministerial context, accompanied by a seasoned practitioner.

CORE CURRICULUM COURSES

The following courses are required for all of the MPM degrees:

• TMIN 5311 Graduate Proseminar. Required of all first-year students. It is designed to introduce new students to the world of graduate studies in theology and pastoral ministry, and to assist them in undertaking graduate level work successfully. Students will be led through the whole process of writing for theological studies, from reading comprehension to theological analysis, from first draft to final paper. Proseminar is offered only in the Fall semester, with both on site and online options.
• TMIN 5310 Foundations of Catholic Biblical Interpretation. This course’s content and structure are suggested by a description of the Bible by the Second Vatican Council: the words of God expressed in human language (DV 13). Therefore, it will deal, first, with the concepts of Revelation, Transmission-Tradition, Inspiration, Biblical Truth and the Canon, which traditionally express the Church’s belief in the divine origin of the Bible. Second, it will deal with the nature of the Bible as a human document, linked to a culture rooted in specific coordinates of space and time. Finally, it will review the development and nature of modern scientific methods and approaches of biblical interpretation, together with the Church’s reactions to and positions on these methods and approaches in the last 100 years.
• TMIN 5330 Systematic Theology. This course engages students in structured reflection on the Christian communalexperience of faith and how that faith is understood, expressed, and lived out in the Catholic tradition. It invites dialogue among students and with the formative elements of Catholic tradition to consider theological method (i.e., How do we do this work properly?), doctrinal clarity (i.e., What does our formative tradition teach?) and pastoral practice (i.e., How do theology and pastoral realities influence one another?). Topics of special focus include revelation and faith, God, the Trinity, Christology, Christian anthropology, and the theology of the church, including Mary and the saints.
• TMIN 5350 Moral Theology. A critical survey of fundamental moral theology, this course includes the distinctiveness of Christian morality, conscience formation, natural law, moral norms, and decision-making. It provides an entre into special moral theology, which includes bioethics, environmental ethics, healthcare ethics, sexual ethics, and social ethics.
• TMIN 5360. Liturgy and Sacraments. This course offers a critical survey of the history, theology, and liturgical celebration of the sacraments according to the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, with special attention given to the role of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (R.C.I.A.).
• TMIN 73XX Capstone. The Capstone represents a single culminating assessment in the form of a research paper on a focused topic of the student's choosing, especially one related to their chosen field of pastoral service. The research paper allows students to demonstrate the ability to assess ministerial need or practice, think critically and theologically, integrate the theology appropriate to a particular ministry, plan and execute a ministerial and/or research project, and evaluate ministry in the field.
• TMIN 63XX Scripture Elective.

 

CONCENTRATIONS

The required core classes (21 credit hours) are supplemented with degree specific courses (9 credit hours) and elective courses (6 credit hours), depending on the concentration selected. For more details on the courses required for each concentration, we invite you to learn more about our pastoral ministry concentrations:

Campus Ministry

The Campus Ministry concentration prepares those interested in working with young adults faced with both the challenges of high school and/or college life as well as the accompanying questions about faith, values, and vocation.  Pastoral skills are developed through coursework, field education and a capstone.

Degree Specific Course Requirements

• TMIN 6370 Ministry in the Church
• TMIN 7301 Pastoral Ministry Internship-Campus Ministry
• Additional Internship
• Two (2) Electives

Church Management

The Church Management concentration is especially helpful for present or future parish business administrators and diocesan business managers who want more grounding in theology and ministerial practice, as well as for priests, deacons and pastoral associates who wish to strengthen their administrative and leadership skills.  Through field education and electives, the concentration provides ministers with theological pastoral, financial, and management skills crucial for the efficient operation of churches and schools.

Degree Specific Course Requirements

• TMIN 6370 Ministry in the Church
• TMIN 7302 Pastoral Ministry Internship - Church Management
• Additional Internship
• Two (2) Electives - from ministry courses (not required by the program), leadership courses in the Braniff Graduate School and/or Management courses in the Gupta College of Business

Health Care Ministry

The Health Care concentration combines theology and pastoral ministry courses with on-site Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at an accredited CPE program in regional hospitals designed to equip the student with pastoral skills for work in health care ministry.  This program contributes to the student's ability to meet the certification standards of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains.

Degree Specific Course Requirements

• TMIN 6370 Ministry in the Church
• TMIN 7309 Clinical Pastoral Education (C.P.E.) Internship
• Additional Internship
• Two (2) Electives

Youth Ministry

The Youth Ministry concentration provides the preparation needed to address the spiritual growth of youth in a parish or school setting.  Pastoral skills are developed by course work, field education and a capstone.

Degree Specific Course Requirements

• TMIN 6370 Ministry in the Church
• TMIN 7304 Pastoral Ministry Internship - Youth Ministry
• Additional Ministry
• Two (2) Electives