Master of Pastoral Ministry

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

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The Church Management concentration is especially helpful for present or future parish business administrators and diocesan business managers who desire a greater foundation 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, this concentration provides ministers with theological, pastoral, financial, and managerial skills crucial for the efficient operation of churches and schools.

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Prepare for ministry in health care facilities through a combination of theology and pastoral ministry courses with on site Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at accredited CPE programs in regional hospitals like Harris Medical Center in Fort Worth or Children's Medical Center of Dallas. This program contributes to the student's ability to meet the certification standards of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains. 

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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 through course work, field education and a capstone project. 

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

• NSOM 5110. Graduate Proseminar. Required of all first-year students, this non-credit course is an introduction to the fields and methods of theological study for ministerial formation. Registration and active participation in all sessions constitute completion of the requirement.
• NSOM 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. 
• NSOM 5330. Systematic Theology. This course engages students in structured reflection on the Christian communal experience 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.
• NSOM 5340. Church History. The focus of this course is on the development of an understanding of the churchits ministry and spiritualitythrough the early, medieval, Reformation, modern, and contemporary eras. In particular, primary councils, movements, and church figures are considered.

• NSOM 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.
• NSOM 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.).
• NSOM 5370. Theological Reflection. Forming a basis of spirituality for ministers, theological reflection is a discipline designed to recognize God's activity within the context of ministry. Systematic reflection on students' spiritual journey and experiences enter into dialogue with scripture, church history, church teaching, current pastoral needs, and the lived faith experience of the people of God.

The core classes are supplemented with electives & degree- specific courses, 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 Concentration
• Church Management Concentration
• Health Care Ministry Concentration
• Youth Ministry Concentration

An annotated bibliography of texts related to the core curriculum of the ministerial graduate programs of the Braniff Graduate School of Liberal Arts is a degree requirement (required for graduation) for the Master of Pastroal Ministry program. The goal of the annotated bibliography is to help students solidify and demonstrate their understanding of the basic theological knowledge appropriate to professional competency for pastoral leadership. The annotated bibliography consists of a formal bibliographic entry for 25 approved texts that are followed by a description of the thesis, argumentation, and significance of each text.

Students should begin working with their faculty advisor on the annotated bibliography and obtain approval of the required works list early in their program. The final annotated bibliography is due by the 4th week of the semester a student intends to graduate.

For details, contact your faculty advisor and view the Annotated Bibliography section of the Graduate Student Resources webpage.

The University of Dallas is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award Bachelors, Masters and Ph.D. degrees.

The ministerial graduate programs, in content and form, are designed to ensure that successful students will be prepared to enter the ministerial workforce having met the standards set by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Commission on Certification and Accreditation, and the National Certification Standards for Lay Ecclesial Ministers.

The master's in pastoral ministry - youth ministry program is specifically designed to educate leaders based on the U.S. Catholic Bishops' pastoral plan, "Renewing the Vision - A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry." It also correlates with the national competency-based standards for certification as developed by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry in conjunction with the USCCB.

The Braniff Graduate School of Liberal Arts is a member of the Association of Graduate Programs in Ministry and the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education.