In addition to the admission requirements for all applicants, a candidate should note the following:
- Applicants must have substantial experience in directing different persons of different backgrounds. It is expected that an applicant will have worked with some of those directees for a significant length of time. Experience in ministries closely related to spiritual direction is also helpful. Written descriptions of such experience must be provided to the Admissions Committee.
- One unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), performed in the United States, must be completed before beginning any practica.
- Applicants must be available for a personal interview with CRD staff.
- Priests and members of religious orders must submit a letter of approval from their bishop or major superior.
- A bachelor's degree with evidence of above average achievement in previous academic work is required.
Students must complete 48 credit hours with a GPA of at least 3.0 in two component areas. The academic component consists of 24 credit hours of required theology courses; the practica component consists of 24 credits of required, specialized courses and supervised work in spiritual direction, including a final written project. The academic component is designed so that a full-time student can complete it in one year and is normally completed prior to the practical component. A part-time student may complete the academic component in two years. The practical component must be completed as a full-time student in one academic year, beginning in the fall semester. In all cases, the degree must be completed within three years of matriculation. Up to six credit hours of graduate theology courses taken elsewhere may be considered for transfer credit.
Someone who has graduated within the past four years from Weston Jesuit’s M.T.S. or M.Div. programs may, after completing the required unit of CPE, enroll in the M.A. program to fulfill the practica component administered through the Center for Religious Development. These students do not need to complete the academic portion of the program.
Church History: 3 credit hours
Historical-Systematic Theology: 6 credit hours
Moral Theology: 6 credit hours
Elective: 3 credit hours
