Master of Divinity (M.Div.)

Admission Requirements

The normal academic requirement is a Bachelor's degree from a recognized university. If there is any doubt about recognition of undergraduate studies, the credentials will be assessed by the designated offices of the General Council of The United Church of Canada.

OR

For applicants over the age of thirty-five years, who have sought and received “Shorter Course” approval from the designated office of the General Council of The United Church of Canada (Manual Section 723, 2007 edition), the requirement is Senior Matriculation plus one full year of Arts at the University level. At least one year-long course (or its equivalent) shall have been completed within the two years prior to the date of application to the Shorter Course. In accordance with standards established by the Association of Theological Schools, St. Andrew’s College is restricted to having no more than ten percent (10%) of its M.Div. students without an undergraduate degree or its educational equivalent. The number of students admitted under the above requirements may be limited in any given year.

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Applicants with a Master of Theological Studies degree from St. Andrew's College may renounce their MTS degree and have those credits applied to a Master of Divinity degree program. Applicants with a Masters or Doctoral degree from another ATS (Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada) institution may request that up to fifteen (15) semester classes or 45 credit hours be applied to the Master of Divinity degree. The previous degree need not be renounced. Applicants with degrees or credits from other institutions (including credits earned prior an institution receiving ATS accreditation) will be considered on a case by case basis. Approval of transfer credits is at the discretion of the Faculty who will consider such factors as level of course, age of credits, number of courses in one area, and range of preparation in undergraduate degree. The Integration Seminar (SA273/74), Internship, and Learning Circle requirements, while normally upheld, are also at the discretion of the Faculty depending on previous experience and the content of the previous degree.
In addition to academic requirements, an applicant's personal qualifications, references, etc. will be considered in the admission procedure.

For a student to be admitted to St. Andrew's College, the College must be satisfied of his/her academic, vocational and psychological fitness, and that his/her financial means are adequate. The College may place a student on probation, or if warranted, may discontinue a student for any of these reasons. In the case of students in the candidacy process for ministry, such actions will be taken only in full consultation with appropriate courts of the church.

In order to enter the M.Div. program, qualified candidates are expected to have been received as candidates for ordained ministry in The United Church of Canada, or to be intent on seeking such status. (Candidates from other denominations may seek admission to the degree program by presenting documentation from their denominational bodies supporting admission and outlining denominational courses to be taken in place of United Church denominational courses.) In order to remain in the M.Div. program, candidacy must be obtained by April 1 of the year in which the student intends to enter Phase Three.

A student who is within one or two classes of completing an Arts degree or its equivalent may be permitted to register to take courses for credit toward a degree at St. Andrew's on a provisional basis, provided that a plan is presented in advance for the completing of the unfinished pre theological studies within the first two semesters.

Students may be part time or full time.

Program Requirements

The Master of Divinity degree requires the successful completion of a total of seventy two (72) credit hours, plus an internship (30 credit hours) and Learning Circles (18 credit hours). Each one semester course represents three credit hours. The program requires:

Those seeking ordination in The United Church of Canada are required to take United Church history, theology and polity. This is now part of the Learning Circles. In addition, there are integrative courses that are a required part of the St. Andrew's program. During Phase 2, all students will take SA 273-74 Integration Seminar for three credits each semester. There is an extra fee, equivalent to 5 percent of tuition, due in the fall semester, to cover any additional costs required by placement agencies. During Phase 3 years, all students will participate in a half-time internship of sixteen consecutive months and Learning Circles equivalent to eighteen (18) credit hours. This leaves eighteen (18) credit hours that are undesignated.

A student may receive no more than six credit hours for introductory courses in biblical languages. One Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) or Supervised Pastoral Education (SPE) course may be taken as a six credit hour elective.

Students who have completed undergraduate degree courses equivalent to the required courses are encouraged to request exemptions. Other work of an equivalent nature can be used through Prior Learning Assessment.
Academic credits obtained at other institutions may be credited towards a St. Andrew's degree. No more than half of the credits required for the degree may be transfer credits. Courses may be transferred in at admission if, in the opinion of the Faculty, they represent work of adequate quality and fit the program distribution. For students enrolled in the program, permission of the faculty must be requested in writing and received prior to enrolling in outside courses.

A faculty advisor is appointed for each student to assist in the selection of appropriate courses to meet the program requirements, to provide a broad basic theological education, and to enable the student to focus in areas of special interest or need.

The academic program must be completed with a minimum average grade of 60 percent.

Core group and committee participation

Students who choose full time residential semesters as part of their program will participate with other students and a faculty member in a one and a half hour core group on alternate weeks. This provides an opportunity to reflect on life in this community, and allows time to share experiences and opinions on issues of a spiritual, personal, academic, and theological nature. On alternate weeks the various committees needed for the community life and functioning of the College will meet at this time. Participation by students in core groups and in the committee work of their choice is considered a non credit requirement of the residential program.

Master of Divinity (Honours)

The option of doing an Honours M.Div. degree is available. Students must maintain a grade average of 75 percent throughout the academic program, demonstrate competence in either a second language (biblical or modern) or special preparation in the area of the thesis research, and present an acceptable thesis (50 60 pages, 12,000 15,000 words) with 200 word abstract.

Students must declare their intention for M.Div. (Honours) on accumulation of forty five (45) credit hours. Students choosing Honours will be expected to submit the proposal for their thesis by the time they have accumulated seventy five (75) credit hours. Thesis work will constitute two course credits (6 credit hours) of work in the program. Competency in the second language must be proven by the end of the second week of the term in which the thesis is to be presented. Two bound copies of the thesis are to be provided to the College Library at the student's expense.

If a student successfully completes all of the course credits but does not successfully complete the thesis, the student may be given the M.Div. degree without the honours designation.

Application form (44k PDF*)

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Program Structure

Program structure details