Bachelor in Sacred Theology (S.T.B.)

The program is open to any qualified student — lay, religious, or cleric — who desires to get a thorough and solid training in Catholic theology. The aims of the STB program are to present in an organic manner the whole of Catholic doctrine; to introduce the student to the scientific method in theology; to assure student comprehension through appropriate required examinations.

Areas of Theology

The course of studies, which all students pursuing the STB are expected to take, covers the following areas of theology:

a.) Biblical Theology

The courses in sacred Scripture are designed to provide a survey of Old and New Testament literature, as well as an in-depth study of individual books and subjects. The opportunity to study biblical languages is given and the learning of such language is highly encouraged.

b.) Systematic Theology

The purpose of the study of systematic theology is to provide the student with a reflective understanding reached by reason under the light of faith, of the mysteries of the Christian faith. Courses in this area, while recapitulating what remains valid in traditional systematization, deal also with new theological problems that arise in our contemporary context. They further seek to show the mutual interrelation of the Christian mysteries, they are bearing upon the total human way of life here and hereafter, and their relationship to other areas of human knowledge.

c.) Historical Theology

These cover the major doctrinal developments and controversies of the Christian tradition. Through an emphasis on the historical context in which Christian doctrines have been formulated, the study of historical theology is meant to make the student aware of both the original significance of the central Catholic doctrines and all the various ways in which doctrines and theological systems come to be formulated.

d.) Moral Theology

The courses in moral theology are designed to enable the student to study the moral norms a person must follow as well as focusing on the formation of character, vision of life, and basic values and convictions, which enable a person to do the good and attain his/her final goal in the light of Christian faith and reason.

e.) Sacramental Theology and Sacred Liturgy

Courses in this field are meant to inculcate in the students “a solid grasp of the meaning of the sacraments and their place in Christian living.”

f.) Spiritual-Pastoral Theology

The study of pastoral theology, both in course work and in field work, is directed to preparing future pastoral workers to deal directly with the more practical aspects of Christian life, sacraments, liturgy, canon law, Christian secular spheres like family and the city.

g.) Missiology

In response to the call for the Philippine Church to become truly a Church-in-Mission, studies on missiology and evangelization are an integral part of the STB program.

Academic Prerequisites

Students seeking admission to this program must have a college degree with at least 12 units of undergraduate theology and must have completed the systematic study of philosophy required by the Church. While course descriptions and the distribution of matter will vary from place to place the following will generally be considered as normative in determining whether the minimum requirements of the philosophical studies have been met: philosophy of the human person (two semesters), philosophy of religion, foundations of moral value, history of philosophy (three semesters), logic, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science, and philosophy of language (total of 12 three-unit courses). Certain courses which are not readily available in some schools may be substituted with corollary philosophical disciplines. Nevertheless, a total of 36 units of philosophy should still be completed.

While there may be variations in curricula, students must have completed two years or four semesters in which an "organic exposition of the various parts of philosophy was imparted, which included treating the world, human being and God.” It also should have included the history of philosophy, together with an introduction into the method of scientific research.

Applicants must pass an Entrance Exam administered by the Ateneo de Manila and an LST English Proficiency Test.

STB Course Work

First Year

Second Year

Third Year

Fourth Year

Priesthood Track

Seminarians and scholastics aspiring for ordination to the priesthood take additional courses and exams to prepare themselves for the priestly ministry: e.g., homiletics, presiding on the liturgy, the administration of the sacraments, and preparation for and examination on hearing confessions.

Major Research Paper

Towards the end of third year, all STB students must submit to the LST Registrar one major research paper they had written in one of their theology courses.  The paper must conform to the following specifications:

• It must be between 15-30 pages in length.

• It must be formatted according to LST Style Manual based on Turabian, 6th edition.

• It must include footnotes and at least one full-page bibliography listing only the titles of books and articles that have actually been cited in the paper.

• It must have received a grade of at least 2.5 (B)

Note: The sources of quotations and borrowed ideas must be fully acknowledged in the footnotes. Failure to do so is tantamount to plagiarism, which is penalized with a failing grade in the course and an appropriate sanction (Code of Discipline, pp. 9-10).

STB Dogma Comprehensive Examination

All students in the STB program take an oral dogma comprehensive examination after completing all required course work. This examination aims to determine whether students have attained sufficient theological knowledge for the fruitful exercise of their ministry.
The matter for this comprehensive examination is distributed to the students at least three months before the examination date. Since early publication of the compo¬sition of the board of examiners is judged to be detrimental to the review and preparation for the examination, the names of the examiners are made public only two days before the examination date.

Depending on academic performance, students take either an honors or an ordinary comprehensive examination:

a.) The Ordinary Comprehensive Examination

The ordinary comprehensive examination lasts 45 minutes before a board of three professors. The basis of the examination is the ordinary comprehensive theses sheet. Each professor questions the examinee for 15 minutes.

b) The Honors Comprehensive Examination

It is a 90-minute examination before a board of three professors. The preparation for it affords an opportunity for the students to achieve more thorough overview of the whole STB program and to assimilate it in a more personal and creative way. The examination itself allows the students to manifest exceptional mastery of the program in theology in view of their ministry.

Qualification

Students in the STB program with a 1.00 - 1.75 weighted average take the honors comprehensive examination. This average is computed from all the courses taken. Those whose average falls between 1.76 and 2.00 may appeal to the Standards and Degrees Committee to be allowed to take the honors comprehensive examination.

Students who have four or more of the STB courses taken from another school, i.e., 12 or more of STB credit-units obtained from “transfer credits”, are allowed to take only the ordinary comprehensive examination.

Procedure

The honors examination consists of two parts. In the first, the candidate is examined by each of the three professors for 20 minutes each on the basis of the ordinary comprehensive examination theses sheet. After a break, the candidate presents his synthesis within ten minutes. He is then questioned on the synthesis presented by the examiners for 20 minutes. Each examiner gives a mark based on the total performance. The first part counts for 2/3 and the second for 1/3 of the final grade for the examination.

Synthesis

The synthesis is intended to help honors students personally integrate the main themes of their study of theology by articulating it in relation to a particular focus. The theses studied in preparation for the comprehensive examination express the main areas of the Christian message that should be included in the synthesis. In presenting their syntheses, students are expected to show a creative grasp of the contents of the Catholic faith as it relates to a topic that they have found meaningful, and which has relevance for an inculturated theology.

The synthesis is normally five to ten pages in length. It is prepared in consultation with his/her mentor. The synthesis should be submitted to the mentor at least two weeks before the comprehensive examination.

Three days before the examination, five typed copies of the synthesis, approved by the mentor, should be submitted to the Dean. Forms for assigning the mentor and for obtaining approval of the synthesis may be obtained from the Loyola School of Theology Secretariat.