Curriculum Overview

The Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries offers a Master of Arts degree in Pastoral Ministries. The degree consists of sixty quarter units, which are made up of fifteen four-unit classes. Eight of the fifteen courses are required foundational courses; the distribution of the remaining seven classes will depend upon whether the student is enrolled in one of our emphasis programs:

In addition, each student is required to complete a Capstone project, which may be either an integrative essay and portfolio of course papers (an option for all students) or a ministry practicum and integrative essay (an option for students enrolled in an emphasis). The Capstone Project allows the student to demonstrate the depth of learning and practical application of the program’s four student learning goals.

Course Delivery Site and Formats:

The Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries began on the Santa Clara University campus in 1983, serving students in the Diocese of San José and surrounding dioceses, across the United States and internationally.

We offer courses in three formats:

• On the Santa Clara University campus, we offer the traditional in-person format: 3-hour classes one night a week for ten weeks, plus a possible session during finals week.
• Mixed-Mode format in which students attend all of the classes synchronously, either online or in the classroom together.
• Fully online but in person, all students will attend the class online through Zoom at the same time (In-Person Online or Synchronous Online)