JST’s Approach to Theological Education: Integrating Faith and Scholarship

The Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University offers a theological education that prepares you to serve the Church and the wider world. Rooted in Catholic and Ignatian traditions, JST-SCU brings intellectual study and spiritual formation together. Through programs such as the Master of Theological Studies (M.T.S.), JST-SCU integrates faith and learning, encouraging you to think critically about theology as you learn to live out your faith beyond the classroom.

This approach shapes how JST-SCU forms scholars and ministers for a lifetime of service to others. Read on to delve deeper into the principles and practices that guide JST-SCU's approach to Jesuit theological education.

Jesuit Educational Philosophy in Practice

JST-SCU's educational philosophy reflects Catholic and Jesuit values that emphasize the formation of the whole person. As part of a global Jesuit network, JST-SCU welcomes you, wherever you come from, and supports your growth as a scholar and minister.

This approach is guided by cura personalis, or care for the whole person.¹ JST-SCU aims to educate you in your full humanity by supporting your intellectual development alongside your faith, spirituality, compassion, and desire to make the world a better place. We believe education can serve as a form of justice that supports our mission to build a more humane and sustainable world.

Reflection and discernment are at the heart of this Jesuit approach. As part of your theological formation at JST-SCU, you'll learn to pause and pay attention to your experiences, thoughts, and motivations. Through reflection, you'll consider where you have been, what you have learned, and how those insights can guide your actions.

Discernment helps you make thoughtful choices about how you live your faith and respond to the needs of your communities. In the classroom, it shapes how you engage with theological arguments and develop your own positions.

Our institution places strong emphasis on building a community rooted in shared values, relationships, and commitment. Ignatian spirituality encourages you to recognize the sacred in everyday life and in one another. This shapes a learning environment in which you'll feel valued and respected. It reinforces the belief that individuals and communities are deeply interconnected and that working together can lead to a more just world. We call it becoming "people with and for others."

The Role of Faith in Theological Inquiry

At JST-SCU, faith plays a central role in how you'll approach theological study. You'll examine the tradition of Christian thought carefully by asking meaningful questions while remaining grounded in the beliefs and practices that shape the Church.² This approach brings faith and thoughtful inquiry together, connecting established theology to the realities of today's world. In practice, this means you'll spend significant time reading primary texts and reflecting on them through writing and small-group discussions.

Your theological study at JST-SCU also engages questions about justice and responsibility to others. You'll examine how faith informs ethical choices and consider how theological insight can guide meaningful service to the Church and beyond.

Preparing for Purposeful Work in Ministry and Academia

Whether you're at an early stage of your spiritual journey or well into your professional life, JST-SCU prepares you to carry your theological education into work that serves others in lasting ways. You'll join graduates whose understanding of Jesuit theological education informs their work in teaching, ministry, and community leadership. Our alumni include educators, theologians, church ministers, pastoral counselors, and more. Across these paths, alumni often point to JST-SCU as the place where theological study became a practical guide for their work in the world.

For Fumiaki Tosu, M.Div. '03, that preparation shaped a life rooted in service and justice. After graduating, Fumi taught social justice at a Jesuit high school and later led Catholic Worker communities in California and Oregon.³ He describes JST-SCU as a community of "loving, caring, and curious people who are all trying to live into what it means to profess a faith that makes a difference for justice in the world." At JST-SCU, Fumi learned to engage theology beyond the classroom as a framework to understand what it means to be human; he learned to relate to the Divine while living faithfully amid social and environmental challenges. His JST-SCU spiritual formation continues to guide his work managing the Dandelion House in Portland.

Maureen Pratt, MTS '21, felt called to a career in pastoral ministry through her theological education at JST-SCU.⁴ During her final year, Maureen's plans to expand her local ministry shifted as she became her mother's full-time guardian. Around that time, a parish in Connecticut began using her book Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain and Illness as the foundation for a wellness ministry. This work grew into The Peace in the Storm project: a pastoral ministry serving people living with chronic pain and illness.

These stories illustrate how JST-SCU helps students learn to connect ideas with action. Through faculty mentorship, reflection, and hands-on engagement with theology, you'll develop the ability to carry your learning into a lifetime of meaningful service.

Connect Theological Study to Your Calling

The Master of Theological Studies program at JST-SCU helps working professionals connect theological study with their personal missions and career aspirations. Through an approach that integrates theology and scholarship, the M.T.S. will equip you with tools to reflect on how faith shapes the work you feel called to pursue.

The M.T.S. curriculum provides comprehensive grounding across four foundational areas: Biblical Studies, Theology and Spirituality, Theological Ethics, and Culture, History & the Arts. You'll then specialize in one of six concentrations—including Christian Spirituality and Synodal Leadership—allowing you to develop deep expertise in your area of interest. This breadth and depth will prepare you equally well for doctoral studies, ministry work, or leadership roles that integrate faith and learning.

JST-SCU's distinguished faculty bring both scholarly rigor and pastoral wisdom to their teaching, and the program's flexible hybrid format is designed specifically for working professionals. You can take classes online to fit your schedule while maintaining your current commitments. In-person components, including orientation, provide essential opportunities for you to connect with peers and faculty, building the supportive community that defines Jesuit theological education.

Begin the conversation today. Contact us to explore how the Master of Theological Studies program can support your work through faith-informed scholarship.