Certificate Programs

The Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College offers a variety of Certificate Programs in addition to its Master of Arts in Theological Studies program. Students who are interested in a particular field of theology and want to establish a competency in it, but who do not need or want to earn the Master of Arts degree, may find that a certificate exactly meets their needs.

• Certificate students take the same challenging courses as degree-seeking students
• Certificates are offered in the areas of Dogmatic Theology, Moral Theology, Catechetics, Consecrated Life, and Scriptural Studies.
• Flexible program allows students to take courses according to their schedules
• Courses are offered during the evening and on weekends, some yearly and others every-other-year
• Consecrated Life courses are offered during the NDGS Summer Program, as part of the Vita Consecrata Institute (co-sponsored by the Institute on Religious Life)

Designed for

• Casual students who are interested in a particular area of theology
• Teachers who already have a master’s degree but who wish to teach theology in addition to their current subject matter
• NDGS MA students wishing to earn a certificate in an additional field besides their area of concentration
• Teachers who need courses for re-certification, but who want something more than individual courses
• Anyone with a love of learning and of theology!  

Requirements

• No prior theological education required
• Even those without a college degree can earn a certificate
• Simplified application process - easy to start
• Five 3-credit courses are required (six 2-credit courses for Consecrated Life)
• Student must maintain a 3.0 (B) average or higher
• Courses taken in the past may be applied towards a certificate if the grade earned was a B or higher

CERTIFICATE IN DOGMATIC THEOLOGY
THEO 601: God the Father
THEO 602: Christology
THEO 603: Holy Spirit and Ecclesiology
THEO 604: Moral Theology
THEO 605: Liturgy and Sacraments

CERTIFICATE IN MORAL THEOLOGY
THEO 604: Moral Theology
THEO 720: Theological Anthropology
THEO 721: The Virtues
THEO 724: Sexual Ethics
THEO 802: Catholic Social Teaching

CERTIFICATE IN CATECHETICS
THEO 606: Apologetics
EDUC 602: The Catechetical Tradition
EDUC 603: Catechetical Norms and Methods
THEO 605: Liturgy and Sacraments
EDUC 801: DRE (Religious Education) Internship
EDUC 630 & 631 (Teaching the Faith, I & II)
may be substituted in place of the Internship

CERTIFICATE IN CONSECRATED LIFE
(available summers only)
CONL 621:  History of the Consecrated Life
CONL 622:  Liturgy and the Consecrated Life
CONL 623:  Scriptural Foundations of Consecrated Life
CONL 624:  The Vows According to St. Thomas Aquinas
CONL 625:  Consecrated Life and Vatican II
CONL 626:  Consecrated Life in the Code of Canon Law

CERTIFICATE IN SCRIPTURAL STUDIES
SCRI 606:  Old Testament
SCRI 607:  New Testament
Three additional Scripture courses of the student’s choosing.

CERTIFICATE IN MONESSORI CATECHESIS
EDUC 620:  Montessori Catechesis and Family Spirituality
EDUC 621:  Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Training, Level I
EDUC 622:  Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Training, Level II
EDUC 623:  Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Training, Level III
THEO 605:  Liturgy and Sacraments

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