St. Stephen's College Launches a Re-Designed MTS Degree!

St. Stephen’s College has re-designed its Master of Theological Studies degree program and is currently accepting applications for students to begin studies in June 2021!

After an 18-month process of evaluation, visioning, research, and planning, St. Stephen’s is excited to announce the launch of a brand new and completely redesigned Master of Theological Studies degree. This program has been re-built from the ground up (so to speak), simultaneously drawing on the College’s strengths while also affording opportunities for St. Stephen’s to grow more intentionally into its identity as a multi-faith and inter-religious college.

The Master of Theological Studies at St. Stephen’s College can be taken as either a 42-credit course-based degree or a 48-credit thesis-based honours degree. The program invites students to encounter diverse faith traditions and cultures in ways that enrich their person and deepen their social engagement. The core courses are oriented toward cross-cultural and inter-religious experiences, personal and intellectual formation, and development in community leadership. Dedicated study tracks allow students to specialize in ways that deepen their spiritual understanding and/or focus on one of several vocational fields.

Students have the choice of one of two MTS specializations:

• The Faith and Culture Specialization combines the study of religious traditions and contemporary developments to engage students toward deepening their appreciation of the diverse expressions of human spiritual awareness.
• The Spiritual Care Specialization equips students with the foundational skills and aptitudes needed for a variety of spiritual care or chaplaincy contexts (such as healthcare, prisons, the military, postsecondary, business and corporations, inner-city/street organizations, and civil services such as city, police, fire). This specialization was developed in partnership with other Alberta-based theological colleges.

“There were certain goals that oriented our process of redesigning the MTS degree,” remarked Fred Tappenden, Principal and Dean of St. Stephen’s College. “First, we sought to design a program that is challenging both intellectually and inter-personally, and which is premised on encounters with diversity, pluralism, and multi-faith engagements. This really was the chief aim that drove our process of evaluation and re-design. Second, we wanted a program that we knew would be sustainable and rooted in the strengths of the College while also allowing the College to mature more intentionally into a multi-faith identity. Third, it was important that this program have the flexibility to lend itself toward the diverse professional and vocational goals of our students. Finally, knowing that the Association of Theological Schools was in the midst of re-writing their program standards, we took advantage of this moment and aligned our MTS from its inception upon these new standards. It took 18 months, but I think we achieved each of these goals in meaningful ways.”

St. Stephen’s is now accepting applications for a 2021 start date. Application deadline is February 1, 2021. Please see our Master of Theological Studies page for more information, or reach out to Alyssa Valentine (Department of Theology Administrator).