Online MA Program

The Christendom Graduate School offers its Master of Arts in Theological Studies degree in online-delivery format to distance students. The admissions requirements, courses and degree requirements are the same for online and on-campus students. Many of the online courses are based on videos pre-recorded in the classroom during actual class lectures; these asynchronous courses may be accessed by the online student at any time during the semester according to his or her own schedule.  Other courses are live, allowing students to interact with the professor and with each other in real-time. Some hybrid courses offer a mix of pre-recorded and live sessions.

The degree requirements for the MA degree are the same whether courses are accomplished in the classroom or online. The student may take all of his courses online or he may combine classroom courses with online courses in any combination that is convenient for him or her. Many find that attending the six-week residential summer session while working on online courses during the rest of the year allows them to finish the degree in a shorter time and also to experience the fellowship of a Catholic academic community for which Christendom is famous. All the required courses for the systematic theology, moral theology, and the evangelization and catechesis concentrations are available online. While students in the spirituality and consecrated life concentrations may take their core requirements online, the consecrated life and spirituality courses are only offered on campus during the residential summer study as part of the Vita Consecrata Institute. Online courses may be taken by non-degree students, such as those seeking a certificate, or casual or audit students studying for personal enrichment.

The Christendom Graduate School uses Populi as a platform for all online courses. Populi is a secure, password-protected site which ensures student privacy. No one has access to the student’s work except for the professor and the administrator who maintains the site. Exams for online courses are either taken in Populi or emailed to the professor.

Online courses are offered within the regular (fall, spring, and summer) sessions of the Graduate School. A full cycle of courses is offered each semester, so that students may complete the degree within four consecutive semesters, although they may of course study part-time and take longer to earn the degree. Students are expected to finish online courses by the end of the semester, and online students are subject to the same policy concerning course extensions as on-campus students.

The staff and faculty at the Christendom Graduate School are dedicated to making the online experience for distance students as close to the on-campus experience as possible.  Students have ready access to their professors and to the office staff, and can ask questions, chat, get advice, or resolve problems, usually without delay.