Master of Arts in Religious and Pastoral Studies

The Master of Arts in Religious and Pastoral Studies is designed to offer those in ministry, education, and areas of social leadership the opportunity to earn a Master of Arts degree in Religious and Pastoral Studies.

Students can choose from three areas of concentration: Pastoral Studies, Religious Education, or Social Justice.

The curriculum provides teachers of religious studies and theology, parish directors of religious education, hospital chaplains, prison chaplains, parish services directors, liturgical ministers, music ministers, school campus ministers, and for seekers looking for personal spiritual development an opportunity to expand their knowledge in their fields and be better practitioners of the Catholic faith.

The program comes out of Cabrini College’s Catholic mission, but students of other backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Our program provides engagement with the common good, as moral and ethical questions are addressed; participation in Cabrini College's belief in lifelong learning; engagement with various fields to help those in ministerial positions (Students who enter the program can expect to use what they do in the program in their field); flexible course offerings to try to accommodate the schedules of ministry professionals who already live busy lives; the opportunity to work collaboratively in close interaction in small class sizes.

The program is 36 credits total, which includes 11 three-credit courses and a final culminating three-credit experience. The final three-credit component may come in the form of a culminating experience, a supervised ministry, or a tutored final paper.