Religious Studies
Graduate Certificates
Our certificate programs strengthen your professional formation with 12 credits of coursework in a particular area of concentration. Certificates may be pursued as an integral part of the Master of Arts degree program, as a free-standing program for non-degree seeking students or a supplement to a completed Master of Arts degree. You may earn a certificate in residence or remotely. The University of Dayton’s online certificate Programs include a hybrid option that welcomes students from across the country into synchronous classes with residential students. Certificates are offered in the following areas:
If a full M.A. degree is not right for you at this time, the Certificate in Campus Ministry is ideal. It includes foundational courses in theological studies as well as formation in ministry skills specific to a context of Catholic campus ministry. Should you decide to pursue a full degree after completing the certificate, these credits will count toward your M.A. The certificate may be completed in residence or in synchronous online courses. Students who complete this degree successfully have met the educational requirements for the Catholic Campus Ministry Association’s Tier Two Certification. Consisting of 15 semester hours, this certificate offers a breadth of theology to help the minister in various campus ministry situations.
Already have an M.A. degree? The University of Dayton’s Post-Masters Certificate in Campus Ministry is ideal for you. This certificate provides theological enrichment and formation in ministry skills specific to a context of Catholic campus ministry. The certificate may be completed in residence or in synchronous online courses. Students who complete this degree successfully have met the educational requirements for the Catholic Campus Ministry Association’s Tier Three Certification.
This 12-hour graduate certificate equips students to minister as, with and to people with disabilities. Two required courses in scripture and theology, focused on disability, provide foundational theological courses. Students tailor their certificate programs with an additional six elective credits. Some of the elective offerings include praxis courses taught by instructors with years of experience in disability and ministry.
This 12-hour certificate is a graduate-level introduction to Marian studies. Students tailor their own program with a selection of four three-credit courses from topics that include “Mary in Sacred Scripture and Early Church Tradition,” “Mary in Liturgy” and “Ministry in a Marian and Marianist Spirit.” Students have access to the world class Marian library, a rare collection of books, periodicals, articles, prints and religious artifacts related to Mary.
A certificate in Pastoral Care is available for those seeking or with an earned Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
The 12-hour multidisciplinary Sustainability Certificate was established in recognition that complex societal sustainability issues require integration of knowledge and wisdom from all disciplines. Sustainability related jobs are rapidly increasing in every field. The certificate requires two three-credit core courses (SSP 500: Foundations in Sustainability and SSP 580: Applied Sustainability) and six-credits of electives that can be taken in REL.
Catholic Campus Ministry Association Certifications
Achieve educational requirements for a Tier 2 certification with the formal education requirements from our certificate programs, just six or 12 graduate credit hours from our department.
Achieve educational requirements for a Tier 3 certification with the formal education
requirements from either our M.A. in Pastoral Ministry or M.A. in Theological Studies.
Formal education requirements
Tier 1, Essential Certification: Bachelor's degree in any field from an accredited college or university.
Tier 2, Integral Certification: Bachelor's degree in any field from an accredited college or university plus 12 graduate credits in theology, religious studies or pastoral ministry from an accredited college or university OR bachelor's degree in theology, religious studies or pastoral ministry from an accredited college or university plus six graduate credits in in theology, religious studies or pastoral ministry from an accredited college or university.
Tier 3, Advanced Certification: An advanced degree beyond the bachelor degree (Ph.D., MBA, M.A., MSW, etc.) plus at least 18 graduate credit hours in in theology, religious studies or pastoral ministry from an accredited college or university.
Our programs are compatible with the Catholic Campus Ministry Association’s Standards for Campus Ministers in Human Formation, Spiritual Formation, Intellectual Formation and Pastoral Formation. Our faculty take special care to include elements of these standards within formation of our students not just in the classroom, but within Pastoral Ministry Seminar, Spiritual Formation, Colloquia, Retreat Opportunities, Opportunities for the Sacraments, and many opportunities for fellowship. All of this will support obtaining CCMA certification.