STEUBENVILLE, OHIO—Taking a major step forward with its online offerings, Franciscan University of Steubenville is now accepting candidates for its new Online Master of Arts in Theology and Christian Ministry.

“This program prepares you to serve the Church in a wide range of positions and introduces you to the entire deposit of faith as you grow closer to God personally,” said Dr. Jacob Wood, Franciscan University theology professor and director of the Online MA Theology Program.

The online program begins January 17, 2017, and features the same courses students take in Franciscan University’s on-campus Master of Arts in Theology Program. It does not require an undergraduate degree in theology or previous theology experience.

“We’ve built this degree to take you from zero to sixty and to help you ‘think with the Church’ at a very high level about your faith in a manner that is not intimidating,” Wood said.

The course work is delivered in a media-rich learning environment that includes video lectures, video conferences, blogs, and discussion forums that provide fruitful interaction with fellow students and the professor, while remaining flexible for each student’s work and life commitments.

Following two prerequisites, the program also includes a three-course sequence in dogmatic theology comprised of “The Trinity, Christ, and His Saving Work,” “Church and the Sacraments,” and “Sin and Grace, Mary, Eschatology, and the Four Last Things.”

“The entire 14-course program opens students to a world of discussion and contemplation on the mysteries of the faith that has been a part of the Church since Mary pondered these things in her heart,” said Wood. “It is a comprehensive approach that gives you the tools to answer the questions you will encounter as you take on a leadership role in the new evangelization.”

With more than 625 students currently enrolled, Franciscan University is home to the largest undergraduate theology and catechetics programs combined in the United States. Franciscan’s on-campus MA Theology Program grew out of the success of the undergrad theology program in 1980. As demand for the program’s dynamic orthodoxy spread beyond the traditional classroom setting, Franciscan University added the online degree option to meet the needs of the Church in the digital age. The University’s theology and catechetics programs are grounded in the magisterium of the Church, and they adhere to Christ’s Gospel message and the entire deposit of faith and morals.

The online courses will be taught by the same Franciscan University theology faculty members who are respected worldwide for their scholarly writing, research, speaking, and consulting work and for their writing and speaking in the public square.

All theology faculty members have received a mandatum from the local bishop and taken an Oath of Fidelity in which they pledge to teach authentic Church doctrine.

The Online MA Theology Program is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and by the Ohio Department of Higher Education and it adheres to the same rigorous academic standards of all Franciscan University academic programs.

For more information on the new Online Master of Theology in Christian Ministry Program or the on-campus MA Theology Program, go to https://Franciscan.University/ma-theology or contact Mike Bracelin at 740-284-5239 or [email protected].