Purpose

The purpose of the Bachelor of Arts program at Sacred Heart Major Seminary is to provide an undergraduate liberal arts degree in a four-year format with a major in philosophy or pastoral theology.

Goals

1. That students develop the habit of using and integrating faith and reason.
   • Learning Outcome: Students will articulate in writing or orally the distinction and the relationship of faith and reason.

2. That students acquire a range of knowledge of human culture and civilization.
   • Learning Outcome: Students will be able to carry out measurements, solve problems, and make calculations in order to understand the findings and functions of natural science.
   • Learning Outcome: Students in music appreciation courses will be able to identify key movements, composers, and music concepts, especially sacred music.
   • Learning Outcome: Students will be able to summarize an excerpt from a Latin text and translate a short passage.
   • Students will be able to describe an important historical event and explore its historical and modern significance.
      
3. That students communicate effectively in oral and written form.
   • Learning Outcome: Students will be able to produce an essay which demonstrates sound rhetorical practice, organization, and mechanics, and is appropriate to higher education.
   • Learning Outcome: Students will be able to make a clear, effective oral presentation on a topic.

4. That students have the ability to make critical evaluations within the context of various disciplines.
   • Learning Outcome: Students will demonstrate the ability to draw valid conclusions.
   • Learning Outcome: Students will be able to infer meaning, identify key ideas, and recognize rhetorical devices in a text.
   • Learning Outcome: Students will demonstrate in writing an effective critical evaluation of a topic.

Philosophy Major Goal 

That students acquire knowledge of both the historical and systematic aspects of the Western philosophical tradition, particularly, though not exclusively, the tradition of Thomism.

• Learning Outcome: Students will be able to articulate basic distinctions about God and the world and articulate the human capacity to engage reason.
• Learning Outcome: Students will be able to explain a basic understanding about the composite of body and soul in the human person.
• Learning Outcome: Students will be able to describe the formation of the Summa Theologica and explain the individual structure of the articles and the overall architecture of the work.
• Learning Outcome: Students will be able to reference pertinent concepts in the Summa Theologica and apply the concepts to a philosophical problem or question.

Pastoral Theology Major Goal 

That students achieve knowledge of both historical and systematic aspects of Catholic doctrine and its application in ministry.

• Learning Outcome: Learning Outcome: Students will be able to de ne and explain orally at least two basic truths in each of the areas of theological foundations, spirituality, moral theology, ecclesiology, Sacred Scripture, and liturgy and sacraments..
• Learning Outcome: Students will demonstrate knowledge of Catholic doctrine..

Philosophy Major* - Course of Study (120 credit hours)

The philosophy major is required of those students enrolled as candidates for the Catholic priesthood.

Communication and Language Arts (9 credit hours)

Science and Mathematics (9 credit hours)

Social Sciences (9 credit hours)

Humanities (9 credit hours)

Music (5 credit hours)

*Commuter students may substitute 2 credit hours of electives with permission of the academic advisor.

Languages (15 credit hours)

  *Commuter students may substitute 3 credit hours of electives with permission of the academic advisor.

Theology (13 credit hours)

Philosophy (40 credit hours)

*This course is taken during the last four semesters of the program of study.  Students will earn one credit per semester.

Electives (11 credit hours)

Students must take sufficient elective courses to meet the graduation requirement. Students are counseled to choose elective courses according to a plan of study that will help them achieve their personal goals for their undergraduate education.

Some of the course requirements for the A.B. degree may be taken through the Detroit Area Catholic Higher Education Consortium or through applied transfer credit, subject to transfer credit guidelines.

Pastoral Theology Major - Course of Study (120 credit hours)

Communication and Language Arts (9 credit hours)

Science and Mathematics (9 credit hours)

Social Sciences (9 credit hours)

Humanities (9 credit hours)

Music (3 credit hours)

Languages (12 credit hours)

Philosophy (6 credit hours)

Theology (36 credit hours)

*To be taken in the student's final year of the A.B. Pastoral Theology program.

Pastoral Ministry (14 credit hours)

Electives (13 credit hours)

Students must take sufficient elective courses to meet the graduation requirement. Students are counseled to choose elective courses according to a plan of study that will help them achieve their personal goals for their undergraduate education.

Some of the course requirements for the A.B. degree may be taken through the Detroit Area Catholic Higher Education Consortium or through applied transfer credits, subject to transfer credit guidelines.

General Education Course Guidelines 

Mathematics Requirement

A course in college level mathematics is required to ensure that A.B. students are basically adept at understanding reality according to the methods of mathematical investigation. The objective of this course is that students be able to perform mathematical operations and understand that per- formance. That is, they should be able to participate in mathematical communication intelligently. From this course, students ought to learn the structures, principles, and processes of mathematics.

Natural and Physical Science Requirements

The aim of these requirements is to acquaint the student with the basic terminology and methods of the natural and physical sciences, so that they can understand and assess the sciences in ordi- nary life. Students are encouraged to take one introductory course in biology and one introductory course in physics or chemistry.

Art Appreciation Requirement

Students are expected to acquire an appreciation of the ne art that is part of our cultural heritage. Students are encouraged to take a course that includes a treatment of religious art.

World History Requirement

Students are expected to acquire a knowledge of world history as an aid to understanding the diverse elements that led up to, or prepared the way for, the coming of Christ. Hence, students are encouraged to take a course focusing upon the ancient world.

American History Requirement

Students are expected to acquire a knowledge of American history as an aid to understanding the unique character of American society and culture. Students are encouraged to take a course that focuses upon either the American founding or on the Civil War.

World Literature Requirement

Students are expected to acquire a knowledge of the literary classics that are part of our cultural heritage. Thus, students are encouraged to take a world literature course that focuses upon the classics of western civilization.

American Literature Requirement

Students are expected to acquire knowledge of the literary classics that have had particular in u- ence on American life and culture. Students are encouraged to take courses focusing upon American literary classics (e.g., Hawthorne, Twain, Hemingway).

Music Appreciation Requirement

Students are expected to acquire an appreciation of the music that is part of our cultural heritage. Students are encouraged to take a course that includes a treatment of liturgical music. Please note that instrument or voice training does not ful ll this requirement. 

Priestly Formation

Students aspiring to the priesthood participate in the programs of spiritual, human and apostolic formation as part of the AB program in philosophy. These formational goals and requirements are spelled out in the seminarian formation handbook.

Program Requirements

• A minimum of 120 credits must be earned through completion of the course of study.
• A minimum of 30 credit hours must be earned in residence at SHMS.
• Students must maintain a C average (2.0) for the required 120 semester hours.
• Philosophy majors only:  Students must maintain a C average (2.0) for the courses earned in philosophy.
• Pastoral Theology majors only:  Students must participate in three formation sessions during the course of study:
• a. Discernment
  b. Theological Reflection
  c. Spiritual Direction
• Students must participate in an assessment process of the academic program, including the completion of the ETS Proficiency Profile during the final year of study.

See a complete list of our Undergraduate Course Descriptions.

See our Academic Catalogs for this and past academic years.

Admissions

Admissions information for the Bachelor of Arts can be found on the Undergraduate Admissions page.