On registering to complete the capstone essays, you will be given five questions based on coursework you have taken. You will select three of the five questions and respond to each question with an essay between 2,500 and 3000 words (about 8 to 10 pages).
The essays should demonstrate your achievement of the learning outcomes associated with the degree. They should draw on adequate sources, and follow a recognized style manual for citation (preferably Chicago Style).
Your essays will be evaluated by faculty who teach in the Master of Arts (Theology) program. They will be assessed using this rubric. The grades for all three essays will be averaged to determine your grade for the concluding exercise. You must earn a B- or above to pass. If you earn lower than a B-, you may retake the exercise once, within six months of the first attempt.
Please register for: 70:900 Capstone Essays.
See a general calendar of deadlines for registration and completion of capstone essays.
On registering to complete the Textual Analysis Essays, you will write three essays on three texts chosen from this list. You may be granted permission to write about a text not included on this list, if a member of the faculty agrees to endorse your choice.
Keep in mind that the assignment is to offer an analysis of the text, not a book report or book review. As academic methods vary between each theological discipline, you should consult with the professors responsible for grading the essays to ensure that you understand their expectations.
Your essays should demonstrate a solid command of the central arguments and objectives of the texts under consideration. In elucidating the significance of these texts, you are expected to draw from relevant aspects of your earlier coursework. For instance, the professor may recommend that you explore how the texts in question relate to sacred Scripture, the historical development of the Church, or the Church's theological tradition.
Each essay must be between 2,500 and 3000 words (about 8 to 10 pages). The essays should demonstrate your achievement of some or all of the learning outcomes associated with the degree. They should draw on adequate sources, and follow the Saint Meinrad house style for citations developed by the Mader Center. They will be assessed using this rubric.
Your essays will be evaluated by faculty who teach in the Master of Arts (Theology) program. The grades for all three essays will be averaged to determine your grade for the concluding exercise. You must earn a B- or above to pass. If you earn lower than a B-, you may retake the exercise once, within six months of the first attempt.
Please register for: 70:905 Textual Analysis Essays.
See a general calendar of deadlines for registration and completion of Textual Analysis Essays.
This option for the concluding exercise entails writing a 25- to 30-page research paper (7,500-10,000 words) that demonstrates achievement of theological literacy.
For example, you may write on some aspect of sacred Scripture, Church history, the Profession of Faith, the celebration of the Christian Mystery, the life in Christ, Christian prayer or ministerial practice. In addition, your paper must identify how it satisfies at least one other degree outcome.
Your paper must draw on adequate sources, follow a recognized style manual for citation (preferably Chicago style), and be completed three weeks prior to the last scheduled class day for the semester. Your paper will be graded by your research director and one other faculty reader. They will be assessed using this rubric. You must earn an average of at least a "B-" to pass. If you earn lower than a B-, you may retake the exercise once, within six months of the first attempt.
To register for the Research Paper Concluding Exercise, several prerequisites must be met. Please complete the permission form available here and in Blackbaud, and register for 70:400 Research Paper.
See a general calendar of deadlines for registration and completion deadlines.
The practical research project has two components: a project that has direct pastoral application and a research paper for which the project serves as the main focus. Several prerequisites must be met to choose this option. After completing at least 24 hours of the MA(T), you may begin developing a project in consultation with a faculty member serving as project director.
For example, a student may choose to develop a teaching curriculum for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults as the project and then write a related research paper reflecting on the history, theology and other issues that undergird the curriculum.
You and your director will agree on a combined project/paper that is of comparable scope to a 7,500- to 10,000-word paper (about 25 to 30 pages). The practical research project should demonstrate your ability to make pastoral application of theological concepts. In addition, your project should demonstrate your achievement of the learning outcomes associated with the degree.
Your research paper must draw on adequate sources, follow a recognized style manual for citation, and be completed three weeks prior to the last scheduled class day for the semester. Your practical research project will be graded by your project director and one other faculty reader. They will be assessed using this rubric. You must earn an average of at least a "B-" to pass. If you earn lower than a B-, you may retake the exercise once, within six months of the first attempt.
To register for the Practical Research Project Concluding Exercise, please complete the permission form available here and in Blackbaud, and register for 70:800 Practical Research Project. See a general calendar of deadlines for registration and completion deadlines.