Deepen your understanding of the Christian tradition within the richness of the Roman
Catholic heritage and the Spiritan charism. The Ph.D. in Theology program focuses
on global Christianity and engages with the challenges faced by disadvantaged populations
in an ecumenical spirit.
As a student, you’ll explore the Christian tradition through its biblical foundations,
historical development, and interactions with diverse religions and cultures. You’ll
engage in rigorous studies of systematic, moral and biblical theology while broadening
your perspective through disciplines like history of religion, philosophy, anthropology,
sociology, spirituality and the physical sciences.
This program will equip you with the knowledge and insight to address critical issues
and make meaningful contributions to the world.
For over 40 years, our doctoral program in Theology has equipped students like you
to make a global impact, awarding nearly 200 Ph.D. degrees. As a graduate, you’ll
join a distinguished network of leaders who have become professors, authors, deans,
provosts, department chairs, and institute directors—both in academia and within the
Church, including the Vatican.
Our alumni also serve as priests, pastors, chaplains, bishops, and even Superior Generals
of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. Your journey here could lead to similar influential
roles, contributing to theology and the wider world in transformative ways. Recent
graduates' accomplishments showcase the exceptional quality of our students' theological
work, including:
Elaine Heath served as the Dean of Duke Divinity School.
Rev. Dr. Alain Mayama, C.S.Sp. is the current Superior General of the Spiritan Congregation.
Rev. Dr. Gabriel Mendy, C.S.Sp. was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Banjul, Gambia.
Numerous graduates are serving in full-time, tenured faculty positions at academic
institutions, including Fordham University, University of Portland, John Carroll University,
Creighton University, St. John’s University (NY), St. Mary’s University (TX), Gannon
University, and several prestigious institutions of higher education on the African
continent, like the Spiritan International School of Theology, Attakwu-Enugu, Nigeria.
Our graduates have published their dissertations as monographs at prestigious university
presses, including Oxford University Press, Georgetown University Press, the University
of Notre Dame Press, Routledge, Palgrave Macmillan, and others.
In our doctoral program, you’ll complete 30 credit hours in biblical theology, systematic
theology, and theological ethics, equipping you with a strong foundation in the field.
After coursework, you’ll undertake a rigorous comprehensive written and oral exam
to solidify your expertise across key theological areas. You’ll also gain proficiency
in two theologically relevant languages, broadening your academic skill set. Your
capstone achievement will be your dissertation, culminating in a written work and
oral defense that showcase your unique contributions to theology.
During your first two years, you’ll be mentored as a Teaching Assistant, and
then, for the next two years, you’ll independently teach a course each semester. These
teaching opportunities will help you refine your pedagogical skills and prepare you
for professional success as an experienced educator.
Duquesne's broad diversity of doctrinal and moral theology, taught in the context
of a historical and global approach, enabled me to teach, publish and present in multiple
theological areas, from biblical foundations to phenomenological theory.
Dr. Mary Beth YountPh.D., the Irene S. Taylor Endowed Chair for Catholic and Family Studies at St. Vincent
University, and consultant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
I have enjoyed the program's decolonial and interreligious character, as well
as the department's family-like atmosphere.
Our department has reimagined the curriculum with you in mind, offering a dynamic
program that reflects the expertise of our faculty and addresses the skills you need
to succeed in today’s job market, whether within academia or beyond.
You’ll benefit from a global perspective rooted in our Spiritan charism, with opportunities
to explore theological themes that align with the Spiritan and Catholic identity of
Duquesne University. Our curriculum emphasizes the rich historical tradition of the
Catholic Church, the systematic study of the Holy Spirit (pneumatology), and the Church’s
mission in contemporary societies and new cultural contexts. You’ll also engage with
critical global and local issues, such as climate change, habitat destruction, economic
injustice, and the neglect of the common good. This holistic approach ensures that
your theological studies are not only academically rigorous but also deeply relevant
to the challenges of our time.
Each candidate for the Ph.D. in Theology must demonstrate a reading competency in
two foreign languages which are theologically relevant.
Within one year of finishing course work, each candidate for the Ph.D. in Theology
is required to take a comprehensive examination which includes a research component,
a written component and an oral component in each of four areas: systematic theology,
ecclesiology and sacraments, general moral theology and an area of specialization
chosen by the student and approved by the faculty.
You will write a dissertation that makes an original and significant theological contribution
and publicly defend it before a three-person dissertation defense board which includes
the director.
Ph.D. Program Structure
Program Requirements
Fall - 3 courses & TA
One Systematics course (examples include):
The Theological Trajectory of Pope Francis
John H. Newman
Sacramental Theology
One Ethics course (examples include):
Ecological Ethics
Virtue Ethics in the Thomistic and Augustinian Traditions
One Bible course (examples include):
Missions in the New Testament
Encountering God in Scriptures
New Testament Interpretation and Theology
Spring - 2 courses & TA
One Systematics course (examples include):
Pneumatology: New Insights into the Theology of the Holy Spirit
Post-modern Sacramental Theology
Christology and Power
One Ethics course (examples include):
Justice
The Common Good
Program Requirements
Fall - 3 courses & TA
One Systematics course (examples include):
Religion in the Public Sphere
St. Thomas Aquinas - the Soul
Inclusive Religious Pluralism and Dialogue
One Ethics course (examples include):
Theological Ethics in the Global Context
Contemporary Theories of Justice
One Bible course (examples include):
The Book of Genesis
Reception History of the Bible
Old Testament Interpretation and Theology
Spring - 2 courses & TA
One Bible course (examples include):
The Book of Genesis
Reception History of the Bible
Old Testament Interpretation and Theology
One Ethics course (examples include):
Social Ethics
Love and Christian Ethics
Program Requirements
Fall
Take a 0-credit course on “Research and Teaching Methodology in Theology” and independently
teach an undergraduate course
Spring
Comprehensive exams, dissertation proposal, and independently teach an undergraduate
course
Program Requirements
Fall
Write dissertation and independently teach an undergraduate course
Spring
Write dissertation and independently teach an undergraduate course.
Beginning with their fourth year, students will present their progress at an internally-organized
annual conference to which we invite all graduate students and the new cohort of applicants
to the program.
Program Requirements
Finalize and defend dissertation. Present their progress at an internally-organized
annual conference to which we invite all graduate students and the new cohort of applicants
to the program.
Admission Requirements
An earned Master’s degree in Theology or a comparable field, subject to faculty evaluation
Undergraduate and graduate transcripts and diplomas
Personal statement
Current CV
Sample of academic writing
Three letters of recommendation
Student Funding
Each year the Department of Theology appoints a limited number of graduate assistants.
Assistantships include full tuition and fees, and a competitive four-year stipend.
Graduate assistants carry a full-time course load and fulfill requirements for their
assistantships by completing work as a TA during coursework and as a Teaching Fellow
during their third and fourth years of the program. All applicants for admission into
the Ph.D. degree will automatically be reviewed as candidates for graduate assistant
positions. Ph.D. candidates may also be employed by the department on a part-time
basis for teaching undergraduate courses.
Partial Tuition Discounts
Graduate students who do not receive financial aid may apply for partial tuition assistance.
The following discounts are available through the university Financial Aid Office,
subject to their approval:
50% discount for Catholic lay ministers and school teachers,
50% discount for clergy and vowed religious,
50% discount for students over age 60.
Learning Outcomes
In addition to the Liberal Arts General Outcomes for all Graduate Degree Areas, students
in the Ph.D. in Theology program will demonstrate the following general competencies:
Students will demonstrate knowledge of foundational areas of Catholic theology.
Students will show a capacity to present integrated and constructive theological arguments
that critically engage and analyze historical and contemporary theological sources.
Students will bring ecumenical and global dimensions of Christian theology into dialogue
with Catholic thought.
Students will master & articulate contemporary theological systems and schools of
thought using hermeneutical tools appropriate to the subjects studied.
