Students focusing on advanced competency in a particular academic discipline of theological study are required to complete a minimum of five 3 or 4 credit courses in that discipline. The student’s advisor has authority to approve the courses considered to be within the discipline in order to allow for maximum breadth and interdisciplinary competence. All STM students in the Disciplinary Concentration are required to pass a written, two-hour comprehensive exam or to write a thesis. The presumed culmination for all students in this concentration is the written comprehensive exam. Students who want to write a thesis must petition to do so using the STM Thesis Petition Form. The petition must be approved by the student’s thesis advisor (note: no advisor is obligated to supervise a thesis). As part of the STM Thesis Petition Form, each student must submit a brief proposal of the topic of the thesis (up to two pages in length), a one-page bibliography, and an academic writing sample (fewer than 20 pages). The deadline for submission of the Petition Form is December 5 for students who plan to graduate in May, and April 5 for students who plan to graduate in January. The Advanced Studies Coordinator will file the request with the thesis advisor and the ASC, once approved by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Students pursuing the thesis option may count it as equivalent to one course (3 or 4 credits) and should register for a directed study with the thesis advisor. The thesis is graded; a minimum grade of B− is required. The thesis must be submitted in approved format.

The primary learning outcomes of the STM with a Disciplinary Concentration include:

1. advanced competency in one discipline of theological study;
2. a capacity to conduct original research in that area; and
3. growth in one’s capacity for a robust embrace of and engagement with social and theological diversity and one’s capacity to relate across difference.

Students who wish to focus their degree program toward the aims of ministerial or other religious leadership may undertake a specialization that seeks to cultivate advanced understanding and competence in a particular form of ecclesial ministry (for example, preaching, liturgy and worship, mission and evangelism, social justice, religious education, spiritual formation, etc.) or other forms or religious leadership (for example, urban or multicultural ministry, interfaith leadership, religion and conflict transformation, ecological justice, etc.).

Students pursuing the Religious Leadership Concentration need not concentrate in any one theological discipline, but may instead create a unique plan of study to meet their professional aims. At least five 3 or 4 credit courses approved by the student’s advisor make up that plan of study, including up to 6 credits of supervised practica. Practica must be supervised and awarded a grade by an STH faculty member (they may not be taken pass/fail) and they must also have some form of meaningful on-site supervision and accountability (the contextual education office can provide guidance). Learning covenants will be developed well in advance of the start of any such practicum and must be approved the faculty practicum supervisor, faculty advisor (if the practicum faculty supervisor is other than the faculty supervisor), and one of the directors of the contextual education office.

An additional three 3-4 credit courses may be taken as electives. Students pursuing the Religious Leadership Concentration should complete a 25-page “(Ministerial) Religious Leadership” paper, which may be completed as part of a supervised practicum, and as counting toward the grade of that practicum. The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate an advanced understanding of ministerial or religious leadership in a particular area of focus. The paper should outline challenges and opportunities raised by leadership within a particular context and suggest practical strategies for addressing those challenges and seizing those opportunities.

If the Religious Leadership Paper is completed as part of a practicum, the student’s advisor must be one of the evaluators of that paper (in cases where the faculty supervisor for the practicum is not the advisor). If the Religious Leadership Paper is produced by the student as a stand-alone document as a way of completing the requirements of the STM, the student’s faculty advisor will serve as the sole evaluator of that paper.

The primary learning outcomes of the STM in Religious Leadership include:

1. advanced competency in a focused area of ministerial or religious leadership; and
2. growth in one’s capacity for a robust embrace of and engagement with social and theological diversity and one’s capacity to relate across difference.

The faculty advisor’s role is to advise STM students  and approve their course selection, create and/or evaluate the student’s final assessment, and provide vocational mentorship.

The Associate Dean of Academic Affairs make all advisor assignments for STM students. Students will be informed of their faculty advisor by the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs before they register for classes.  Students can let the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs know their preference via e-mail, which will be taken into consideration. If a student would like a different advisor, they may petition the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.

The STM program requires eight semester courses of 3 or 4 credits each. Six of the eight required courses must be taken at Boston University. All courses must be taken at the 800 or 900 level. 700 level courses and introductory courses in the University and through the BTI are not open for credit to STM students.

A maximum of three of the eight semester courses may be fulfilled through directed studies (including one for thesis writing, by approved STM Thesis Petition).

Students in the STM Disciplinary Concentration may enroll in formal study of any biblical, classical, or ancient Near Eastern languages appropriate to their major for full-credit towards the degree, up to a maximum of 16 credits (the requirement of 800 level or higher courses does not apply in these cases).

STM students who are registered full-time must complete the degree within two semesters. Credits earned more than ten years before the date the degree is to be conferred may not be applied toward the degree. In all cases, STM students must earn the degree within two years (four semesters) of the semester of matriculation.

All STM students in the Disciplinary Concentration are required either to pass a written, two-hour comprehensive exam or to write a thesis. All STM students in the Religious Leadership Concentration will complete a 25-page, double-spaced,“(Ministerial) Religious Leadership” paper.

4.4.1 Comprehensive Examination Requirements. The presumed culmination for all admitted STM students in the Disciplinary Concentration is the written two-hour comprehensive exam. Candidates for whom English is a second language are allowed up to one additional hour. Two faculty members must read the written comprehensive exam. Exam Readers for the STM must minimally have an STM or equivalent.

The student’s advisor sets the exam, and it is based on the student’s coursework in the degree program. Typically, the student is given two questions (or multiple questions from which they can choose two), and the student writes on each one for an hour. The exam is closed-book, taken on-campus, proctored by the ASC Coordinator or faculty advisor, and must be taken in English. The student writes the exam using a “clean” computer without internet access provided by the ASC office at the time of the exam. The questions should be broadly representative of the main lines of inquiry the student has pursued in their degree program. In setting the exam, the advisor is encouraged to meet with the student ahead of time to discuss those question areas so that the student can prepare intelligently and with confidence ahead of time.

STM students must work with the Advanced Studies Program Coordinator and advisor to schedule their exam, which needs to be completed no later than the 4th Friday before commencement.

4.4.2 Thesis Requirements. Students in the Disciplinary Concentration who want to write a thesis must petition to do so using the STM Thesis Petition Form (Appendix A). No faculty member is obligated to supervise a thesis. Students must complete the petition form, which includes the signature of an advisor willing to support the thesis-writing process. Each student must submit the completed petition form, a brief proposal of the topic of the thesis (up to two pages in length), a one-page bibliography, and an academic writing sample (fewer than 20 pages) to the Advanced Studies Program Coordinator during the first semester of STM coursework. The deadline for submission of the petition form is December 5th for students who plan to graduate the following May, and April 5th for students who plan to graduate the following January. The STM Thesis Petition will then be forwarded to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for review.

Students choosing the thesis option may count it as equivalent to one course (4 credits) in the major if they register for a directed study with the major advisor. The thesis is graded; a minimum of B- is required. The student must consult with the Advanced Studies Program Coordinator regarding guidelines governing the form in which the dissertation shall be submitted to the Library.

The School of Theology requires that all theses be formatted in accordance the Research Guide for Writers of Theses and Dissertations and Electronic Submission (http://www.bu.edu/library/files/2011/05/ElectronicGuide2013b.pdf). For areas not covered by that guide, use Kate L. Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, currently in its 7th edition (2007). In cases where Turabian needs to be supplemented, the current edition of The Chicago Manual of Style shall be consulted. For information on graduation deadlines, format review, and thesis submission go to https://www.bu.edu/sth/student-log-in/graduation/advanced-studies-graduation-guidelines/.

4.4.3 Religious Leadership Paper or Practicum Project Requirements. Students in the Religious Leadership Concentration will complete a 25-page “(Ministerial) Religious Leadership” paper or practicum project, which may be completed as part of a supervised practicum. The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate an advanced understanding of ministerial or religious leadership in a particular area of focus. The paper should outline challenges and opportunities raised by leadership within a particular context and suggest practical strategies for addressing those challenges and seizing those opportunities. This paper must be submitted to the student’s advisor and the Advanced Studies Coordinator no later than the fourth Friday before commencement.

As an alternative to an academic paper, students may design a practical theological project relevant to a particular context of religious leadership, drawing upon the STM coursework, additional research, and creative design. Projects may take various forms and can be tailored to the students’ leadership contexts.

Practicum projects should include:

• Introduction/Prologue (10 pp.): Clear identification of the project, its context, rationale, and connection to coursework. (What are you doing in this project? Why do you think it is needed? What is the context you envision for your project—e.g., a retreat center, congregation, workplace, non-profit, etc.? How do STM course readings inform your work on this project? [Please include ample discussion of relevant readings and resources, making specific references to texts and also append an annotated bibliography or list of works for further reading.]
• Project Materials: Student will submit the project with all relevant materials, presented with an eye towards the intended audience and demonstrating theological reflection, contextual analysis, and constructive creativity. Examples of project could include a sermon series, religious education curriculum, retreat materials, liturgical resources, adult education design, artistic project, leadership training program, etc.. Format and length of project materials will vary and needs advance advisor approval.
• Reflection on learning process, evaluation, and further steps (5 pp.):As you reflect on your work, what stands out as key points of learning about the practice of religious leadership, the particular context you are studying, and your own capacities and growing edges? What was most challenging for you in this project work? How are you incorporating evaluation into the project? What remains to be done, and what partners might you cultivate going forward in this practice of religious leadership?