Holy Apostles College and Seminary Degree Options
Holy Apostles College and Seminary appears in our ranking of the 50 Most Affordable Master’s in Theology Degree Programs Online.
Holy Apostles College and Seminary offers ten degree programs that include associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, and master of arts degrees. Students who want to enter religious life are invited to apply, and lay commuter students and online students are invited to apply, too. In addition to degree programs, students may also earn certificates in areas like pastoral studies, philosophy, and theology.
At the associate degree level, students can earn an Associate of Arts in Theology or an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts. To qualify for entry to either degree program, students must possess a high school diploma and proficiency in math and English. A proficiency exam is required for students who don’t already have some college experience in these areas.
Classes a student will complete in the associate degree programs include Sacred Scripture, Fundamental Theology, Apologetics, and Theology of the Body. Electives a student can take include Logic, Epistemology, and Philosophy of Man. Students will also complete programs in English, the humanities, history, and the social sciences. The liberal arts component of the degree includes classes in writing, economics, political science, and other areas.
Students who want to enroll in one of the school’s Bachelor of Arts programs will complete four years of study with a core curriculum that is shared between all degrees, and specialized classes for their major. Specialized disciplines include degrees in Theology, Philosophy, English in the Humanities, History in the Social Sciences, and Sacred Art.
Each year of the bachelor’s degree programs will focus on a distinct, liberal arts area that will include classes on science, philosophy, and theology. For example, philosophy classes will include those in Metaphysics, History of Medieval Philosophy, and History of Ancient Philosophy. Classes in science will include Bioethics, Math in the Liberal Arts, and Physics.
Students interested in one of the school’s graduate degrees have three separate degrees available, and there are 19 concentrations available overall. Students who seek a Master of Arts in Theology may choose from concentrations that include Apologetics, Bioethics, Church History, Dogmatic Theology, General Studies, Moral Theology, Sacred Scripture, and Thomistic Studies.
Students who enroll in the Master of Arts in Philosophy can choose a concentration in Christian Wisdom, Ethics, General Studies, and History of Philosophy. Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies student can specialize in Marriage & Family Studies, Pastoral Counseling, Spiritual Direction, Youth & Young Adult, Catechetical Ministry, or General Studies.
About Holy Apostles College and Seminary
Holy Apostles College and Seminary was established in 1956 and was founded by a man affiliated with the Society of the Missionaries of the Holy Apostles, which is part of the Roman Catholic Church. The small school has approximately 160 undergraduates, and 360 graduate students enrolled for classes. The school is located in Cromwell, Connecticut and was originally designed solely for men who wanted to become monks or priests.
However, in the early 1970s, the school expanded enrollment to women, as well as students whose ultimate goals weren’t necessarily to enter the priesthood or a religious profession. The school’s programs are designed in the liberal arts tradition of instruction with a heavy emphasis in theology and philosophy. The first undergraduate program was created in 2014 with approval from the Connecticut Office of Higher Education.
Holy Apostles College and Seminary Accreditation Details
Holy Apostles College and Seminary is regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education and its Commission on Institutions of Higher Education. This accreditation confers approval of the entire institution to operate at the college level and provide college-level instruction. The school is also accredited by the State of Connecticut Department of Higher Education and the state’s Board of Governors.
As a theological school, the school has sought and earned accreditation from the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools. Programs accredited by the organization include the Master of Arts in Theology, the Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies, and the Master of Arts in Philosophy. Other honors earned by the school include approval from The Cardinal Newman Society and the National Catholic Register’s Guide to Choosing a Catholic College.
Holy Apostles College and Seminary Application Requirements
To apply to Holy Apostles College and Seminary, students must complete the official application and have their additional documents and transcripts sent to the school. Test scores a student may need to submit, include those from Advanced Placement tests, the SAT, and the ACT. Students may also submit results from the College Level Examination Program.
Students who want to study at the campus must attend an interview during the application process as well as submit evidence of immunization for the MMR and Varicella vaccines. Students will also need to submit a personal essay, and international students may be requested to send additional documents.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The tuition rate for undergraduate courses at Holy Apostles College and Seminary is $320 per hour and $960 for each 3-credit course. The tuition rate for graduate students, commuters, and distance learning students is also $320 per credit hour. Students who want to audit an undergraduate or graduate course will pay $160 per hour or $480 for a 3-credit hour course.
To qualify for financial aid at Holy Apostles College and Seminary, students must be a matriculated student, currently enrolled in full-time or part-time study, and make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) while enrolled. Full-time is defined taking at least six credits or two courses each semester, and half-time is defined as taking at least three credits or one course. Maintaining SAP means having a course completion rate of at least 67 percent.
Students can apply for federal student aid by submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Enrollees may qualify for need-based aid when they provide information about their income. Available types of aid may include loans, scholarships, and grants from institutional, state, federal, and private sources.
If a student is offered a financial aid package from the school that doesn’t cover all of the student’s expected costs of attendance, he or she may elect to apply for private or alternative student loans. The student’s credit history is usually considered for private loans. Holy Apostles College and Seminary shares that its status as a commuter school that doesn’t offer dormitories means that its overall cost of attendance is often lower than other institutions.