DEPARTMENT OF THEOLOGY (B.A. Honours RELIGIOUS STUDIES)
(IN AFFLIATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, IBADAN)
DEPARTMENTAL REGULATIONS
(A) Preamble:
The B.A. (Hons) Religious Studies programme is geared toward a sound academic and priestly formation of the Nigerian seminarian. Its main aim is to prepare suitable priests for the needs of the Catholic Church in Nigeria and the world at large. The programme is related to that of the Department of Religious Studies, University of Ibadan.
(B) Minimum Requirement:
(i) Diploma in Religious Studies (Ibadan) or its equivalent, together with five credits (including English Language) at the ordinary level G.C.E. or its equivalent.
(ii) BA (Hons) Philosophy or its equivalent
(C) Minimum Degree Requirement:
To graduate, a candidate must obtain at least 90 units made up as follows:
I. 200 Level
25 units must be passed, made up as follows
5 compulsory units
6 required units
14 required units (6 units to be passed)
22 elective units (8 units to be passed)
II. 300 Level
28 units must be passed, made up as follows:
10 compulsory units
16 required units (10 units to be passed)
16 elective units (8 units to be passed)
III. 400 Level
22 units must be passed, made up as follows:
14 compulsory units
10 required units (6 units to be passed)
6 elective units (2 units to be passed)
GUIDELINES ON THE COMPUTATION OF CLASS OF DEGREE IN THE B.A. (Honours) PROGRAMME
A. WORKLOAD
(i) A student shall be required to register for a minimum of 20 units per academic year.
(ii) The maximum course load at 100 Level is 30 units, whereas at 200 Level and above, there is no upper limit; this is subject to approval by council of Heads of Departments.
(iii) The minimum number of courses units for the award of a degree shall be 120.
B. GRADE SYSTEM
(i) For the purpose of computing class of degree, all courses taken by students, the total number of units and grade obtained shall be compiled and used in computing the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA).
(ii) In cases where a course has been repeated, the grade and units will be used twice in the calculation of CGPA
(iii) Grades to be used for students who satisfactorily complete the requirements of a course are as follows:
|
Marks |
Letter Grade |
Grade Point |
|
70-100 |
A |
7 |
|
65-69 |
A- |
6 |
|
60-64 |
B+ |
5 |
|
55-59 |
B |
4 |
|
50-54 |
B- |
3 |
|
45-49 |
C+ |
2 |
|
40-44 |
C |
1 |
|
0-39 |
D |
0 |
C. COMPUTATION OF RESULTS
The following terminologies and abbreviations are recommended for use in the computation of Cumulative Grade Point
1. Total Load Unit (TLU): This is the total unit of courses carried by a student in an academic year.
2. Cumulative Load Unit (CLU): This is the summation of the total load unit over the academic sessions from the beginning to date.
3. Total Credit Point (TCP): This is sum of the product of grade point and load unit for courses taken by the student in an academic session.
4. Cumulative Credit Point (CCP): This is the summation of the total credit point over all sessions from beginning to date.
5. Grade Point Average (GPA): This is the total credit point divided by the total load unit
6. Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA): This is the summation of all sessions divided by the summation of TLU for the said sessions.
D. FINAL ASSESSMENT AND CLASS OF DEGREE
|
CLASS |
CGPA |
|
First Class |
6.0 and above |
|
2nd Class Upper |
4.6-5.9 |
|
2nd Class Lower |
2.6-4.5 |
|
3rd Class |
1.6-2.5 |
|
Pass |
Less than 1.6 |
The CGPA shall be expressed correct to one decimal place.
BACHELOR OF THEOLOGY (B.TH HONOURS)
(IN AFFILIATION WITH THE PONTIFICAL URBAN UNIVERSTY ROME)
- DEPARTMENTAL REGULATION
(a) Preamble:
The Bachelor of Theology (B.Th) programme of the Seminary spans a-four year course of studies in the discipline of Sacred Theology. It aims to provide seminarians with mature grounding in the discipline to enable them function effectively and sufficiently in various fields of priestly ministry. It also provides a solid basis for further theological studies. The programme presupposes a minimum of two years of studies of philosophy in the major seminary or similar institution after the completion of secondary education.
(b) Formation Objective:
According to the Doctor of the Church, Saint Thomas Aquinas, “God is the subject matter of theology” (Summa Theologiae, I, q.1, a.7). Thus, the whole purpose of theological formation is to build, in the candidate aspiring for the priesthood, a sincere disposition towards “deeper knowledge of the divine mysteries” (Pastores Dabo Vobis, 51). It is a “fundamental demand of the human intelligence by which one participates in the light of God’s mind and seeks to acquire a wisdom which in turn opens to and is directed toward knowing and adhering to God” (PDV, 51).
The value and genuineness of this theological formation depend on maintaining a scrupulous respect for the nature of theology. “True theology proceeds from the faith and aims at leading to the faith. This is the conception of theology which has always been put forward by the Church and, specifically, by her magisterium” (PDV, 53). Thus, theological formation is expected to lead the candidate to a mature commitment of faith in the divine mysteries as contained in the written Word of God, celebrated and lived in the living tradition of the Church and as authoritatively interpreted and expounded in the teaching of the Magisterium. “It should lead the candidate for the priesthood to a complete and unified vision of the truths which God has revealed in Jesus Christ and of the Church's experience of faith. Hence the need both to know all the Christian truths, without arbitrarily selecting among them, and to know them in an orderly fashion.” (PDV 54)
“Sacred theology should rely on the written word of God, taken together with Sacred Tradition, as on a permanent foundation....Therefore, the ‘study of the sacred page’ should be the very soul of theology” (Dei Verbum, 24). The study of theology should offer the candidate a priceless compass to delve into the mystery that faith is, presenting it in categories which are at once faithful to the body of divine and theological truths expounded in the sacred deposit of the faith (fidei depositum) and also faithful to its pastoral relevance. St. Anselm of Canterbury defines theology as faith seeking understanding. In other words, theological formation should help the student to believe the truths of faith first by the supernatural light of divine grace before making efforts aided by divine wisdom to understand and recognize them. This formation in sacred doctrine is expected to follow a method that endeavours to conduct theological discussions in the light of the social and cultural situation of today, bearing in mind certain problems which infrequently raise tension, difficulties and confusion within the life of the Church and the society today. Above all, formation in theology is expected to bridge the gap between the high scientific character of sacred discipline and its pastoral aim, thus ennobling theological studies with a complete understanding of the faith both in its speculative and pastoral character.
Since the theologian is, therefore, first and foremost, a believer, a person of faith, he should be formed in a manner that leads him to ask himself questions about his own faith, fides quaerens intellectum, with the aim of reaching a deeper understanding of the faith itself. “The two aspects of faith and mature reflection are intimately connected, intertwined: Their intimate coordination and interpenetration are what make for true theology and as a result decide the contents, modalities and spirit according to which the sacred doctrine is elaborated and studied.” (PDV, 53)
(c) The Ways
The four years of Theological Studies is broken into eight semesters which terminate with the Bachelor of Theology at the end of the fourth year. It is presupposed that the student is admitted to theological studies after the years of studies in Philosophy which should have provided the basic foundation for a deeper understanding of the plenitude of truth. “A proper philosophical training is vital, not only because of the links between the great philosophical questions and the mysteries of salvation which are studied in theology under the guidance of the higher light of faith, but also vis- a-vis an extremely widespread cultural situation which emphasizes subjectivism as a criterion and measure of truth: Only a sound philosophy can help candidates for the priesthood to develop a reflective awareness of the fundamental relationship that exists between the human spirit and truth, that truth which is revealed to us fully in Jesus Christ. Nor must one underestimate the importance of philosophy as a guarantee of that ‘certainty of truth’ which is the only firm basis for a total giving of oneself to Jesus and to the Church” (PDV, 52).
During the course of theological studies, candidates for the priesthood will be exposed to annual programmes organized by the Department of Sacred Theology to give basic knowledge of current theological trends and new insights emanating from the Church’s Magisterium as well as open the minds and hearts of seminarians to a critical awareness of the demands of priestly life and ministry in the contemporary world. These programmes will come through seminars, symposia, lectures and colloquia organized on a regular basis.
(d) Admission Requirement
The minimum requirement for admission of students for theological studies is the possession of a Bachelor in Philosophy from any Catholic Major Seminary in Nigeria or its equivalent from any recognized ecclesiastical or secular institution.
(e) Attendance and Stages of Studies
Every student is required to attend the required lectures in his level of studies, without exception. In the context of theological formation in our seminary, no student is at liberty to choose and pick courses without the prior consent of and consultation with the Dean of Studies and the Head of Department of Theology. All theological courses are compulsory and required for the computation of the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) that yields a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology.
(f) Minimum Examination Requirement
A minimum average of 50% in principal subjects (Scripture, Dogma, Moral Theology, and Pastoral Theology) through all the years of theological studies.
- A minimum average of 40% in all other subjects through all the years of theological studies.
- A minimum average of 50% in cumulative examination scores through all the years of theological studies.
For B.A. philosophy graduate, a minimum CGPA of 3.5
(g) Minimum Degree Requirements
(i) Cumulative examination scores through all the years of theological studies.
(ii) Research Paper: A long essay on a topic in theology, supervised by a member of the academic staff.
(iii) Written examination of 4 hours in any of the following subject areas:
Sacred Scripture
Moral Theology
Dogma I – Systematic Theology
Dogma II– Church and Sacraments
The allocation of marks is as follows:
|
(I) Cumulative Scores |
20% |
|
(II) Research Paper |
20% |
|
(III) Written Paper |
50% |
|
(IV) Oral Exams |
10% |
|
Total |
100% |
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