Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary’s School of Theological Studies Announces New Master of Arts in Catholic Health Care Ministry Degree with the National Catholic Bioethics Center
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia Office for Communications shares the information below on behalf of Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary.
Philadelphia, PA – Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary’s School of Theological Studies (STS) announced today a new Master of Arts degree in Catholic Health Care Ministry. This new degree program addresses the need for health care professionals who desire to be well-formed and educated in Catholic theology, bioethics, and pastoral practice while engaged in the practice of modern-day health care and the issues it involves. The degree will be offered by STS in a unique collaboration with the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC).
The STS has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the NCBC to provide an integrated approach, with the goal of empowering health care professionals to be able to communicate bioethical issues with a pastoral heart. The National Association of Catholic Chaplains will also accept the degree as satisfying the requirement for a graduate degree for board certification as a Catholic chaplain.
This unique new offering takes into account the four areas of formation contained in the Program for Priestly Formation and the National Directory for the Formation of Deacons: human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral. The curriculum was designed with the specific intention of forming health care professionals and chaplains to be the presence of Christ in the health care space.
“I am very excited to see this degree come to fruition. This is such a unique offering that will respond to health care professionals who desire to bring Christ into modern-day health care practice,” said Dr. Carmina Chapp, Dean of the School of Theological Studies.
The partnership with the NCBC ensures that bioethical knowledge and the proposed solutions for contemporary issues will always remain current and faithful to Catholic teaching. Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of the human person that is consistent with Divine Revelation and that serves as the objective basis for the Church’s moral tradition. Graduates will also demonstrate a mastery of the teaching of the Church articulated through Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and Catholic moral teaching; the ability to propose pastoral responses to the human condition; and the ability to recognize the theological, moral, and medical dimensions of modern-day challenges in health care. Graduates will also master the application of Catholic moral teaching to the complex ethical dilemmas encountered in medical education, clinical practice, and research.
“I am thrilled that the NCBC is partnering with the Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary School of Theological Studies on this master’s degree program. Given the often confusing and ever-changing landscape of health care and bioethics, there is a great need for health care professionals and chaplains to be well-versed in authentic Catholic teaching in these areas. Our collaboration will definitely help to meet this need,” said Dr. Joe Zalot, NCBC Director of Education.
The curriculum for the Master of Arts in Catholic Health Care Ministry consists of 36 graduate credits, 27 from Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary and 9 from the NCBC. The program will be delivered completely online. Students will enroll in the program as a cohort beginning each fall. The application deadline for the first cohort is August 1, 2026, with classes beginning in September. For more information on program requirements and the admission application please click here.
About Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary
Founded in 1832, Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary serves the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and numerous arch/dioceses across the country, forming men for the Roman Catholic priesthood and diaconate through rigorous academic, human, spiritual, and pastoral preparation as well as providing numerous educational offerings for leaders of the Church through the School of Theological Studies (STS). Specifically, STS serves the non-seminarian population of Saint Charles, answering the call made at the Second Vatican Council for Catholic graduate programs to prepare students in conformity with the Church’s magisterium and in light of present-day needs. This mission involves the empowerment of deacons and laity to bring the faith into their temporal sphere of work, to be leaven in the world. Learn more at www.scs.edu.
About the National Catholic Bioethics Center
The National Catholic Bioethics Center provides education, guidance, and resources to the Church and society to uphold the dignity of the human person in health care and biomedical research, thereby sharing in the ministry of Jesus Christ and his Church. The NCBC envisions a world in which the integral understanding of the human person underlying Catholic teaching on respect for human life and dignity is better understood and more widely embraced in America and worldwide. More information can be found at www.ncbcenter.org.
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