Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is this BA fully accredited?

   Yes. This BA is a fully accredited program through Campus Alberta Quality Council, the Province of Alberta’s accreditation body for degree programs offered under the authority of the Ministry of Advanced Education.

2. What is a foundation year?

   The Foundation Year is a fully integrated year-long, 10 course sequence that introduces students to the Foundations of the classical Liberal Arts and of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. This year serves as the common experience for all students enrolled in our BA in Catholic Studies, or may serve as a gateway for study or work elsewhere.

   In whatever vocation you pursue, the Church calls each of us to learn the reasons for our hope (1 Peter 3:15). For this task, you need to cultivate both your faith and your reason. The Foundation Year teaches you how to do this.

   The Great Books Seminar (Intro to Philosophy; Intro to Catholic Studies, 12 credits) walks you through an in-depth study of the Greatest Works of Philosophy and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, from Homer’s Iliad to Augustine’s Confessions to Dante’s Divine Comedy to Thérèse of Lisieux’s Story of a Soul, to Benedict XVI’s Regensburg Address. In the Way of Beauty Sequence (6 credits) you engage in a fine arts tutorial and practicum where you learn the history of Western art, how to sing sacred music, and to paint icons. The Arts Sequence includes courses in Aristotelian Logic and Classical Rhetoric (6 credits), while the Theology Sequence (6 credits) provides a course in Sacred Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church…all within an authentic Catholic community. For a full list of the courses see here.

3. How will I afford this?

   We believe that an extraordinary education should yet remain affordable. Thanks to the generosity of donors, our tuition remains competitive. Take your BA at NTC and, over three years, you could save approximately $15,000 in your education costs and graduate one year sooner than four year Canadian undergraduate degree programs. NTC also offers a wide range of scholarships, bursaries, and work-study opportunities for students. Apply here for scholarship opportunities.

4. What student services are available?

   Newman Theological College shares its campus and some of its students with St. Joseph Seminary. Seminarians, lay students, faculty and staff participate in many common activities, from masses, to meals, to evening socials

   Student Activities include:

   • Student Council
   • Liturgical Events
   • Retreats
   • Intramural Sports
   • Weekday and Evening Socials



5. Is this offered online?

   No. When you sign up for our BA, you will be joining an intensive community of faith and learning. You can certainly learn some things at a distance but intensive discipleship requires your whole presence, mind, heart, and body.

6. Is there on-campus housing?

   We currently do not offer on campus housing but we can connect you with the resources you need to find accommodations as well as other students seeking lodging near our campus.

7. Is this just for seminarians?

   No. This program is for everyone. You will have the unique opportunity to study alongside Seminarians and grow in your faith and knowledge together.

8. What can I do after this?

   After completing this program, you will have gained a wide exposure to the books that have shaped our civilization; you will have practiced the art of thoughtful conversation, mastered the elements of logic, cultivated an eloquent style of writing, improved your understanding of how faith and reason enliven each other, and gained friends for a life-time. These skills and others will help you succeed in later study or work; but more than that, they will help you to flourish as a human being called to love God and others in this world and the next.

9. I am interested in this program, but I am not Catholic. Is this right for me?

   This program is for everyone! We welcome students from any background.

Alberta Students Admission Requirements

Applicants for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Catholic Studies must normally present their Alberta High School Diploma with a minimum admission average of 60% and a passing grade in each Grade 12 level subject as follows:

• English Language Arts 30-1
• Four subjects from Group A, B, C, or D.

Group A=Humanities
Group B= Fine Art
Group C= Sciences
Group D= Other

For Alberta applicants, admission averages are calculated using the blended grade that appears on the official Alberta Education transcript.

Other Canadian Province Students Admission Requirements

Applicants for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Catholic Studies must normally present their Provincial High School Diploma with a minimum admission average of 60% and a passing grade in each Grade 12 level subject as follows:

English Language Arts 30-1
• Four subjects from Group A, B, C, or D.

Group A=Humanities
Group B= Fine Art
Group C= Sciences
Group D= Other

The admission average is calculated using the best five Grade 12 subjects required for admission to the degree program (including ELA 30-1 equivalent).

Homeschooled Students Admission Requirements

NTC recognises and welcomes applicants from a homeschooled background, provided that they can show equivalency. Alberta High School Diploma Equivalency (with English Language Arts 30-1) can be shown by submission of any of the following up-to-date test scores and giving evidence of prior learning from Grades 10 through to 12:

• SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) score of 950.
• ACT (American College Test) score of 20.
• CLT (Classical Learning Test) score of 58.



Or

Self- Recorded Homeschool Transcript in place of an official secondary school transcript. Must show completion of at least five academic subjects at Grade 12 level, including English. A minimum admission average of 60% is required and a passing grade in each 30 level subject as follows:

• English Language Arts
• Four subjects from Group A, B, C, or D.



Group A=Humanities
Group B= Fine Art
Group C= Sciences
Group D= Other

In either case, we prefer that applicants include a diploma exam result for ENGL 30-1 as an objective measure of a students’ readiness to embark on the reading and comprehensive heavy demands of a great books course; alternatively, a portfolio of high school work can be submitted to the Admissions and Evaluations Committee along with the application package materials. Applicants should submit 2-3 items that will make up their portfolio, one of which must be a written essay.

International Admission Requirements

Applicants from the U.S.A for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Catholic Studies must normally present their Grade 12 diploma from an accredited high school or other educational institution with a 60% admission average, and course equivalents to Alberta Education Grade 12 subject requirements for this program. Equivalency can also be shown by submission of any of the following up-to-date test scores and giving evidence of prior learning from Grades 10 through to 12:

• SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) score of 950.
• ACT (American College Test) score of 20.
• CLT (Classical Learning Test) score of 58.



Applicants from Other Countries for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Catholic Studies must normally present their Grade 12 diploma from an accredited high school or other educational institution with a 60% admission average, and course equivalents to Alberta Education Grade 12 subject requirements for this program. Equivalency can also be shown by submission of any of the following up-to-date test scores and giving evidence of prior learning from Grades 10 through to 12:

• SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) score of 950.
• ACT (American College Test) score of 20.
• CLT (Classical Learning Test) score of 58.



All international transcripts must be translated into English at the applicant’s expense and by an approved third-party transcript translation organisation such as World Education Services (WES) or the International Qualifications Assessment Services (IQAS).

• Apply through our online application portal and pay the non-refundable application fee (see Tuition and Fees).
• Fall intake only for this program.

* Self- Recorded Homeschool Transcript Templates are available in hard copy in Student Services or online under the Apply & Enrol page of our website.

When all required documentation is received, the Admissions & Evaluations Committee will review the applicant’s file.

This program is a Designated Learning Program and eligible to receive foreign nationals on a study permit.  See International Student Admissions for DLI number.

Catholic Studies

“true enlargement of mind…is the power of viewing many things at once as one whole”
(St. Newman, Idea of the University)

Catholic Studies, as a multidisciplinary academic discipline inspired by the work of J.H. Newman, arose in the latter half of the 20th century as a response to a perceived lack of organizing principle within the contemporary academy, particularly within Catholic institutions. Well into the 20th century, broad exposure to scholastic philosophy as well as classical literature had provided students within Catholic Colleges and Universities with the metaphysical concepts and speculative habits that made possible a genuine dialogue between faith and reason among the various arts and sciences they encountered. With the loss of prestige of Catholic philosophy, and the reduction of theology requirements, students have increasingly found it difficult to experience the unity of knowledge that justifies an institution’s claim to be a university. Drawing upon the riches of classical and Catholic philosophy, theology, and culture, and benefitting from the broader curricular and pedagogical insights within the Great Books Movement, NTC’s Catholic Studies program aims to make manifest the compelling unity of faith and reason in our time.

Great Books

“Contact with writers of genius procures us the immediate advantage of lifting us to a higher plane…”
(A.G. Sertillanges, O.P., On The Intellectual Life)

The Great Books movement attempts to revive the curriculum and pedagogy of the classical liberal arts tradition in a contemporary setting. Great Books programs, as an organized movement of educational reform, arose in the 1920s in the United States, and later in Canada, as a response to the fragmentation and premature specialization then beginning to undermine the liberal arts curriculum. By returning students to acknowledged and foundational works of Western culture, masterpieces o f culture that stand in the company of Plato’s Republic, St. Thomas’ Summa Theologiae, Shakespeare’s King Lear, and J.S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor, NTC’s Bachelor in Catholic Studies likewise seeks to recover for our time the richness of this tradition of education.

Socratic Pedagogy

“The unexamined life is not worth living”
(Socrates)

The classical liberal arts tradition, whose roots lie in ancient Greece and Rome, has formed the basis of secondary and collegiate education in Europe since the Middle Ages. Among the pedagogical methods utilized for centuries by the great universities of Europe, notably at Oxford and Cambridge, is the dialectical reflection upon a set text or thesis. This method of asking questions to incite exploration, typically among a small group of scholars, and within the context of a shared search after truth, draws its original inspiration from the method of Socrates as exemplified in the Platonic dialogues, and figures prominently within NTC’s Bachelor of Arts in Catholic Studies.

Based on 2023-24 draft Academic Calendar

First YEAR COURSES

Philosophy

(9 Credits)

PHIL 110G Historical Introduction to Philosophy I 
PHIL 111G Historical Introduction to Philosophy II 
PHIL 120 Logic and the Art of Reasoning

Foundational Theology

(15 Credits)

FND 110G Introduction to Catholic Studies I
FND 111G Introduction to Catholic Studies II
FND 120 Exploring the Catechism of the Catholic Church
FND 130G Way of Beauty: Sacred Fine Arts I
FND 131G Way of Beauty: Sacred Fine Arts II

Sacred Scriptures

(3 Credits)

SCR 110 The Old Testament

English

(3 Credits)

ENG 106 Writing and the Art of Rhetoric

SECOND & THIRD YEAR COURSES

Philosophy

(18 Credits)

PHIL 220 Social & Political Thought
PHIL 240 Philosophy of Human Nature
PHIL 241 Philosophy of Nature 

PHIL 243 Thomistic Metaphysics

PHIL 330 Ethics

PHIL 400 Senior Research Thesis & Defense

Foundational Theology

(3 Credits)

FND 310 Patristic Theology

Languages

(6 Credits)

LNG 101 Fundamentals of Latin I
LNG 102 Fundamentals of Latin II

OR

LNG 111 Fundamentals of Biblical Greek I

LNG 112 Fundamentals of Biblical Greek II

Sacred Scriptures

(3 Credits)

SCR 210 The New Testament

English

(12 Credits)

ENG 201G Literature I: Greek and Roman

ENG 202G Literature II: Medieval

ENG 301G Literature III: Early Modern – Victorian

ENG 302G Literature IV: Modern – Contemporary

Breadth Elective Courses

(9 Credits)

Natural Science Course 100/200 Level (3 Credits)
Natural Science or Math Course 100/200 (3 Credits)*
Social or Natural Science Course 200 Level (can be substituted with PHIL 340 Epistemology) (3 Credits)

*Students who are considering moving on to a program in Education should be aware that a Math course is required and they should choose their breadth elective courses accordingly. Students may transfer in these 9 breadth elective credits towards the B.A. (CATH) degree from other recognized colleges and universities. Credits, but not marks, are transferred. The transfer of credit is subject to the approval of the NTC Admissions and Evaluations Committee.

General Electives 200/300 Level

(9 Credits)

PHIL, FND, SCR, MPS, SYT, ENG only (3* max. for ENG)

General Electives 300 Level

(3 Credits)

PHIL, FND, SCR, MPS, or SYT only.

Note: Courses coded as Great Books are denoted by the suffix “G” and are ordinarily only open for registration to B.A. students.

Based on draft 2023-24 Academic Calendar

Foundational Theology

FND 110G Introduction to Catholic Studies I

3 Credits
An historical introduction to Catholicism from its roots in Jewish and Greco-Roman antiquity to modern times. Catholicism’s key literary, religious, and institutional contributions to Western culture will be studied through the close reading and discussion of representative Great Books of the Catholic Tradition.

FND 111G Introduction to Catholic Studies II

3 Credits
An historical introduction to Catholicism from its roots in Jewish and Greco-Roman antiquity to modern times. Catholicism’s key literary, religious, and institutional contributions to Western culture will be studied through the close reading and discussion of representative Great Books of the Catholic Tradition. Successful completion of FND 110G is a prerequisite for FND 111G.

FND 120 Exploring the Catechism of the Catholic Church

3 Credits
This course presents an introduction to Catholic belief and practice by means of a study of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Students will thoroughly consider each of the Catechism’s four parts: on Faith, on Liturgy, on Life in Christ, and on Prayer. Select texts from Church fathers and doctors as well as other magisterial and conciliar documents may be drawn upon to illuminate the Catechism’s own systematic presentation.

FND 130G Way of Beauty: Sacred Fine Arts I

3 Credits
An introduction to the theory and practice of sacred fine arts. Classroom seminars on aesthetics and art history will introduce students to the West’s rich tradition of architecture, painting and music alongside seminal reflections on beauty by such as Plato, Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, John Ruskin, Jacques Maritain, Josef Pieper, and Joseph Ratzinger. The practical element of this course will normally include participation in a sacred music choir as well as short workshops on Eastern Iconography and other sacred arts.

FND 131G Way of Beauty: Sacred Fine Arts II

3 Credits
An introduction to the theory and practice of sacred fine arts. Classroom seminars on aesthetics and art history will introduce students to the West’s rich tradition of architecture, painting and music alongside seminal reflections on beauty by such as Plato, Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, John Ruskin, Jacques Maritain, Josef Pieper, and Joseph Ratzinger. The practical element of this course will normally include participation in a sacred music choir as well as short workshops on Eastern Iconography and other sacred arts. Successful completion of FND 130G is a prerequisite for FND 131G.

FND 310 Patristic Theology

3 Credits

A historical and literary overview of Christian writers and theology from the first to the seventh century. Select fathers in the eastern and western Church, the development of Trinitarian and Christological doctrine, and the emergent western theological tradition will be considered.

Languages

LNG 101 Fundamentals of Latin I

3 Credits
Elements of grammar, basic vocabulary and practical exercises in classical and Christian Latin.

LNG 102 Fundamentals of Latin II

3 Credits
Elements of grammar, basic vocabulary and practical exercises in classical and Christian Latin. Successful completion of LNG 101 is a prerequisite for LNG 102.

LNG 111 Introduction to Biblical Greek

3 Credits

Elements of grammar, basic vocabulary and practical exercises. Successful completion of LNG 111 is a prerequisite for LNG 112.

LNG 112 Introduction to Biblical Greek

3 Credits
Elements of grammar, basic vocabulary and practical exercises. Successful completion of LNG 111 is a prerequisite for LNG 112.

Sacred Scriptures

SCR 110 The Old Testament

3 Credits

Formation and interpretation of the Old Testament: biblical inspiration, canonicity, textual criticism, hermeneutics, history, geography and archeology. Understanding the Old Testament. Study of selected tests from the Pentateuch, Historical Books, Psalms, Wisdom, Prophets, and deuteron-canonical books of the Old Testament focusing on salvation history and covenant theology.

SCR 210 The New Testament

3 Credits

Formation and interpretation of the New Testament: biblical inspiration, canonicity, textual criticism, hermeneutics, history, geography and archeology. Understanding the Old Testament. Understanding the New Testament. Study of selected texts from the Gospels, Pauline Letters, Catholic Epistles, and other NT writings (Acts of the Apostles, Hebrews, etc.)

This course includes a seminar that explores the question of the interpretation of scripture with the Mind of the Church, during which key Church documents will be analyzed while some major contributions from the world of academia to the field of biblical interpretation will be considered. The aim is to equip students with a range of exegetical tools and building blocks that will be necessary in subsequent scripture courses in their chosen program, and indeed in their various ministries as exegetes of Sacred Scripture.

Philosophy

PHIL 110G Historical Introduction to Philosophy I 

3 Credits
An historical introduction to philosophy from the pre-Socratics to modern times. Topics such as the nature of God, of knowledge, of human nature, of society, of friendship, and of beauty will be studied through the close reading and discussion of representative Great Books of the Western philosophical tradition.

PHIL 111G Historical Introduction to Philosophy II 

3 Credits
An historical introduction to philosophy from the pre-Socratics to modern times. Topics such as the nature of God, of knowledge, of human nature, of society, of friendship, and of beauty will be studied through the close reading and discussion of representative Great Books of the Western philosophical tradition. Successful completion of PHIL 110G is a prerequisite for PHIL 111G.

PHIL 120 Logic and the Art of Reasoning

3 Credits
The study of logic enables the intellect to engage in the orderly pursuit of truth. In this class, students will hone their ability to use language with precision by mastering the rules of definition, by identifying the relationship between kinds of propositions, and by becoming familiar with valid and invalid syllogistic forms. Besides studying substantial portions of Plato’s Meno, Aristotle’s Categories and Porphyry’s Isagogy, students will learn how to name and avoid the most common logical fallacies.

PHIL 220 Social & Political Thought

3 Credits
A study of the fundamental principles of political philosophy as a basis for Catholic social teaching. The course will address such questions as: Are social and political modes of organization – family, household, city, and nation – natural or merely conventional? What are the appropriate limits of human freedom? Do human beings have rights that everyone should respect? Is there a difference between moral and legal obligations? Can it ever be morally acceptable to disobey the state? These questions will be explored through a study of texts by historical and recent authors such as Aristotle, Aquinas, Locke, Hobbes, de Tocqueville, Rawls, MacIntyre and Finnis, but will focus upon topics of perennial concern.

PHIL 240 Philosophy of Human Nature

3 Credits
A philosophical inquiry into human nature and personhood in relation to nature and being in general. The historical development of the concept of person in philosophy and anthropology from past to present, especially in view of theological understandings.

PHIL 241 Philosophy of Nature

3 Credits
Philosophical inquiry into various aspects of nature and the universe, including issues arising from changing views of science and cosmology. The theological importance of various views of nature and God in historical and contemporary times.

PHIL 243 Thomistic Metaphysics

3 Credits
A philosophical study of being in its various dimensions. Issues such as substance and attributes, transcendental, being and essence, analogy, and universals will be addressed in light of classical and contemporary approaches. Special attention will be given to the functions of metaphysics within theology.

PHIL 330 Ethics

3 Credits
Introduction to traditional and contemporary problems and methods of philosophical ethics or moral philosophy. The impact of ethics on theological and religious teachings and concerns and vice versa.

PHIL 400 Senior Research Thesis & Defense

3 Credits
During the last year of study, each student researches, writes, and presents a written thesis, the results of which they will defend orally before a panel of faculty members. Under the direction of a thesis director, students will explore critically a topic that arises from their program in Catholic Studies. The purpose of this cumulative exercise is to provide each student with an opportunity to develop and manifest what John Henry Newman called “an integrated habit of mind”.

English

ENG 106 Writing and the Art of Rhetoric

3 Credits

A study of the fundamentals of clear and eloquent expression. Practical exercises in English grammar and syntax will be enriched by the recitation and consideration of classical and modern examples of persuasive writing in such authors as Cicero, St. Paul, St. Augustine as well as Jane Austin, Abraham Lincoln, GK Chesterton, and Flannery O’Connor.

ENG 201G Literature I - Greek and Roman

3 Credits
Socratic seminar on the works of ancient Greece and Rome. Will include genres such as epic poetry, theatrical tragedy/comedy, lyric poetry, and historical narrative, featuring the work of authors such a Homer, Virgil, Hesiod, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Aristophanes, Lucian, Pindar, Sappho, Horace, Ovid, Thucydides, Herodotus, Livy, Plutarch, and Tacitus.

ENG 202G Literature II - Medieval

3 Credits
Socratic seminar on the literature of the Medieval world. Will include genres such as narrative poetry, plays, mystical narratives, hagiography, and historical narrative, featuring culture-defining works such as Beowulf, the matter of Britain, mystery and morality plays, and the Golden Legend, and authors such as Dante, Chaucer, Omar Kayyam, Julian of Norwich, Hildegard von Bingen, and the Venerable Bede. ENGL 201G is a prerequisite for this course.

ENG 301G Literature III - Early Modern - Victorian Literature

3 Credits
Socratic seminar on the literature of the Early Modern through Victorian eras. Will include genres such as plays, lyric poetry, narrative poetry, political satire, political history, the essay, and the novel, featuring the work of authors such as Shakespeare, Petrarch, Herbert, Donne, Milton, More, Machiavelli, Swift, Moliere, Montaigne, Voltaire, Austen, and Dickens.

ENG 302G Literature IV - Modern - Contemporary Literature

3 Credits
Socratic seminar on the literature of the late Modern world. Will include genres such as the novel, the short story, lyric poetry, political history, and biography, featuring authors such as Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Conrad, Waugh, Atwood, Boyagoda, Camus, O'Connor, Hopkins, Eliot, Auden, Frost, Burke, Tocqueville, Frankl, and Solzhenitsyn. ENGL 301G is a prerequisite for this course.

Based on 2023-24 draft Academic Calendar

The B.A.(CATH) is awarded upon completion of 93 credits including:

• 72 core credits; 27 credits in Philosophy including a final 3 credit senior research thesis and defense; 18 credits in Foundational Theology; 6 credits in Sacred Scriptures; 15 credits in English; 6 credits in Languages.

• 21 elective credits: 9 credits for breadth elective courses in Natural Science, Social Science, and Math; 9 credits in general elective courses at 200 or 300 level; 3 credits for general elective courses at 300 level.

*B.A. education expects regular and substantive student-faculty interaction to achieve the stipulated learning outcomes, and this interaction requires that at least one year of full-time academic study (30 credits) shall be completed at our main campus.

*Students may transfer in a maximum of 9 credits towards the B.A. degree from other recognized colleges and universities to meet the Science, Math, and Social or Natural Science elective requirements of the program. Credits, but not marks, are transferred. The transfer of credit is subject to the approval of the NTC Admissions and Evaluations Committee.

Program Goal: The program will provide: Broad familiarity with the contributions of Catholicism to Western Culture

Learning Outcomes: A graduate will be able to:

1. critically assess principal themes, persons, literary and artistic works of Western Civilization as illustrated through representative ‘Great Books’, situate them in their historical context, and set them in conversation;
2. explain how the totality of Sacred Scripture, as interpreted with the mind of the Church, unveils the saving mission of Jesus Christ;
3. recount and analyze instances where the Catholic Church has influenced and been influenced by key literary, philosophical, historical and artistic works within Western Civilization;

Program Goal: The program will provide: Knowledge of major Western philosophical disciplines, especially Thomism

Learning Outcomes: A graduate will be able to:

1. independently assess the distinction between and complementary nature of the principles of faith and reason; 
2. evaluate the various meanings of the term ‘wisdom’—speculative and practical, philosophical and theological, acquired and infused;
3. distinguish the principal liberal arts and sciences by their proper subject matters, principles, methods, and modes of argument;
4. critically analyze, with reference to the natural moral law, what is meant by happiness and the common good;
5. articulate how key metaphysical, moral, and epistemological principles of St. Thomas Aquinas can be brought into creative dialogue with alternative philosophical traditions;

Program Goal: The program will provide: Skills in reading, writing and oral communication

Learning Outcomes: A graduate will be able to:

1. comprehend and independently interpret the structure and arguments of primary texts within a variety of disciplines;
2. write and orally present ideas in clear, persuasive, English;
3. express one’s own views persuasively and charitably, and can ask thoughtful questions of another person who holds a contrary opinion;
4. independently identify and analyze pattern, harmony, symmetry, and order in works of nature and art, and apply techniques illustrated in exemplary models to create original works;

Program Goal: The program will provide: Skills in logical analysis and research

Learning Outcomes: A graduate will be able to:

1. express the difference between knowledge and opinion, and to know when a proposition is held from experience or as the result of argument from prior principle;
2. define and correctly independently apply various research methodologies;

Program Goal: The program will provide: Opportunity for Growth in Christian discipleship

Learning Outcomes: A graduate will be able to:

1. demonstrate the virtues of courtesy, integrity, and justice towards others while working in the context of a Christian academic community;
2. critically assess the value of the Catholic Church’s liturgical, devotional and moral disciplines.

Tuition and Fees (per term) - 2023/2024

Based on 2023-24 draft Academic Calendar

*Full-time student fees include Administration fee, Library fee and Students' Association fee.