The University of Mary is expanding its mission of Catholic higher education with the launch of its Graduate School of Theology in Downtown Phoenix, establishing a new center for graduate theological formation that will prepare priests, lay leaders, educators, and ministry professionals to serve the Church in an increasingly apostolic age.

Located at the Arizona Center, across from the Saint Mary’s Basilica and the Diocesan Pastoral Center, the Graduate School of Theology builds upon the university’s longstanding partnership with the Diocese of Phoenix and Nazareth Seminary.

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Beginning this fall, the Graduate School of Theology will offer two in-person graduate degrees: a four-year Master of Divinity (MDiv) and a 36-credit Master of Arts (MA) in Theology. While seminarians preparing for the priesthood will pursue both degrees, the MA in Theology is open to lay students, as well.

“The university’s Graduate School of Theology is doing something that no other university is doing in the Valley at the graduate level: the University of Mary now has an actual physical presence in downtown Phoenix — students and professors will interact in person,” said Dr. Eric Westby, associate professor of theology. “The Graduate School of Theology is poised to be the center of theological and pastoral formation in the Diocese of Phoenix for years to come. What originally started as undergraduate formation for the seminarians of the diocese has blossomed into an academic program that now includes master’s-level work. This formation will help students know their faith more deeply and be equipped to pass it on in a variety of settings.”

The Master of Arts in Theology provides a thorough foundation in Sacred Scripture, dogmatic theology, moral theology, Church history, and liturgical and sacramental theology. Students also select a specialization that prepares them to apply Catholic theology in specific ministerial settings while studying alongside seminarians of Nazareth Seminary, sharing in the same rigorous theological formation that prepares men for the priesthood.

Inspired by University of Mary President Monsignor James Shea’s “From Christendom to Apostolic Mission,” the Graduate School of Theology emphasizes proclaiming Christ in a post-Christian culture. The program is designed to form credentialed leaders who can teach, evangelize, and strengthen the Catholic faith while serving in parish ministry, Catholic education, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), youth ministry, marriage and family ministry, pastoral care, and other apostolates.

The Graduate School of Theology is the latest expansion of the University’s Arizona mission, which began in 2012 through Mary College at ASU.

“Our desire isn’t merely to offer courses in theology, but to form a community of scholars here in the Valley, bringing seminarians and laity together in service of the Diocese of Phoenix,” said Scott Lefor, director of operations for Arizona and program director of Mary College at ASU. “It’s been deeply edifying and humbling to see how God has used our presence: we’ve seen massive growth in the number of ASU students we’ve been able to educate and bring to a deeper understanding of their faith over the last several years, and it’s a deep honor for any Catholic university to be entrusted with the academic formation of seminarians. We’ve seen a lot of life and providence through these undergraduate programs at our Tempe campus.”

The new school is intended to strengthen theological and pastoral formation throughout the Diocese of Phoenix while serving those who seek a deeper understanding of the Catholic intellectual tradition and wish to share that knowledge in their homes, parishes, schools, and communities.

“Like all the initiatives of the University of Mary, the Graduate School of Theology carries with it the university’s Benedictine roots and values,” Westby said. “The Graduate School of Theology will become a place of community where professors and students grow in their knowledge of and love for the Lord, the Church’s theological tradition, and in their ability to serve as Christ served.”

The launch of the Graduate School of Theology reflects the University of Mary’s continued investment in Catholic education and formation across Arizona. Alongside Mary College at ASU, the Photina Center for Catholic Counseling, and its partnership with Nazareth Seminary, the university continues to expand opportunities that form faithful leaders for the Church and strengthen Catholic life throughout the Valley of the Sun.

To learn more or begin the application process, visit the Graduate School of Theology webpage.