Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology

The Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology (Latin: Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus; abbreviated STB), not to be confused with a Bachelor of Arts in Theology, is the first of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the second being the Licentiate of Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctor of Sacred Theology) conferred by a number of Pontifical faculties around the world.

Despite its designation as a "baccalaureate", a hold over from the Middle-Ages, it is a graduate-level academic degree in theology, equivalent in the United States to a first professional degree. As an ecclesiastical degree, it is conferred in the name of and by the authority of the Holy See. It is often granted alongside a civil degree such as the Master of Divinty. The curriculum varies slightly from faculty to faculty, but generally requires competency in Latin or Greek as well as the completion of the "first cycle" of theological training, a three to five year course of studies that aims for a comprehensive competence in philosophy and theology. The basic requirements for any of the three ecclesiastical degree are regulated by the Holy See, most recently in the Apostolic Constitution Veritatis Gaudium.

References

• "Apostolic Constitution Veritatis Gaudium on Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties". vatican.va. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
• "Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology". catholic.edu. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
• "Canonical Degrees". theo.kuleuven.be. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
• "The Three Cycles". angelicum.it. Retrieved 2022-11-21.