Magister Theologiae

Magister Theologiae , in short: Mag. Theol. , is the academic degree with which the basic full course of Catholic and Protestant theology at German and Austrian universities , church and philosophical-theological universities as part of the Bologna Process regularly concludes.

Situation in Germany

Key points resolution of the Conference of Ministers of Education

As part of the reform of higher education under the Bologna process to the former Diploma - Degree of Theology abolished and the degree of reform. In 2007 the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder passed a resolution to this effect in agreement with the Evangelical Church and the German Bishops' Conference. Accordingly, there will continue to be a full undergraduate theological course lasting five years. This concludes with the degree Magister Theologiae and will take place in structured modules . The study achievements are assessed according to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).

The universities have the possibility of creating other theological courses of study in consecutive form with Bachelor and Master degrees , if necessary , but these must meet the common structural requirements for the accreditation of Bachelor and Master courses , which also apply to all other Bachelor and Master courses be valid. However, these requirements exclude, for example, undergraduate master’s courses. For bachelor's and master’s degree programs that convey the requirements for a teaching post in Protestant or Catholic religion, the structural specifications mentioned above also apply, which make special requirements. The degrees Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) or Master of Education (M.Ed.) are awarded for these degree programs.

For employees in the practical church area, the basic full course should be retained, which is the case with the Magister Theologiae.

Demarcation

The undergraduate five-year Magister Theologiae is not a Master’s degree, but it is probably equivalent to the previous Magister’s degree and the university diploma . According to Section 19 of the Higher Education Framework Act (HRG), a master’s degree is only awarded on the basis of a further professional university degree. In accordance with the structural requirements (5.2), the following applies: "This excludes undergraduate courses that lead directly to a master's degree after four or five years."

implementation

In the 2007/2008 winter semester, the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt was the first university to modularize its theology studies and redesign it in accordance with the requirements of the key points attack, although it kept the designation “diploma”. In addition, the Protestant Theological Faculty of the Ruhr University Bochum has also changed its course and also been named a diploma. The Catholic-Theological Faculty of the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg has implemented the new study structure including the designation as "Magister Theologiae". The course at the Catholic Theological Faculty of the University of Bonn has now also been converted to the new master’s degree. At the University of Muenster both the study is the Protestant and Catholic theology to the new since 2008. Magister Theologiae changed. The Trier Theological Faculty plans to introduce the Master’s degree in the 2008/2009 winter semester, and the Fulda Theological Faculty for the 2010/2011 winter semester.

In general, it can be said that many full theological courses are being modularized and restructured, but the designation of the degree as a diploma is retained.

It is noteworthy that many theology students reject the modularization of the course and oppose it. In addition, the theologian Marius Reiser has since resigned his professorship at the University of Mainz in protest against the Bologna Process .

Accreditation

The aim of the accreditation process is the assessment (evaluation) and determination (accreditation) of the quality of the respective degree program based on the self-documentation of the university and the on-site inspection by the expert group. For the accreditation of the courses in Catholic theology with canonical effect, the Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation AKAST e. V. founded. In the AKAST procedure, the accreditation decision is based on transparent criteria, which can be viewed in the guidelines for program accreditation in particular. The basis for this is provided by the "Criteria for the Accreditation of Study Programs" of the Accreditation Council.

The association was established by the German Bishops' Conference in agreement with the Holy See as a public legal association under ecclesiastical law according to cc. 116, 301 § 3 and 312 Codex Iuris Canonici (CIC). AKAST is an independent regional agency of the Vatican evaluation institution Agenzia della Santa Sede per la Valutazione e la Promozione della Qualità delle Facoltà Ecclesiastiche ( AVEPRO ) recognized by the German Accreditation Council . It serves to promote the Catholic theological faculties and training centers and to ensure the quality of canonical courses in Germany . The main tool for this is the accreditation process, in which courses and a. their objectives, their internal structure and the external framework conditions are questioned. AKAST was founded on September 16, 2008 in Frankfurt Sankt Georgen. The legal seat is Bonn.

The most important bodies are the general assemblies and the board of directors. Membership can be applied for by Catholic theological institutions that have the status of a legal person. Individuals may also be accepted as members. The representation or, in the case of individual members, membership requires renewal after five years.

The most important further institution of AKAST is the accreditation commission. The accreditation commission decides the composition of the expert groups and the evaluation result. It meets twice a year. This ensures that the accreditation process at AKAST can be completed in six months.

Information about AKAST and the status of the previously accredited courses can be found on the agency's website.

Web links

• Key points for the study structure in courses with Catholic or Protestant theology / religion
• AKAST e. V.
• Katholisch.de, Church from A – Z, Theology
• Detailed information on the Magister Theologiae at the University of Bonn ( Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger )
• Study plan for the modularized theology course at the KU Eichstätt-Ingolstadt

swell

1. ↑ Cf. Evangelical-Theological Faculty Day at HU, notification from October 2007
2. ↑ See Kirchenbote for the Diocese of Osnabrück from January 6, 2008  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .  
3. ↑ ^{a b} www.kmk.org (PDF file)
4. ↑ See press release of the Diocese of Limburg as well as Konradsblatt No. 13 of March 30, 2008 ( Memento of September 26, 2008 in the Internet Archive ).
5. ↑ ^{a b c d} Common structural specifications for the accreditation of Bachelor and Master courses of the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs
6. ↑ cf. University framework law and higher education laws of the federal states
7. ↑ Cf. protocol from DR II / 2007 in Loccum  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
8. ↑ See www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de
9. ↑ See www.studium.uni-freiburg.de ( Memento of the original from March 30, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
10. ↑ See www.uni-bonn.de ( Memento from June 25, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
11. ↑ See www.zsb.uni-muenster.de ( Memento from June 8, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
12. ↑ See www.zsb.uni-muenster.de ( Memento from June 8, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
13. ↑ See www.theo.uni-trier.de (PDF file)
14. ↑ See www.thf-fulda.de
15. ↑ See the information brochure  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. of the Evangelical Theology Student Council.  
16. ↑ Marius Reiser: Why I am vacating my chair. In: FAZ.net . January 20, 2009, accessed December 16, 2014 .