Pre-­Ministerial (Minor)

The pre-ministerial minor is intended for a broad array of students preparing for professional ministry, whether Catholic, Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, or Jewish. The Bay Area is an ideal place for such a minor, since all of these traditions have seminaries here.

Dominican’s pre-ministerial minor is unique. In addition to requiring a basic knowledge of the Judeo-Christian tradition, the minor also requires six units in the cross-cultural study of religion. In an increasingly globalized world, interreligious dialogue will become even more important, and people in ministry should be equipped to participate.

Furthermore, our minor offers preparatory classes students might not have as options in seminary, such as business, counseling, art history or music. The minor also requires students to do an internship in a religious organization. For this internship students might choose to work in a church or synagogue—a church/synagogue sponsored social action group, or a monastery or institute for spirituality. A hands-on experience helps students discern whether they truly have a call for ministry and if so, how they want to answer that call.

Program Learning Outcomes

The student will demonstrate:

1. A basic knowledge of important aspects of the Judeo-Christian tradition.
2. An ability to compare and contrast the beliefs and practices of the Judeo-Christian tradition with those of other religious traditions.
3. An understanding of basic skills necessary for work in professional ministry.
4. The application of theory to practice via internship experience.

Pre-­Ministerial Minor Requirements

Required Courses:

RLGN XXXX	Cross-Cultural Study of Religion	3.00 units
RLGN XXXX	Western-Cultural Study of Religion*	9.00 units

Western-Cultural Study of Religion: Minimum of 3 units in Scripture and 3 units in Theology

Select one 3 unit course from each of the following:

ARTH XXXX**	Art History	3.00 units
	or
MUS XXXX**	Music	3.00 units
BUS XXXX**	Business	3.00 units
	or
PSY XXXX**	Psychology with a Counseling Emphasis	3.00 units
RLGN 4996	Internship: Religion	0.50 to 3.00 units

RLGN 4996: The religious organization could be a church/synagogue or a church sponsored social action group or a monastery/institute for spirituality.

Total Credit Hours: 19-21

*Up to 3 units for the area of study may be satisfied by the GE requirement.

**Students should consult their academic advisor regarding which courses would be most appropriate.

†At least 12 of the 19-21 units listed below must be upper division for the minor.