Program Duration and Location
The S.T.M. program is usually completed in one year and in no more than the equivalent of three full-time semesters. Courses are offered in the fall semester, January term, spring semester, and summer term. January term and spring semester courses are added together in considering a student’s scholarship and full-time status. All requirements for the degree must be completed within four years from the date of initial matriculation. No credit from graduate study elsewhere or at Drew may be transferred into the S.T.M. program.
Credits for the S.T.M. can be earned in a combination of regular semester-long courses held on Drew’s campus in Madison, New Jersey, online courses, intensive courses that meet in a compressed time period (one to three weeks), hybrid courses that combine on-campus meetings with online work, and off-site courses such as courses that meet at one of New Jersey’s state prisons. Most courses meet once per week and are offered at daytime or nighttime hours.
Program Curriculum
The S.T.M. degree is awarded at the satisfactory completion of 18 credits of coursework and an extended paper. Students are expected to take advanced seminars, and are usually not allowed to take required master of divinity courses. A grade average above B (3.00) must be maintained.
Each S.T.M. student is expected to develop a coherent program of study in consultation with the Director of S.T.M. Studies and the student’s academic advisor. The coherence of the program of study may be exhibited by:
- the concentration of courses and seminars in a single division of the Theological School curriculum, or
- focusing on a major aspect of theological study that is approached from an interdisciplinary perspective.
In either case, and as a general rule, 12 credits should be taken in the field of concentration, with the remaining 6 credits in other fields that support the program of study. Proficiency in a foreign language is not required for the degree but certain programs of study may require such proficiency.
STM Extended Paper
The STM student is required to exhibit the satisfactory completion of an extended research paper in conjunction with a class. The candidate’s paper should demonstrate mastery of the basic perspectives of that field and demonstrate the student’s ability to formulate productive questions and to use research methods and resources of the discipline. No additional credits are given for the paper. Students are encouraged to write the extended paper in conjunction with a course taken in their first semester of coursework.
The writing of an extended paper for the STM degree involves the student in writing a brief prospectus for the paper, compiling an appropriate bibliography, and writing of multiple drafts until the professor believes that the student has sufficiently demonstrated the skills listed above. The student will receive constructive feedback and is expected to incorporate this feedback in revision(s) of the paper. It is this revision process that distinguishes the extended paper from a term paper written for other classes. The final paper should normally be 35-40 pages in length.
The student should discuss fulfilling this requirement with the professor of a class that is closely related to the overall focus of his/her program. In many cases this will be with the person who serves as the academic advisor, but that is not a requirement. If the professor agrees that the class would be an appropriate place for the extended paper, then the student should fill out the STM Extended Paper Proposal form indicating his/her plans. The form should be signed by the supervising professor, the academic advisor, and the STM program advisor. It should then be filed with the office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Upon the successful completion of the paper, the supervising professor should notify the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs so that s/he can certify to the registrar that this requirement has been met.
Return to: