St. Peter's
Seminary

BACHELOR OF ARTS PROGRAM IN PHILOSOPHY

I. General Description

The Second Vatican Council directed that seminarians should receive humanistic and scientific training which enables other students in their own society to undertake higher studies. At the beginning of their training in the Seminary, therefore, seminarians usually receive introductory courses which initiate them into the mystery of salvation, provide a firm grounding in philosophy, and instruction in the social sciences including psychology, sociology, and history. An acquaintance with the literary traditions of their own country is also provided. (See the Decree on the Training of Priests, nn. 13-15, and the Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, n. 62.)

St. Peter’s Seminary, by virtue of its affiliation with The University of Western Ontario (UWO), London, Ontario Canada, provides a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in Philosophy, for candidates for the ministerial priesthood who are preparing for the study of theology. Students who enter the Seminary without an undergraduate degree, or with a degree partially completed, enroll in this program of study by registering and receiving their degree from UWO.

Those students who possess an undergraduate degree from a recognized university, but who lack the necessary core courses in philosophy, register in a pre-theology year as special students of the University and complete these requirements in one academic year. Students lacking only one or two of the core courses in philosophy may take them concurrently while registered in the program of theology.

II. Requirements of the Program in Philosophy

Seminarians who register at UWO in the BA program in philosophy are required to follow the general regulations and graduation requirements for undergraduate degrees at UWO, in addition to specific requirements for the Department of Philosophy at King’s College. These regulations and requirements are found in the respective academic calendars of these institutions and at their respective websites, http://www.uwo.ca and http://www.uwo.ca/kings.

In light of these requirements and the requirements for priestly training, there are eleven (11) courses required for seminarians in the program:

• Religious Studies 027E – Introduction to Catholic Theology
• Religious Studies 250E – History of the Catholic Church
• Philosophy 020E – Introduction to Philosophy*
• Philosophy 133 – Thomistic Philosophy I*
• Philosophy 141 – Aristotelian Logic*
• Philosophy 148E – Contemporary Philosophy*
• Philosophy 203E – Moral Problems and Issues
• Philosophy 227E – History of Scientific Thought
• Philosophy 333E – Thomistic Philosophy II
• English 020E – General Literature and Composition
• Speech 143 – The Major Forms of Oral Discourse

notes:
(i) For those students registered in the pre-theology year, there are four core courses in philosophy, as indicated by an asterisk.

(ii) The course in the History of the Catholic Church is cross-listed as an arts course and a theology course. It is normally taken as an arts course, as outlined above, but may be taken as a theology course by those students who come to the Seminary with an undergraduate degree completed and who have not taken an equivalent course in the History of the Catholic Church.

(iii) Courses for the BA program are offered at St. Peter’s Seminary as well as at King’s College, Brescia College and the main campus of UWO.

III. Academic Admission to the Arts Program in Philosophy

Undergraduate students applying to St. Peter’s Seminary for the BA program in philosophy, or for the pre-theology year, register through King’s College and follow the requirements for students at the College, as indicated in their academic calendar or on their website, http://www.uwo.ca/kings. As such, academic admission requirements for the program of Arts at the Seminary are the same as those at King’s, as published each year in the UWO calendar. They include:

• applicants from Ontario require a high school diploma with a minimum average as determined by UWO;
• students from outside Ontario must meet the requirements for university studies as determined in their own province and by UWO;
• applicants seeking admission from an Ontario secondary school must complete the Ontario University Application Centre (OUAC) form 101, provided by secondary school guidance offices and submitted by the school principal or guidance counsellor – on this form, it is necessary to specify the choice of university as UWO / King’s College / Arts;
• out-of-province secondary school graduates, those who have completed a two- or three-year program at a college of applied arts and technology, mature candidates (those 21 years of age or older who have not been in school for a minimum of two years), and university transfer students must complete the Ontario University Application Centre (OUAC) form 105 – contact the Registrar of Arts for specific details;
• applicants who have attained a Bachelor’s degree, and who are seeking admission as a pre-theology student should use the OUAC form 105 to register as a “special students”

notes:
(i) When an seminarian applicant for the BA program in philosophy does not qualify for admission under the requirements of the University, he is normally asked to complete the requirements at a continuing education centre before applying to the Seminary.

(ii) When a mature seminarian applicant does not qualify for admission under the normal University guidelines for mature applicants, he may be admitted for exceptional reasons as a “special student” in preparation for theological studies. Such an applicant would have to be at least thirty-five years of age, have experience in the field of work, and have completed one year of post-secondary studies or its equivalent. He would have to have the recommendation of his Bishop and his Vocations Director as one suited for priestly ministry. He would be expected to complete the pre-theology year of philosophy before embarking on theological studies.

(iii) Students of St. Peter’s Seminary are not eligible for entrance scholarships normally offered to King’s College students. Though seminarians are students of King’s College and UWO, these scholarships are reserved to students in residence at King’s.