Pontifical Faculty of Theology

The international academic degrees of the Catholic Church are the baccalaureate, the licentiate, and the doctorate in theology. These are abbreviated as S.T.B. (Sacred Theology Baccalaureate), S.T.L. (Sacred Theology Licentiate) and S.T.D. (Sacred Theology Doctorate).

On September 30, 1929, the Sacred Congregation of Seminaries and Universities (now known as the Congregation for Catholic Education) established a Pontifical Faculty of Theology at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, Illinois. The Faculty was authorized to grant Pontifical degrees initially for five years, and on September 21, 1934, this authorization was made permanent.

The Statutes of the Pontifical Faculty of Theology set forth the faculty’s governance and policies. They were revised in light of the apostolic constitution, Gaudium veritatis, and approved ad decennium by the Congregation for Catholic Education in 2022.

These pages outline the S.T.B., S.T.L., and S.T.D. programs offered by the Pontifical Faculty at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake. We are most excited to include an online option for the STL, described on its page.

The S.T.B. program is reserved for USML seminarians.