The Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus; abbreviated STB), not to be confused with a Bachelor of Arts in Theology, is the first of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the second being the

Licentiate in Sacred Theology Licentiate in Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Licentiatus; abbreviated STL) is the second of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the first being the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theol ...

and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theology) which are conferred by a number of

pontifical faculties A pontifical university is an ecclesiastical university established or approved directly by the Holy See, composed of three main ecclesiastical faculties (Theology, Philosophy and Canon Law) and at least one other faculty. These academic institute ...

around the world. Despite its designation as a "baccalaureate", a holdover from historic nomenclature, it is a graduate level, academic degree in theology, equivalent in the United States and the United Kingdom to a

first professional degree A professional degree, formerly known in the US as a first professional degree, is a degree that prepares someone to work in a particular profession, practice, or industry sector often meeting the academic requirements for licensure or accreditatio ...

. As an ecclesiastical degree, it is conferred in the name of and by the authority of the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

. It is often granted alongside a civil degree, such as the Master of Divinty. The curriculum varies slightly from faculty to faculty, but generally requires competency in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

as well as the completion of the "first cycle" of theological training, a three to five year course of studies that aims for a comprehensive competence in philosophy and theology. The basic requirements for any of the three ecclesiastical degree are regulated by the Holy See, most recently in the Apostolic Constitution

Veritatis Gaudium ''Veritatis gaudium'' (''The Joy of Truth'') is an apostolic constitution on ecclesiastical universities and faculties. It was signed by Pope Francis on 8 December 2017 and was promulgated on 29 January 2018. It updates the 1979 apostolic consti ...

References

{{reflist
"Apostolic Constitution Veritatis Gaudium on Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties"
''vatican.va''. Retrieved 2022-11-21.

''catholic.edu''. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
"Canonical Degrees"
''theo.kuleuven.be''. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
"The Three Cycles"
''angelicum.it''. Retrieved 2022-11-21.

Sacred Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the s ...

Religious degrees