Catechetics Program

Follow in the footsteps of the Catholic teachers, leaders, and mentors who inspired you and advance the teaching mission of the Catholic Church with the catechetics bachelor’s degree program at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. Provided by the No. 1 Catholic university for theology majors in the United States, the Franciscan catechetics degree prepares you to help shape joyful disciples of Christ by teaching the Catholic faith in high school classrooms, religious education programs at parishes, in youth ministry, campus ministry, and at independent apostolates. You’ll also be equipped to coordinate the catechism efforts for the dioceses of the Catholic Church.

Think with the mind of the Catholic Church

The catechetics bachelor’s degree program at Franciscan University seeks academically gifted, high-performing student leaders who want to take their love of the Lord — and the Catholic Church — deeper. Faithful to the magisterium, the teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church, and at the service of the Catholic bishops and their pastors, the catechetics program prepares you to think first and foremost with the mind of the Catholic Church.

Here are just a few other ways Franciscan’s catechetics degree program in Ohio stands out from the rest:

• Financial aid and scholarships: Make your catechetics degree affordable by working with the staff at the Financial Aid Office at Franciscan University. They will help you secure scholarships, grants, loans, and ROTC and work opportunities.
• Applied learning: Professionally and effectively prepare for the work of making disciples of Jesus Christ by experiencing hands-on catechetical work through internships. As a Franciscan catechetics major, you may intern in Catholic high schools, religious education programs, youth ministries, and other settings — in Ohio and throughout the United States.
• Experienced Catholic professors: Learn from Catholic professors who bring a wealth of professional experience to the Catholic formation they provide. These passionate disciples of Jesus remain active in the field, teaching, speaking, publishing, and consulting — locally in Ohio, nationally, and internationally.
• Unique catechetics courses: Wield the Bible as a teaching tool through the Scriptural Foundations of Catechetics course. Be equipped to imitate the pedagogy of Revelation using the Ecclesial Method to teach conversion through two semesters of catechetical methodology. Study the full treasury of the Catholic Church’s catechetical methods to include the use of sacred art, Catholic literature, and the liturgy itself to form disciples of Christ.
• Dynamic campus in Ohio: Prepare for the work you were called to do by earning your bachelor’s degree in catechetics at a Catholic university that makes discipleship and the pursuit of holiness a priority.
• Strengthen your catechetics degree: Franciscan wants you to do God’s work and succeed and thrive financially, too. That’s why Franciscan encourages you to bolster your catechetics bachelor’s degree with another Franciscan major, such as a bachelor’s in business or other highly marketable degree.

With your catechetics bachelor’s degree at Franciscan in Ohio, you’ll be well positioned to continue your graduate studies at Franciscan or other universities, or to be in demand for any catechetics job.

Graduate Programs for Catechetics Majors

• Master of Arts in Catechetics and Evangelization

Potential Employers for Catechetics Majors

• Catholic high schools and parishes
• Catholic publishing
• College and high school campus ministries
• Diocesan offices of catechesis
• Missionaries
• Pro-life organizations
• Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)

Ready to embark on the mission of a lifetime?

The undergraduate Catechetics Major at Franciscan University is a challenging and fruitful program. Our graduates are well-equipped to serve the Church and share the faith. We prepare you to excel as a teacher at all levels of catechetical ministry–teaching in Catholic schools, RCIA, adult faith formation, parish catechetical programs, youth ministry, campus ministry, and others.

The Church needs quality men and women who know the faith and are ready and eager to share it. Our program will increase your preparation to fill that need better than any other.

How to Apply

Due to the high number of students who wish to study catechetics and the high level of excellence we expect from our graduates, students interested in majoring in Catechetics must apply to be a part of the program.

A student who would like to apply to the Catechetics major must:

• Have a 2.5 QPA, based on a minimum of 27 credit hours (by the end of that semester).
• Write an essay on why he or she would like to be a catechist.
• Fill out an application from the Office of Catechetics in Egan 252.
• Have this information turned in to the department by the posted deadline.

Timeframe for opportunities to apply: Each class will have two opportunities to be accepted into the major: one at the end of their freshman year, and another at the end of the first semester of their sophomore year. Applications are available at the beginning of the semester in which they are due.

Application reviews and class scheduling: All applications are reviewed by the Catechetics faculty at the end of the semester, after all grades have been turned in. All students who apply should register for their next semester classes as though they were accepted into the Catechetics program, following the Catechetics Major Typical Program. Students who are not accepted into the major program will need to adjust their schedules accordingly.

View the Catechetics Program on the Undergraduate Catalog