Program Overview

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Master of Spiritual Direction

The Master of Spiritual Direction is a postgraduate degree that focuses on the practice of spiritual direction in the Ignatian tradition. The program is designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and spiritual formation necessary to become competent spiritual directors.

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for admission to the course, an applicant must have:

• Completed a Bachelor degree including a major in theology or a relevant postgraduate qualification in theology, such as the Graduate Certificate in Theological Studies
• Demonstrated suitability to undertake the course, as evidenced by interview

Completion Requirements

To qualify for the degree, a student must complete 120 credit points from the Schedule of Unit Offerings, including:

• 80 credit points from Specified Units (Part A)
• 30 credit points from Research Units (Part B)
• 10 credit points from 600-level units from the Unit Schedule for the Master of Theological Studies (Part C)

Maximum Periods

The maximum period of enrolment is 6 years. However, students are encouraged to complete the course requirements within 3 years.

Exit Points

A student who has completed the 80 credit points of specified units from the Schedule of Unit Offerings in the Master of Spiritual Direction may exit with a Graduate Diploma in Spiritual Direction.

Progression Requirements

Students need to receive a minimum 75% result in both THSP633 Spiritual Exercises Praxis A and THSP634 Spiritual Exercises Theory B as part of the course. Students who are unable to gain this result but have successfully completed other units towards the Graduate Diploma in Spiritual Direction may transfer these units to the Graduate Diploma in Theological Studies or the Master of Theological Studies.

Schedule of Unit Offerings

The program consists of three parts:

Part A: Specified Units

Complete exactly 80 credit points from the following units:

• THSP509 Ignatian Discernment and Decision-Making
• THSP520 Introduction to Spiritual Direction in the Ignatian Tradition
• THSP521 Psychological Foundations for Supervision and Spiritual Direction
• THSP522 Ethics and Professional Practice in Supervision and Spiritual Direction
• THSP632 Spiritual Exercises Theory A
• THSP633 Spiritual Exercises Praxis A
• THSP634 Spiritual Exercises Theory B
• THSP635 Spiritual Exercises Praxis B

Part B: Research Units

Complete exactly 30 credit points from the following units:

• THEL619 Introduction to Theological and Philosophical Research
• THSP636 Capstone Research Project (Spiritual Direction)

Part C: Elective Unit (600 level) from the Schedule of Unit Offerings of the Master of Theological Studies

Complete exactly 10 credit points from the following units:

• MTHSTN Master of Theological Studies

Students may choose a taught 600-level unit in any theological subdiscipline or a 600-level research project unit that enables them to add further depth to the area of research selected for THSP636.

Course Map

The course map outlines the recommended sequence of units for part-time students commencing in Professional Term 2. The course can be completed over 3 years, with students completing 2-3 units per year.

• Year 1, Professional Term 2: THSP521 Psychological Foundations for Supervision and Spiritual Direction
• Year 1, Professional Term 4: THSP520 Introduction to Spiritual Direction in the Ignatian Tradition
• Year 1, Professional Term 6: THSP522 Ethics and Professional Practice in Supervision and Spiritual Direction
• Year 1, Professional Term 8: THSP509 Ignatian Discernment and Decision-Making
• Year 2, Professional Term 2: THSP632 Spiritual Exercises Theory A
• Year 2, Professional Term 4: THSP633 Spiritual Exercises Praxis A
• Year 2, Professional Term 6: THSP634 Spiritual Exercises Theory B
• Year 2, Professional Term 8: THSP635 Spiritual Exercises Praxis B
• Year 3, Semester 1: THEL619 Introduction to Theological and Philosophical Research, THSP636 Capstone Research Project (Spiritual Direction)
• Year 3, Semester 2: Elective Unit (600 level) from the Schedule of Unit Offerings of the Master of Theological Studies, THSP636 Capstone Research Project (Spiritual Direction)