Great Reasons to Attend

Rigorous Academics

The Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology (DSPT) has the reputation of being the most academically rigorous of the Graduation Theological Union (GTU) member schools, due to its emphasis on the mutual relationship between philosophy and theology. DSPT offers its students a solid foundation in philosophical and theological and full access to the many resources of the wider GTU and the University of California, Berkeley.

DSPT courses and programs center on the rich intellectual tradition of classical philosophy and Catholic theology, especially as exemplified by St. Thomas Aquinas, and apply that tradition to contemporary issues and ideas. Student at DSPT are able to use this rich tradition to create a solid, academic foundation for their life's work, whether that involves ministry, education, further study, or some other path.

In 2007, the Vatican ordered an Apostolic Visitation of seminaries in the United States. The Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education said about DSPT:

The School's academic program is excellent, with the students receiving a substantially complete grounding in dogmatic and moral theology. The faculty is both academically prepared and doctrinally sound.

The courses on the history of philosophy consider in depth the Western tradition from classical Greek philosophy to contemporary European thought. Courses that focus on a specific subject like the theory of knowledge examine the questions involved through the lens of the entire tradition, from the principle Greek thinkers to the most recent European scholars.

Undoubtedly one of the strengths of the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology is the ability it fosters in its students to dialogue, on the intellectual level, with contemporary society.

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