Catholic Theology

The “God question,”—who or what is God?—which is then immediately formulated as “the man question”—who or what is man?—is a key part of the study of Catholic theology, whose goal it is to scientifically explore the content and tradition of the Christian faith. At Bonn’s Faculty of Catholic Theology, prospective priests, “lay theologians” of the Archdiocese of Cologne and the Diocese of Aachen, are trained. Students first learn the theological and philosophical fundamentals. Courses in the four theological subject groups (biblical theology, historical theology, systematic theology, practical theology) build on this basis. Dogma is viewed in the context of history and society and also through the lens of questions currently being directed at it. Ever-present questions in this study program are ecumenism and the dialogue with other religions or other academic fields.

The Bible and historical church texts constitute an existential basis for the study of theology. The study of such basic texts requires knowledge of Latin, Greek and Hebrew. The precise language requirements depend on the targeted degree and the professional area the student intends to enter later on.

For purposes of career orientation, students may do internships in church and non-church areas.

Possible lines of work:

Priest of a religious order (parishes, hospitals, prisons, student groups, boarding schools, etc.), administrative specialist, pastoral associate, journalism (news agencies, press, radio, television, etc.), archives, teaching at a German public school, academia (teaching/research at universities, research institutions, etc.)