Academics

Academics

The University of St. Michael’s College has a proud academic heritage that goes back to its founding in 1852 to serve the educational needs of a burgeoning Catholic population in the city of Toronto.

In the 20th century, the school was home to scholars of global renown including media theorist Marshall McLuhan, mediaeval scholar Étienne Gilson and Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain, and its graduate program offerings through the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies helped to establish the University of Toronto as a centre of graduate-level education in North America. St. Mike’s carries this legacy forward in the undergraduate programs it sponsors in Celtic Studies, Mediaeval Studies, Christianity and Culture, and Book and Media Studies.

The school is also home to three unique seminars open to all first-year students at the University of Toronto: the Gilson Seminar in Faith and Ideas, inspired by the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, explores questions related to faith and ecology, science, literature and politics; the McLuhan Seminar in Creativity and Technology analyzes how the humanities relate to other fields of thought and the effects of technology; and the Boyle Seminar in Scripts and Stories invites students to investigate layers of history, analyze mediaeval books, and take language instruction in Latin or Irish. St. Mike’s offers graduate degrees and diploma programs in education and formation for ministry through its Faculty of Theology.

A founding member of the Toronto School of Theology, the Faculty of Theology has been offering both basic and graduate degrees for more than 60 years.

In 2022, the University of St. Michael’s College Faculty of Theology federated with Regis College to create a single academic entity, called the Regis St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology.

The Regis St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology (RSM) offers a number of conjoint degree programs. The MDiv, MTS, and MRE degrees specialize in education and formation for ministry, including ordained ministry, religious education and other pastoral ministries, especially in the Catholic Church. The ThM affords the opportunity for further study to those who have completed an MDiv. The DMin Program offers advanced level theological reflection and research on the practice of ministry. The MA, and PhD programs are designed to provide a research-oriented education for those preparing to teach and pursue research in universities, seminaries or schools of theology.

The Faculty of Theology is home to the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies, a research centre devoted to the theology, spirituality, liturgy, history and ecclesial polity of the Eastern Christian Churches, both Orthodox and Catholic.

In 2023, Dr. Michael Salvatori, a career educator and author with extensive experience in university administration and teaching as well as at the secondary and primary school levels, was named the new Director of Continuing Education at the University of St. Michael’s College.  As Director, Dr. Salvatori will lead the renewal and expansion of the University’s Continuing Education division.