St. Mark’s College degree delivery expands throughout British Columbia

St. Mark’s College is pleased to announce a highly requested change to course delivery for the graduate programs. Effective Fall 2021 all graduate-level courses will be offered as weekly, synchronous (live), virtual classes. These courses will be accessible to students throughout British Columbia.

In line with the vision for the Community of St. Mark’s to be a vibrant centre of Catholic higher educational and intellectual life at UBC and in British Columbia, offering classes in this way will better allow St. Mark’s to serve the needs of Catholic higher education throughout the province of British Columbia.

Students in the dioceses of Kamloops, Nelson, Prince George, Victoria and beyond will be able to access these programs that integrate and synthesize faith and reason. Grounded in the Catholic intellectual and moral tradition, graduate certificates, graduate diplomas and Master’s degrees are offered in the following degree streams:

• Religious Education
• Theological Studies
• Pastoral Studies
• Catholic Educational Leadership

This decision was reached, in part, after surveying students, faculty and staff about their experience with virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic when all course delivery was adjusted. Students repeatedly voiced that the weekly, synchronous, virtual classes offered during the pandemic worked better for their lives than the previous onsite, intensive weekend classes. This change allowed them to dedicate more time to study as they were no longer commuting to the St. Mark’s College campus at UBC and they were able to spend more time with their families on the weekend.

“Our experiences during the pandemic have shown us that St. Mark’s is ready to deliver courses virtually and that students are eager to learn and to interact with one another in this way,” remarked Dr. Lynda Robitaille, Dean of Theology.

Students will still be able to engage with the professor and classmates as the classes will be synchronous (live) rather than pre-recorded lectures. Certain classes will still be available for in-person delivery for students who prefer to come to campus.  Additionally, there will be a special focus on the Summer Institute, a summer intensive program, and in-person community building activities in the Fall, Winter and Summer terms, including spiritual formation.

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