Hybrid
Doctor of Education in Catholic Social Thought in Practice
Grounded in the principles of human dignity and the common good.
Discover transformative leadership integrating faith and professional growth
In partnership with the University of San Diego’s School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the EdD in Catholic Social Thought in Practice provides a pathway for leadership preparation and professional development opportunities for those serving in Catholic healthcare, education, social services, chaplaincy, mental health ministry, healing ministry and within dioceses.
Featured Videos
1. Introduction
Introducing the new EdD in Catholic social thought in practice at USD and FST
2. Curriculum
The curricular design of the new EdD in Catholic social thought in practice: a blend of distance learning and residencies in a cohort model
3. Capstone
The Capstone research project
4. Women and Church Leadership
Women and Church Leadership
5. Franciscan Leadership
Franciscan Leadership: Inspiring from Within
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, students will be prepared to make a meaningful impact in their communities by:
- Integrating Catholic social thought and spirituality into personal and professional life and leadership practice.
- Applying Catholic social thought for the leadership of organizations, program design and assessment.
- Generating original interdisciplinary research findings to advance the Catholic identity and mission of organizations.
Who is EdD in Catholic Social Thought in Practice for?
Leaders looking to grow their impact while continuing to serve as staff at a Catholic university, Catholic high school or Catholic K-8 school
Leaders committed to exploring and applying Catholic social thought in practice
A desire for leadership development with a Catholic lens
Lay leaders called to deepen their professional leadership within Catholic institutions
Professional advancement scenarios enabled by this degree
| Sector | Current position, Credential, Years of experience | Desired future position |
|---|---|---|
| Higher education | Student services manager, Masters in higher education, 5 Years | VP of Student Affairs |
| Higher education | Campus minister, Master of Divinity, 10 Years | VP of Mission |
| Catholic hospital | Charge Nurse, Master’s in Nursing, 20 years | Director of (Leadership for Mission) Formation of a hospital chain |
| Catholic hospital | Chaplain, Master of Divinity + CPE, 10 years | Director of Spiritual Care |
| Diocese | Catholic Mental Health Ministry volunteer in parish, MBA, 3 years (assumes lots of private business experience, but seeking new role) | Diocesan Coordinator of Catholic Mental Health Ministry |
| Diocese / Parish | Director of Family Life or parish minister, MSW, 5 years | Lay chancellor of diocese |
| Social Services | Department managers who are Catholic-adjacent but who wish to advance, MBA, 3 years | Executive Director |
Courses at a distance are complemented with five in-person residencies in San Diego.
Residency Experience
Each day includes seven hours of contact time, along with intentional opportunities for community building, faith sharing and prayer. Residencies take place at the Mission San Luis Rey Retreat Center in North San Diego County, the former home of FST, now serving as a satellite campus. The setting offers a peaceful, reflective environment that deeply supports the program’s purpose and spirit.
January Residencies
- Weeklong immersive experiences
- Includes in-person orientation to spring courses
- Courses bracketed by online learning before and after the residency
April Residencies
- Weekend immersive experiences
- Culminates in a Student Research Symposium
- Generally last weekend of April
Discover the Franciscan Difference
The Franciscan School of Theology embodies Franciscan theology in a diverse world, offering an optimistic, Christ-centered perspective. We integrate pastoral and academic learning, nurturing both mind and heart, and, in partnership with the University of San Diego, share a commitment to Catholic identity, academic excellence, social change, and global awareness. On-campus students benefit from small class sizes, experienced faculty, a supportive community, career-focused education, and access to USD resources.
Program Faculty
Biography
| Name: | Keith Douglass Warner, OFM |
| Specialization: | Ethics & Spirituality |
| Email: | keithwarner@fst.edu |
| Phone: | 619.574.5800 |
Keith Douglass Warner OFM is a practical social ethicist in the Franciscan tradition, researching the role of ethics and spirituality in the transformation of people and social structures. He teaches moral theology, Catholic social thought, and Franciscan philosophy. He has written, taught, and presented internationally on Franciscan eco-spirituality in the encyclical Laudato si’. With Ilia Delio OSF and Pamela Wood, is co-author of “Care for Creation: A Franciscan Spirituality of the Earth Expanded Edition” (Franciscan Media, 2024, translated into Spanish and Korean).
During his two decades at Santa Clara University, he designed and led a global action research fellowship in social entrepreneurship, and designed leadership formation programs for ACWECA, a network of 30,000 East African Catholic Sisters, to transform subsistence farms into social enterprises. He designed and led the Franciscan Journey Institute, a program of Franciscan philosophy as a way of life, structured by Bonaventure’s Itinerarium Mentis in Deum. He is a long-time member of the Commission on the Franciscan Intellectual-Spiritual Tradition, and is currently researching the globalization of the Franciscan charism since Vatican II. He is an affiliated scholar with Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC.
Degrees
- PhD in Environmental Studies from the University of California/Santa Cruz
- MA in Spirituality from the Franciscan School of Theology
Biography
| Name: | Juliet Mousseau, RSCJ, PhD |
| Specialization: | Medieval Theology, Parisian School of St Victor |
| Email: | jmousseau@fst.edu |
| Phone: | 619.574.5802 |
“One of the most important gifts we bring to our ministry is the truth of our faith and history. Historical studies help us know how blessed the Church is and how we have overcome challenging times throughout history.”
Juliet Mousseau, RSCJ, completed her doctorate in historical theology at Saint Louis University in 2006. After teaching at Saint Louis University and the University of Dallas School of Ministry, she entered the Society of the Sacred Heart in 2009. She served as a professor of church history at the Aquinas Institute of Theology from 2012 to 2021. During that time, she published on the twelfth-century Abbey of Saint Victor as well as contemporary issues in religious life. She made her final profession as a Religious of the Sacred Heart in January 2020. She became the Vice President for Academic Affairs in 2021.
Degrees
- Ph.D. Saint Louis University 2006
- M.A. Saint Louis University 2002
- S.T.L. Jesuit School of Theology, Santa Clara University 2024
- B.A. Gonzaga University 2000
Select Publications
St. Madeleine Sophie Barat: Leadership in a Divided World (New York: Paulist, 2025).
Reseeding Religious Life through Global Sisterhood, edited by Susan Rose Francois, CSJP, and Juliet Mousseau, RSCJ (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2024).
Prophetic Witnesses to Joy: A Theology of the Vowed Life (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2021).
Life at Saint Victor, edited by Frans van Liere and Juliet Mousseau, Victorine Texts in Translation 9 (Turnhout: Brepols, 2021).
In Our Own Words: Religious Life in a Changing World, edited by Juliet Mousseau and Sarah Kohles (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2018).
A Companion to the Abbey of Saint Victor in Paris, edited by Hugh Feiss and Juliet Mousseau, Brill’s Companions to the Christian Tradition (Leiden: Brill, 2017).
Biography
| Name: | Shannon M. McAlister, PhD |
| Specialization: | Theology of God; Spirituality; Moral Theology and Ethics |
| Email: | smcalister@fst.edu |
| Phone: | 619.574.5717 |
Shannon McAlister is Associate Professor of Theology and Spirituality, and Director of Field Education. She holds a Ph.D. in Theology from The Catholic University of America, and is also a trained and practicing spiritual director. She taught at Fordham University in New York City for 13 years before joining the Franciscan School of Theology at the University of San Diego, and she currently serves as the President of the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality.
Dr. McAlister’s research focuses on feminine-gendered language for God—and the portrayal of God as a woman and mother—within the works of the Fathers, saints, and Doctors of the Church in the Latin West. Her work with Latin texts overturns a widely held, scholarly narrative which mistakenly portrays feminine language for God as disappearing after the days of the early Church.
Her publications have shown that God was widely portrayed as a woman and mother all the way through the height of the Middle Ages—a tradition which was carried forward even into the nineteenth century in those places where the works of Augustine of Hippo, Gregory the Great, and Thomas Aquinas were read. Her 2018 article on “Christ as the Woman Seeking Her Lost Coin: Luke 15:8-10 and Divine Sophia in the Latin West” was the most-read article in Theological Studies two-and-a-half years after it was published; and her book on the history of a discussion in the Middle Ages about calling God the Father a “Mother” and God the Son a “Daughter” is under contract with Notre Dame Press.
Degrees
- Ph.D., Systematic Theology, School of Theology and Religious Studies, The Catholic University of America, May 12, 2012
- M.A., Historical and Systematic Theology, The Catholic University of America, January 31, 2008
- Certificate, Spiritual Direction Institute: Art and Practice of Spiritual Direction, Mercy Center, Burlingame, California, November 9, 2019
Admissions
Step 1:
Attend an Info Session and Application Workshop. These events are designed to help you explore our programs, ask questions, and get to know the people who will support you throughout your graduate journey.
Step 2:
Connect with an enrollment advisor. The Admissions Office can guide you through the process and required application materials.
Step 3:
Create an online account to start an application and apply to the EdD in Catholic Social Thought.
Step 4:
Review the application checklist and complete the online application. Request your official transcript and submit the application.
Financing Your Education
The EdD in Catholic Social Thought in Practice is offered through a tailored tuition model that reflects our commitment to advancing Catholic education and supporting leaders in faith communities.
In addition to external funding resources, SOLES students may be eligible for various forms of financial assistance, including scholarships, grants, fellowships and discounts.
Note: FST, part of the University of San Diego, is authorized to enroll students in specific U.S. states and territories due to state authorization requirements and a religious waiver, specifically for their online degree programs. It shall be authorized in the states where FST is currently authorized, which includes all U.S. States except Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, D.C., Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wyoming.
Accreditation
The Franciscan School of Theology is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).
The Franciscan School of Theology regularly assesses its academic programs to ensure that they continue to provide the desired depth and breadth of theological education and that they conform to the standards of the WSCUC accrediting agency.
Take The First Step on Your Journey to Change the World.
Join a vibrant academic and spiritual tradition.
