In the Catholic Church, there is a system of elementary, middle, high schools, vocational schools, colleges, and Catholic universities, similar to the educational institutions in the secular society. In Catholic academies and universities, there are various degrees to mark progress within this educational and training system. Academic titles in the Catholic Church are the result of a challenging process of study undertaken by believers to delve deeper into the knowledge of the Catholic Church through subjects such as philosophy, theology, canon law, and the Bible.
For graduates, especially those who are religious brothers, sisters, or priests, the abbreviations of Catholic academic titles are often written immediately after their names. For example, Father Maurice J. Nutt, C.Ss.R, D.Min. So, what does “D.Min” and other abbreviations of degrees in the Catholic Church mean? Let’s look them up in the following list:
| ABBREVIATION | FULL TEXT |
| B.C.L | Bachelor of Canon Law |
| B.D | Bachelor of Divinity |
| D.C.L | Doctor of Canon Law, Civil |
| D.D | Apostles of Jesus |
| D.Min | Doctor of Ministry |
| Dr. Theol | Doctor of Theology |
| D.S.S | Doctor of Holy (Sacred) Scripture |
| J.C.D | Doctor of Canon Law |
| J.C.L | Licentiate in Canon Law |
| J.U.D | Doctor of Civil and Canon Laws |
| L.S.M | Licentiate in Medieval Studies |
| L.S.S | Licentiate of Sacred Scripture |
| M. Div | Master of Divinity |
| M.S.D | Doctor of Medieval Studies |
| M.S.L | Licentiate in Medieval Studies |
| S.E.O.D | Doctor of Oriental Ecclesiastical Sciences |
| S.E.O.L | Licentiate of Oriental Ecclesiastical Sciences |
| S.L.D | Doctor of Sacred Liturgy |
| S.L.L | Licentiate of Sacred Liturgy |
| S.S.L | Licentiate in Sacred Scripture |
| S.S.D | Doctor of Sacred Scripture |
| S.T.B | Bachelor of Sacred Theology |
| S.T.D | Doctor of Sacred Theology |
| S.T.L | Licentiate in Sacred Theology |
| S.T.M | Master of Sacred Theology |
| Th.D | Doctor of Theology |
The above is a list of the abbreviation of academic titles in the Catholic Church that Joseph Tuan has compiled from various sources and Catholic documents. If you find any missing informations, please leave a comment below this post, and I will update the list. Wishing you joy and the abundant peace of the Lord.
