The Department of Moral Theology and Spiritual Theology offers canonical licentiate (STL) and canonical doctorate (STD) programmes in both theological disciplines. Theological Ethics and Spiritual Theology, which are practical theological sciences par excellence, concern personal discernment and accompaniment of the choices of others, understood against the background of our decisive and fundamental relationship with God who is the source and goal of human action. This relationship is situated in a complex world, in which acting and praying subjects discover themselves to be constitutive members of human communities and societies and relatives of all the other creatures.

While underlining the interconnectedness of all these aspects of our existence, we recognize and respect the differences in perspective and method between the two disciplines and for this reason we offer separate degree programmes and academic degrees.

In our Moral Theology (Theological Ethics) programmes:

• We propose as the central axis of the curriculum of the licentiate the study of the sources of moral discernment: Sacred Scripture, Tradition, the current teaching of the Church, dialogue with culture and other religious traditions, personal moral conscience, and the wisdom derived from the group analysis of relevant cases emerging from practice.
• We guide students in the study of the sources and encourage them to engage in research which is open to today's world and its challenges.
• We promote critical reflection which is faithful to the Church Magisterium.
• We believe that the same vision and approach should inform the research pathways journeyed by our doctoral students.

As regards the specialization in Spiritual Theology:

• We propose, as the central axis of the curriculum of the licentiate, Spiritual Theology as a field of study, research, and formation to be explored from various dimensions: systematic, biblical, historical and psychological.
• We offer, through the courses and through the structure of the program as a whole, a synthetic formation in Spiritual Theology, marked by a strong sapiential tone, and we pay particular attention to spiritual discernment
• in order to promote and support a true and profound integral formation of those following the programme.
• We strive to prepare students for teaching, research, spiritual direction and spiritual animation tasks as well as other ministries in response to the spiritual needs of today's world.
• We believe that the same vision and approach should also inform the research pathways journeyed by our doctoral students.

Students are invited to have a personal relationship with their professors and to exchange ideas with other students of different origins. Our university, in fact, is a place where students experience the universality of the Church and the world today, and offers the possibility of interdisciplinary dialogue with professors and students from other specializations of Theology and other faculties and institutes.

Studying Moral Theology and Spiritual Theology at a university such as the Pontifical Gregorian University offers a wide range of choices among a number of ancillary specializations. We offer, for example, a Joint Diploma in Integral Ecology, a Diploma in Ignatian Spirituality a Diploma in Safeguarding of Minors from the Institute of Anthropology (in both English and Spanish), as well as the possibility of pursuing a number of special interests. The Gregoriana has eight faculties (graduate schools), which include those of the Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Pontifical Oriental Institute (which are two important sections of the University). It is thus particularly well suited to allow anyone to personalize their studies, following the Jesuit pedagogical tradition that deeply values the personal care afforded to the student, "cura personalis".