An ecclesiastical university is a special type of
higher education school recognised by the
Canon law of the
Catholic Church. It is one of two types of universities recognised, the other type being the
Catholic university. Every single ecclesiastical university is a
pontifical university, while only a few Catholic universities are pontifical.
Some independent institutions, schools or university
faculties, even at non-pontifical universities, can be ecclesiastical institutes, ecclesiastical schools or ecclesiastical faculties and may also be given charters by the Holy See to grant ecclesiastical degrees, usually in one or two specific fields.
Ecclesiastical universities are licensed to grant ecclesiastical degrees in:
These ecclesiastical degrees are prerequisites to certain offices in the
Roman Catholic Church, especially considering that
bishop candidates are selected mainly from
priests who are doctors of sacred theology
(S.T.D.) or canon law
(J.C.D.) and that ecclesiastical
judges and
attorneys must at least be
licentiates of canon law (J.C.L.).
Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto. It uniquely among all ecclesiastical faculties grants the licentiate in Medieval Studies (L.M.S., a post-doctorate earned degree), and the doctorate (M.S.D.) which is awarded on the basis of a career. It is an independent research institute at the
University of Toronto.