Licentiate of Canon Law (J.C.L) is the title of an intermediate graduate degree with canonical effects in the Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law.
The usual prerequisites for a license in canon law are that a candidate must have the bachelor of sacred theology degree (S.T.B.) master of divinity degree (M.Div.), master of arts (M.A.) in Catholic theology, or juris doctor (J.D.) and undergraduate level education in Catholic theology and scholastic philosophy. In order for a candidate to become a Licentiate of Canon Law, he or she must complete in a three-year program of canonical studies, pass an oral exam, and write a thesis on a particular theme that demonstrates the students ability to function professionally in the field.
The license in canon law is required for a person to teach canon law in a pontifical university or seminary. The license is also the prerequisite to the doctorate (J.C.D.) in the same field. Furthermore, the degree is a prerequisite for several officers of Catholic ecclesiastical courts: judges (including the judicial vicar), the promoter of justice, and the defender of the bond all must at least possess this degree.
Notable faculties which offer the license in canon law include the Catholic University of America, Saint Paul University in Canada, the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), the Pontifical Gregorian University (Gregorianum), the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Santa Croce), the Pontifical Urban University (Urbanianum), the Pontifical Lateran University (Lateranum), the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, and the Institut Catholique de Paris.
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