The curriculum of the IPT is a highly integrated body with three fundamental dimensions: theological education, spiritual formation and pastoral orientation. These three dimensions inspire the curriculum as a whole, while individual courses highlight the particular emphasis or elaboration of each, depending on the subject matter. To grasp how these three dimensions are related to each other is to understand the unity of the science of pastoral theology as it is derived from the pastoral magisterium of the Second Vatican Council. The "great books" that serve as the foundation to this curriculum are:

Sacred Scripture
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
Rites of the Church's Liturgy
The Documents of Vatican II
The Code of Canon Law
Post-Conciliar Papal Teachings
Classics of Catholic Spirituality