Skip to main content

M.A. in Theology & Religious Studies

Chaplaincy

Ministry of Presence

Chaplains walk with others through some of the most sacred moments of their lives. Become a living reminder of God’s presence and love to those who need it most.

Professional Partnership

John Carroll University partners with the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Spiritual Care to provide the theological foundation and pastoral skills necessary to become a board-certified chaplain—equipping you for a meaningful career in virtually any hospital, hospice, health-care, or other setting.

Learn More

To learn more about the program and admissions requirements contact a member of the Graduate School Team at gradadmit@jcu.edu or 216-397-4451. 

Ecumenical * Catholic * Interreligious

Program Highlights

To assist you in becoming a Board-Certified Chaplain, John Carroll University works with two national organizations that provide certification: The National Association of Catholic Chaplains (for Roman Catholics) and The Association of Professional Chaplains (for all denominations and religious traditions).

While each organization has its own specific requirements, both require the same basic elements:

At John Carroll University

  • Each class meets one evening a week (5:00-7:40pm) for 14 weeks during the fall and spring semesters.
  • Classes are taught on the John Carroll campus in a HyFlex format, allowing students to choose each week whether they will participate in person or via video-conference link to the classroom.
  • All classes can be completed remotely.
  • There are no asynchronous courses.
  • Students build their curriculum around their interests and needs, from course offerings such as: Scripture & Revelation; Catholic Moral Theology; Islamic Spirituality; Ancient Jewish Prayer; Cross-Cultural Ethics.

The Cleveland Clinic offers two different formats for CPE training: summer intensive units and fall or spring extended units.

  • The summer intensive unit meets 40 hours each week (including class and clinical time), Monday through Friday, for ten weeks.
  • The fall/spring extended unit meets one day each week (8 hours), with an additional 16 hours of clinical time (including evening and weekend on-call shifts), for 16 weeks.

Whether pursued as an intensive or extended program, weekly training is led by ACPE Certified Educators on staff at the Center for Spiritual Care. Training consists of clinical time with patients, verbatim seminars, didactic sessions, interpersonal relations group, and individual supervisory consultation.

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is a well-established, ecumenical and interreligious process of ministerial formation in which students learn through the practical experience of providing and reflecting on spiritual care in a clinical environment. Working under the supervision of a Certified Educator, students learn not only how to help other people draw on their own spiritual resources in the journey of healing, but also how to face their own strengths and weaknesses so as to a companion and not an obstacle to others on their journey.

National standards organize CPE training into “Units.” Typically, one CPE Unit is completed over the course of a semester (four months) or through a more intensive summer session (ten weeks). Regardless, each CPE Unit consists of 400 hours in the training environment, with a minimum of 100 hours of education activities, a minimum of 250 hours performing clinical pastoral duties, and the remaining 50 hours in either. Training consists of clinical time with patients and families, vebatim seminars, didactic sessions, interpersonal relations group, and individual supervisory consultation. Four (4) CPE Units are required for Board Certification.

The Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Spiritual Care offers CPE supervision by ACPE Certified Educators at sites in both Cleveland and Akron.

JCU Course Descriptions

For a list of upcoming graduate courses and course descriptions, click here or visit the JCU Bulletin.

APC Logo

Association of Professional Chaplains

For members of any religious or spiritual tradition, the APC sponsors the Board of Chaplaincy Certification, Inc. (BCCI), which administers a robust interreligious and ecumenical certification.

NACC Logo

National Association of Catholic Chaplains

NACC Chaplains are Catholics who manifest proficiency in Catholic theology and spiritual care praxis, and develop competence in the areas of Theory, Practice, Professional Identity and Conduct, Professional Practice Skills and Organizational Leadership.