MA in Chaplaincy and Ministry Care

48 credit hours | 2-3  years

Why study Chaplaincy and Ministry Care at TEDS?

The local church can reach places it otherwise couldn’t through the ministry of chaplains. Chaplains serve in hospitals, retirement homes, prisons, hospice facilities, fire and police services, sports organizations, and corporate settings.

Here are three excellent reasons to consider the MA/CMC degree at TEDS:

1. As a stand-alone degree, it offers excellent preparation for those who will serve in local churches in a direct helping ministries or in public settings as a chaplain.
2. It combines easily with additional theological coursework for those who desire to serve in the role of chaplain (i.e. spiritual care provider) in ministry, healthcare, first-responder, church, or business organization.

If you are interested in military chaplaincy, an MDiv is required, though our Chaplaincy degree is an ideal supplement and can be completed alongside your MDiv at TEDS. 

WHAT ARE THE PREREQUISITES FOR
ADMISSION TO THIS PROGRAM?

In addition to the requirements for general admission, you’ll need the following:

• An undergraduate major that prepares you for the program.
• An undergrad GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
• Scores from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or Miller Analogies Test (MAT) may be required if your GPA is less than 3.0 or if the Admissions Office requests them.

MA IN CMC AND MULTIPLE MASTERS DEGREE OPTIONS

A student may desire to complete a second TEDS degree program with his or her MA in CMC degree, such as a Master of Arts/Theological Studies, Master of Arts/Intercultural Studies, or Master of Divinity. In such cases, an overlap of program requirements up to 50 percent of the shorter degree is permissible. For example, a student combining the MA in CMC and MA/TS degree could overlap up to 21 semester hours (50 percent of the 42 semester hours required for the MA/TS). Such course work would need to be carefully planned to ensure that the specific program requirements of each program are met. Consult the “Degree Combinations” section of the Catalog and the Counseling Department program planning guides for details.

WHAT WILL I STUDY?

Courses you will take include the following:

WHERE CAN THIS DEGREE TAKE ME?

The Master of Arts in Chaplaincy and Ministry Care (MA in CMC) is designed to develop pastoral and spiritual life counseling skills. 

The emphasis of the MA in CMC is on direct, interpersonal communication and face-to-face engagement with those seeking spiritual care. The variety of counseling training options available at Trinity requires careful assessment prior to beginning a program of study. In addition to the MA in CMC, students will also want to consider the Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling*, since the MA in CMC degree recipient is not eligible for a license as a mental health counselor. However, credentials as a professional chaplain are obtainable with this degree as a foundation (i.e. Association of Professional Chaplains). Board certification requires 72 hours from a graduate theological institution and is feasible by combining the MA in CMC degree with further theological coursework (i.e. Master of Arts in Theological Studies or Master of Divinity). For board certification the graduate will need to secure three additional units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) and obtain formal endorsement or ordination from your church community or denomination.

* The MA in CMC replaces our former Master of Arts in Counseling Ministry. Our admissions team is happy to provide detailed information on the programs we currently have available to help students select the one most appropriate for their career path.

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