Serve Your Country as a Spiritual Leader with a Master of Divinity in Military Chaplaincy
Our brave men and women in service are in need of leaders to meet their emotional and spiritual needs. Chaplaincy is both a calling and a rewarding ministry. Military chaplains provide spiritual care and emotional support for service members and their families.
Deployments, combat, injuries, PTSD, and emotional disorders that stem from military service can be extremely difficult. Liberty University is committed to combating these troubles by Training Champions for Christ in the area of military chaplaincy.
Military chaplains are commissioned military officers and can serve in either active duty or reserve capacities. Liberty University’s online Master of Divinity (M.Div.) in Professional Chaplaincy – Military program can help you be a steward of the Gospel by developing your ministry leadership skills. Through the M.Div. in Professional Chaplaincy program, you can learn skills relevant to both formal and informal chaplaincy settings.
*Some exclusions apply. Please refer to our exclusions page for more information.
Accreditation
Liberty University’s John W. Rawlings School of Divinity is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). Your seminary degree is approved by ATS and has met rigorous accreditation standards, so you can feel confident that your degree is both academically excellent and well-respected among churches, ministries, and nonprofit organizations.
Why Choose Liberty’s Master of Divinity in Military Chaplaincy Online Program?
Liberty University’s Master of Divinity in Professional Military Chaplaincy degree is offered in a 100% online format so you can meet your educational needs while maintaining your personal responsibilities. The M.Div online in military chaplaincy is designed to help men and women prepare for professional Christian ministry in military, local church, and parachurch settings.
Faculty within the Master of Divinity program are ministry professionals with years of professional experience. Each professor in the program provides a unique insight into the field of military chaplaincy and counseling.
Students who have a completed master’s degree in religion may transfer up to 45 hours into the Master of Divinity program. You will earn your M.Div degree once you’ve met all course requirements for both degrees.
Our military chaplain students will receive assistance in finding the needed endorsement from a religious body recognized by the Department of Defense. Students are encouraged to discuss the process with their chaplain recruiters to determine what needs to be accomplished to become a chaplain candidate.
CPE-Accredited Training
With mentorship from experienced chaplaincy professionals, you will gain the biblical and theological expertise necessary for success in chaplaincy. Our flexible format will allow you to choose how you complete your CPE-accredited units – either as intensives or with a CPE program in your community. Accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE), these units are available as on-campus modules or as 100% online courses to guide you through your local CPE program.
CPE Residential Intensives Vs. Online Mentoring
Liberty University’s professional chaplaincy degrees offer 2 paths to complete your CPE-accredited training:
Residential Intensives
- These ACPE-accredited courses are taught as 1-week on-campus intensives by Liberty’s ACPE Certified Educators.
- You will work in a clinical site near you with guidance and approval from our CPE program director.
Online Mentoring
- These 100% online courses are taught by Liberty’s chaplaincy professors.
- You will work through an accredited CPE training program in your area and gain additional skills and training with the mentorship of Liberty’s experienced chaplaincy professionals.
What Can You Learn in Our Master of Divinity Professional Chaplain Degree?
Liberty University’s chaplaincy programs are taught by experienced military chaplains who provide real-world experience and practical application methods. Our program can help you meet the military’s chaplain requirements. Students pursuing their military chaplain degree online will receive chaplain training on effective expository preaching. You will also explore the biblical nature of chaplain ministry and its application to military, healthcare, and community chaplain settings.
In counseling and pastoral care courses, you will study methods and practices of biblical ethics in evangelism — preparing you for a number of future counseling roles. Learn to advise and care for our service members with our Master of Divinity in Military Chaplaincy degree online.
You have the option to complete one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) as part of this program. In CPE, you will be supervised by a Liberty-trained mentor to develop your ability to provide pastoral care. You have the flexibility to take your courses online or residentially as an intensive.
Featured Courses
- CHPL 598 – Spiritual and Professional Development of the Chaplain
- CHPL 615 – Chaplain Ethics for Advisement and Pastoral Care
- CHPL 645 – Chaplain Resilient Leaders
- CHPL 680 – Military Chaplaincy
Highlights of Our Master of Divinity in Professional Chaplaincy Degree
- We are recognized by multiple institutions for our academic quality, affordability, and accessibility. Our commitment to excellence also helped us rank in the top 10% of Niche.com’s best online schools in America. Earning your online Master of Divinity degree from a nonprofit university with this kind of recognition can help set you apart from others in your field.
- Your success is our success, which is why we are committed to providing quality academics at an affordable tuition rate. While other colleges are increasing their tuition, we have frozen tuition rates for the majority of our undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs for the past 9 years – and counting.
- Liberty University’s John W. Rawlings School of Divinity has been accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). Your divinity degree has been approved by ATS and has met rigorous accreditation standards, so you can feel confident that your degree is both academically excellent and well-respected among churches, ministries, and nonprofit organizations.
- Electronic textbooks are provided for many divinity courses* all for one convenient fee. To continue our mission of providing affordable education, this fee is waived for students who enroll by Summer 2024 D-term.
- You will have the option of completing one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) as a part of your program.
- You can complete this Master of Divinity in Professional Chaplaincy – Military degree program in 3 years.
*Electronic textbooks are not provided for courses that fall under departments outside the School of Divinity.
Degree Information for the Master of Divinity in Professional Chaplaincy
- This program falls under the John W. Rawlings School of Divinity.
- Download and review the Degree Completion Plan.
- View the Graduate Divinity Course Guides (login required).
- This course has optional residential intensives available for the Clinical Pastoral Education courses.
Military Benefits
Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe. Whether you are a current service member, discharged or retired from service, or the spouse of a service member or veteran, we are here to support you every step of the journey.
As a thank-you for your dedication and service to our country, Liberty is honored to serve and support you in your pursuit of online education by offering the following benefits:
- Tuition discounts – $275 per credit hour for graduate courses
- Additional discount for veterans who serve in a civilian capacity as a First Responder (less than $625 per course)
- Discounted divinity block rate: $2,475 per semester (only $165/credit at 15 credit hours)*
- 8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)
*Credits taken below 9 and above 15 credit hours for the Master of Divinity online are charged at the part-time rate.
Potential Career Options with a Degree in Professional Military Chaplaincy
- Military chaplain
- Pastor
- Youth pastor
Admission Requirements
A regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with at least a 2.0 GPA or above is required for admission in good standing. Please visit our admission requirements page for more detailed admissions-related information.
All applicants must submit the following:
- Admission application
- Application fee*
- Official college transcripts
- Unofficial college transcripts may be accepted with a completed official transcript request form**
- School of Divinity Questionnaire
- Pastoral recommendation contact information
- Proof of English proficiency (for applicants whose native language is other than English)
*There is no upfront application fee; however, a deferred $50 application fee will be assessed during Financial Check-In. This fee is waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required.
**An official transcript is needed within 60 days of acceptance or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first.
