Bring Spiritual Guidance to Others with Liberty’s M.Div. in Professional Chaplaincy
Chaplaincy is an important profession because it allows Christianity and spiritual guidance to be brought into every type of setting. From military combat and hospital visits to school or work crises, a chaplain can be the remedy people need in whatever situation they are facing. By pursuing Liberty University’s Master of Divinity in Professional Chaplaincy, you can be the person to bring guidance, support, and care to others from a Christian perspective.
Our chaplain degrees are diverse enough to help meet the specific goals you have set for your professional life. We offer a 75-credit-hour general track that can prepare you to work with employees, students, athletes, and more in the setting that is most familiar to them. Additionally, we offer 93-credit-hour tracks in military, community, and healthcare that can help you hone your skills in one of these areas.
You can also complete Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) units as a part of your program, which can make you immediately employable upon graduation. CPE is designed to take you outside of the typical ministry setting and receive guidance under a Liberty-trained mentor. You will learn to better engage with peers, formulate your calling to chaplaincy from your faith tradition, and articulate the core values of your spiritual heritage and theological understanding.
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.
Award-Winning Campus
At Liberty, you’ll find an affordable, high-quality education that equips students like you for the real world. Our commitment to excellence helped us rank as the #4 Best College Campus in America by Niche.com. Earning your degree from a nonprofit university with state-of-the-art resources like ours can help set you apart from your peers.
Why Choose Liberty’s Professional Chaplaincy Master’s Program?
Choosing where to pursue your degree is a crucial decision. Because our mission at Liberty University is Training Champions for Christ, we strive for excellence in all that we do. Here are some of the ways our professional chaplaincy program stands out:
Experienced Professors
Flexibility
Hands-On Training
Integrity
Specializations
Take a look at each of our professional chaplaincy specializations below so you can decide which degree will best fit your career goals.
General
Community
Healthcare
Military
What Will You Learn in Our Professional Chaplaincy Master’s Degree?
Throughout your chaplaincy degree, you will receive all the training your need to be a spiritual leader – the same training that is required of pastors, Christian ministry associates, and parachurch administrators. You will take courses that cover biblical leadership, world religions, expository preaching, theology, and more. Upon successful completion of this program, you will be able to:
- Develop a global Great Commission perspective that demonstrates the proclamation and application of the Gospel and disciple-making process.
- Examine major critical issues in the Old and New Testaments from a conservative evangelical perspective while exhibiting knowledge of the literature appropriate to the discipline of biblical studies.
- Examine theological positions on key doctrinal questions and issues in Christian thought.
Additionally, you can choose one of the following specializations: general, community, healthcare, or military. Your specialization will provide you with focused courses that will help you learn to teach and lead others in the particular area that you choose. You will also have the option of personalizing your degree with a thesis, internship, and CPE courses depending on your professional goals.
Featured Courses
CHPL 500 – Introduction to Chaplaincy Ministry
CHPL 598 – Spiritual and Professional Development of the Chaplain
CHPL 615 – Chaplain Ethics for Advisement and Pastoral Care
CHPL 655 – Chaplain Evangelism and Discipleship
Career Opportunities for M.Div. in Professional Chaplaincy Graduates
- Corporate chaplain
- Hospice chaplain
- Hospital chaplain*
- Law enforcement/first responder chaplain
- Military chaplain
- Pastor
- Prison chaplain
- Youth pastor
*May require 4 units of CPE and board certification
Highlights of Our M.Div. in Professional Chaplaincy Degree
- Monday-only classes for master’s programs allow students to complete large portions of their M.Div. degree by only attending class one day a week.
- We have a state-of-the-art homiletics teaching lab in our John W. Rawlings School of Divinity building.
- Study under theologians and missionaries with real-world experience.
- Institutional Challenge Exams (ICE) are available to test out of foundational biblical and theological studies content for the M.Div. program.
- Our Scriptorium houses the Rawlings Foundation rare books collection valued at over $1 million, a 111-foot-long Torah scroll that dates to the 16th century, and a functioning replica of the Gutenberg Printing Press.
- You will have the option of completing Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) units as a part of your program.
- Local church ministry training is embedded within our programs.
- We provide experiential learning opportunities through church and parachurch ministries.
Master of Divinity in Professional Chaplaincy Degree Information
- Residential
- 75-93 total credit hours
- Transfer in up to 50% of your total degree
- Program falls under the John W. Rawlings School of Divinity
- View our course catalog
Admission Requirements for the Master of Divinity Program
Every application is reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and all applicants must submit the following documents and meet the minimum requirements for admission:
- Admission application
- Official bachelor’s degree transcripts with a 2.0 GPA or higher
- Self-certification form for students in the final term of their bachelor’s degree
- John W. Rawlings School of Divinity questionnaire
- Pastoral recommender contact information
- Current Liberty undergraduate students seeking preliminary acceptance into a graduate program must complete a degree completion application through their ASIST account
