Master of Divinity (MDiv) in Military Chaplaincy
Provide Spiritual Support to Service Members and Their Families with an MDiv in Military Chaplaincy
Service members face unique challenges, both at home and abroad, and they need spiritual leaders who understand the realities of military life. As a military chaplain, you can offer guidance, encouragement, and faith-based support to those who serve. Because chaplains are commissioned military officers, this role allows you to minister in diverse settings – whether on active duty or in reserve components. Liberty University’s Master of Divinity (MDiv) in Military Chaplaincy can help equip you for this mission by strengthening your ministry skills and preparing you to serve as a spiritual leader in the armed forces.
Chaplaincy is a vital calling that plays a crucial role in the well-being of service members and their families. Military life often involves long deployments, separation from loved ones, and demanding environments. As a chaplain, you can provide the spiritual and emotional support our troops need to navigate these hardships. If you feel led to serve in this capacity, Liberty’s MDiv in Military Chaplaincy can help you develop the knowledge and training necessary to offer compassionate, faith-driven guidance to those who sacrifice so much.
Credit Hours
View CoursesNext start date: Aug 18, 2025
ATS Accredited
Highlights
Highlights of Our MDiv in Military Chaplaincy Degree
Train in a Cutting-Edge Teaching Environment
Liberty’s state-of-the-art homiletics and teaching lab, located in the School of Divinity, is designed to help you sharpen your preaching and communication skills. As a future military chaplain, you’ll benefit from this advanced space as you practice delivering messages that offer hope, clarity, and truth in challenging environments.
Experienced Ministry Professionals
Your MDiv courses are shaped by theologians and missionaries who bring years of real-world ministry experience to the table. Developed by the John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, our web-based content blends strong biblical foundations with practical insights relevant to the unique demands of military chaplaincy.
Fast-Track Your Degree with ICE Exams
If you’ve already acquired foundational biblical knowledge through previous study or ministry, you may be eligible for Institutional Challenge Exams (ICE). These exams can allow you to test out of select courses, saving you time and tuition as you work toward your Master of Divinity in Military Chaplaincy.
Explore History and Scripture in the Scriptorium
As an MDiv student, you’ll have access to Liberty’s one-of-a-kind Scriptorium, which houses the Rawlings Foundation’s rare books collection valued at over $1 million. This space also includes a 111-foot-long Torah scroll from the 16th century and a working Gutenberg Printing Press replica, offering a tangible connection to the legacy of Scripture.
Develop Skills Through Local Church Ministry
Ministry training at Liberty goes beyond the classroom. Our MDiv program embeds local church ministry opportunities into your educational journey, helping you gain experience in shepherding others, providing pastoral care, and supporting a congregation, all skills that translate directly into military chaplaincy service.
Experience Real-World Ministry with Parachurch Partners
Liberty partners with a wide variety of parachurch organizations to provide you with hands-on ministry experience in diverse contexts. These partnerships offer experiential learning opportunities that prepare you to serve service members and their families with compassion, resilience, and spiritual leadership.
Career Potential
What Can You Do with This Master of Divinity in Military Chaplaincy?
Liberty University’s Master of Divinity (MDiv) in Military Chaplaincy can help prepare you to pursue the following occupations:
- Healthcare chaplain
- Hospice chaplain
- Military chaplain
- Pastoral counselor
- Senior pastor
- Spiritual care coordinator
- Spiritual care director
- Visitation pastor
#4 Best College Campus in America
At Liberty, you’ll find an affordable, high-quality education designed to help equip students like you for the real world. Our commitment to excellence has earned us recognition 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.
Courses
What Will You Study in This MDiv in Military Chaplaincy?
The Liberty Theological Seminary’s Master of Divinity in Military Chaplaincy is designed to help equip you with the knowledge and practical skills needed to serve as a military chaplain. This program emphasizes real-world experience and hands-on application. Our aim is that you enter the field with confidence and a strong foundation in the skills needed for chaplaincy. You’ll explore the chaplain’s role in protecting the free exercise of religion as well as the biblical principles of servant leadership, both of which are essential for ministering in a military setting.
A key responsibility of military chaplains is to nurture spiritual development and safeguard the warrior’s soul. Through this program, you can learn how to recognize opportunities to offer guidance to both military leaders and service members. The coursework also focuses on pastoral care, helping prepare you to support service members and their families through challenges unique to military life. Additionally, this degree can help equip you to provide spiritual and emotional care to those struggling with combat-related PTSD, helping you serve with wisdom and compassion.
To further enhance your training, you’ll complete 1 unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) under the supervision of a Liberty-trained mentor. This experience allows you to develop pastoral care skills within your Christian faith tradition. Our goal is to help you gain both the theological foundation and practical expertise needed to effectively minister to those who serve.
Featured MDiv in Military Chaplaincy Courses
CHPL 640 – Chaplain Leadership for Religious Freedom
CHPL 655 – Chaplain Evangelism and Discipleship
CHPL 680 – Military Chaplaincy
CRIS 607 – PTSD and Combat-Related Trauma
Degree Information
- This program falls under the Liberty Theological Seminary
- View the Degree Completion Plan (coming soon)
- Check out our course catalog
- Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total
Accreditation
Your seminary degree is approved by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and has met rigorous accreditation standards. You can feel confident that your degree is both academically excellent and well-respected among churches, ministries, and nonprofit organizations.
BENEFITS
Why Choose Liberty’s Master of Divinity in Military Chaplaincy?
Pursue a Calling to Serve Those Who Serve
At Liberty University, we believe military chaplaincy is a sacred calling, one that aligns with our mission of Training Champions for Christ. Our Master of Divinity in Military Chaplaincy can help equip you with both theological depth and pastoral skill, preparing you to offer spiritual care, guidance, and hope to service members and their families. You’ll be mentored by experienced faculty who understand the demands and rewards of military ministry.
Faculty with Real-World Chaplaincy Experience
Our professors bring firsthand experience in military chaplaincy and pastoral leadership, ensuring that your education is both academically rigorous and practically relevant. Through a blend of classroom instruction and hands-on training, you’ll gain the tools needed to navigate real-life ministry in a military context. Liberty also partners with local churches and parachurch ministries to provide field-based experiences as part of your preparation.
Get Guidance for Endorsement and Career Preparation
Liberty’s faculty and staff are here to support your chaplaincy journey every step of the way, including guidance in pursuing your endorsement through a Department of Defense-recognized religious body. This essential step is integrated into the program, helping ensure you’re not only academically prepared but also credentialed for future service in the armed forces.
Maximize Your Previous Ministry Experience
If you’ve already served in ministry or completed theological training, you may be eligible for transfer credit or Institutional Challenge Exams (ICE). These options allow you to accelerate your path toward the MDiv, making the most of your prior education and experience. Liberty’s flexible structure is designed to help you meet chaplaincy qualifications efficiently, so you can focus on serving those who serve.
Admissions
How Do You Become an MDiv in Military Chaplaincy?
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 transcripts showing a regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with at least a 2.0 GPA for admission in good standing
- John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Questionnaire
- Pastoral recommender contact information
- Self-certification form (for students who are in the final term of their bachelor’s degree)
- Current Liberty undergraduate students seeking preliminary acceptance into a graduate program must complete a degree completion application through their ASIST account
Have Questions?
We’ll make sure you have the information you need to take your next step.