ICAS-Accredited Degree Program
Master of Divinity in Chaplaincy
M.Div. credential
Pursue a professional ministry degree focused on chaplaincy and the calling to offer spiritual care in institutional and crisis settings.
Master of Divinity in Chaplaincy: Your Grant Price
Applications are free. Eligible applicants receive their admission and Grant decision before any one-time program fee is requested.
Published tuition
$14,900.00
$599.00 Registry & Assessment Fee
$99
Master's Degree
2026 Life in Christ Grant is active
Ministry Experience, Evaluated Against Academic Standards.
Documented prior learning may be considered when it aligns with program outcomes; every credit decision follows academic review.
Program Overview
About this program
The Master of Divinity in chaplaincy carries the full professional core with concentrated preparation for institutional ministry. Chaplaincy boards expect the full professional degree plus supervised clinical practice, and this pathway is built for that. The ICAS-accredited Kingdom of Life University core is concentrated on institutional ministry: healthcare and hospice, crisis response, plural settings, consent and confidentiality, and the verbatim-and-supervision discipline the field runs on.
Competency-Based Ministry Assessment
Recognition of demonstrated learning in theology and ministry
Experienced ministry practitioners demonstrate competencies developed through years of service, theological study, and continuing learning. The assessment connects that learning with the published outcomes of the Master of Divinity in Chaplaincy through biblical understanding, theological reflection, research, and ministry judgment.
70
Audited questions in this pathway bank
30
Questions drawn for each sitting
60 minutes
Time available for the knowledge component
24 hours
Interval before reassessment
Theological knowledge and degree outcomes
- Published bank title
- Master of Divinity: Chaplaincy - Master Competency-Based Ministry Assessment
- Credential
- Master of Divinity (M.Div.) in Chaplaincy
- Question construction
- 14 pathway subject-bank sources contribute 5 questions each, producing the complete 70-question bank.
How completion is reported
- The knowledge component contributes 40% and assessed ministry experience contributes 60% to one weighted result.
- The reported result is no lower than 80%, matching the 80% degree pass mark.
- Reassessment draws a fresh question set and is included in program access, with no additional fee or limit on sittings.
- The integrated assessment covers the published degree plan; separate course assessments, a capstone paper, and a dissertation defense are not required.
Program Objectives
What you will achieve
Integrate advanced theological study, spiritual maturity, and ministry wisdom for Christian leadership
Practise spiritual care within institutional rules and your own convictions
Assess spiritual need and document it to a professional standard
Respond competently in the acute phase of a critical incident
Use supervision and reflective practice to sustain competence
Learning Outcomes
Skills and competencies you will develop
Synthesize advanced biblical and theological evidence for clear teaching, leadership, and ministry judgment
Complete a spiritual assessment and record it to professional standards
Write and present a verbatim for supervisory review
Provide care after a critical incident within an evidence-based framework
Resolve a conflict between institutional demand and pastoral confidentiality
Career Opportunities
Where this degree can take you
Hospital chaplain
Military chaplain
Prison chaplain
Corporate or campus chaplain
Major Subject Areas
The fourteen subjects you study, and the ones the ministry assessment draws on
Foundational and Major-Core Subjects
Four foundations every pathway shares, then four that belong to this field.
Advanced Biblical Interpretation
Using Scripture with people who may not share it, in a room you do not control, on a timetable set by someone else.
Advanced Old Testament Theology
The Old Testament's material on exile, displacement and faith practised without institutional power.
Advanced New Testament Theology
The New Testament on presence and service, read as the ground of a ministry offered to people who did not request it.
Advanced Christian Doctrine
Doctrine a chaplain will be asked about directly: suffering, dying, providence, and what happens next.
Advanced Biblical Exegesis for Ministry
Exegesis for ministry, covering method and reference tools, and the preparation of Scripture for people in institutional rather than congregational settings.
Advanced Theology for Chaplains
Theology as a chaplain needs it, covering suffering, presence, providence, and speaking about God with people who may share none of your assumptions.
Advanced Foundations of Chaplaincy
Chaplaincy as a discipline, covering its history, its dual accountability to institution and church, and its distinct professional identity.
Advanced Healthcare and Hospice Ministry
Healthcare and hospice ministry, covering the clinical team, spiritual assessment, bedside ritual, dying, and care for staff.
Specialization Subjects
Six more that take the field into the places it actually gets used.
Advanced Crisis and Trauma Response
Critical incident response, covering psychological first aid, the evidence on debriefing, and the chaplain's role in the first hours.
Advanced Ministry in Plural Institutions
Ministry in plural institutions, covering provision for any tradition or none, and the integrity of serving without either imposing or concealing your own.
Advanced Ethics, Confidentiality, and Boundaries
Ethics, confidentiality, and boundaries, covering consent, documentation, institutional pressure on confidentiality, and proselytism limits.
Advanced Clinical Reflection and Supervision
Clinical reflection and supervision, covering the verbatim, the reflective cycle, and the supervisory relationship that sustains competence.
Advanced Spiritual Formation and Christian Vocation
The chaplain's own spiritual resilience, moral injury, and the supervision that the work requires rather than recommends.
Advanced Integrative Theology and Ministry
A supervised clinical project with verbatims, reflective practice and an assessed account of the ministry offered.
Admission Requirements
What you need to apply
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited or recognized institution
- Official transcripts showing preparation appropriate to graduate theological study
- Statement of theological, academic, and ministry goals
- Current resume or curriculum vitae
- Two ministry, professional, or academic recommendations
Degree Completion Requirements
Requirements for the Master of Divinity
Graduation Requirements
- Complete at least 36 graduate semester credits in the approved degree plan
- Pass the Competency-Based Ministry Assessment for the degree
- Satisfy every graduate-core, specialization, elective, and comprehensive requirement group
- Integrate theological knowledge with assessed ministry experience under the published result-weighting policy
- Recognize demonstrated learning against every published degree-plan requirement
Culminating Experience
Demonstrate graduate theological understanding and ministry judgment through Competency-Based Ministry Assessment, recognizing advanced learning developed through prior study and service.
Credit Distribution
| Requirement Area | Credits | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Graduate Core | 21 | 7 courses. Required advanced theory, methods, and professional competencies of the discipline. |
| Graduate Specialization | 9 | 3 courses. Focused graduate study in an approved concentration or practice area. |
| Graduate Elective | 3 | 1 course. Any master-level major course from any school that is not already part of this degree plan. |
| Competency-Based Ministry Assessment | 3 | 1 course. Integrated graduate theological knowledge and assessed ministry experience, recognizing demonstrated learning across the published degree plan. |
| Total Degree Credits | 36 | All requirements must be completed within the approved degree plan. |
Program Details
Program Length
Self-Paced
Self-Paced Learning
Total Credits
36 credit hours
Up to 18 Transfer Credits
Published Degree Plan
12 courses
Across 4 required curriculum groups
Format
Flexible Study
Assessment Format
Competency-Based Ministry Assessment
Selected Degree
Master
School
School of Theology and Ministry
Institutional Status
ICAS Accredited
Ready to Begin Your Accredited Chaplaincy Degree?
Applying costs nothing, and the work you have already done may count. Have a look at what this pathway asks for before you decide.