Dual Master of Arts in Interreligious Studies and Chaplaincy
Dual Degree Program in Interreligious Studies and Chaplaincy
HIU’s dual degree program in Interreligious Studies and Chaplaincy is designed for students planning on a chaplaincy career for which a unified 72-credit program is a necessity—the federal prison system, Veteran’s Administration hospitals, and the US military. The dual degree program streamlines the admission process: students are admitted to, then work toward, both degree programs simultaneously. Thus they are able to fully integrate the development of multireligious fluency and deep study of [or grounding in] their own tradition with professional training. Through coursework and field experience, students develop intellectual, interpersonal, and professional skills necessary for the provision of spiritual care in complex, pluralistic environments.
Featuring a rigorous curriculum that balances classroom and online study with field experience, our dual degree program in Interreligious Studies and Chaplaincy provides a single point of entry into graduate study at HIU. (This is a necessity for students preparing for service as chaplains in the US military, with the Veteran’s Administration, or in the federal prison system.) Students in this program complete (simultaneously or sequentially) the requirements for the academic Master of Arts in Interreligious Studies and the professional Masters of Arts in Chaplaincy—a total of 72 academic credits.
In this dual program, students explore the vocabulary, grammar, and lived realities of religions different from their own. They develop the concrete skills and deep understanding necessary for spiritual caregiving in a multifaith environment, as outlined by the Association of Professional Chaplains. They graduate with confidence that their multireligious fluency, their understanding of the role of faith in local, social, and political contexts, their ability to conduct advanced-level research, and the chaplaincy competencies they have attained equip them to provide empathetic spiritual care for people of all backgrounds in complex settings such as hospitals, the military, universities, and prisons.
Program Structure
The Interreligious Studies and Chaplaincy dual degree is a 72-credit program through which students earn both an academic Master of Arts in Interreligious Studies and a professional Master of Arts in Chaplaincy. It can be completed online, apart from the Field Education and Clinical Pastoral Education requirements (which may be completed at students' local sites), and a required 3-day on-campus retreat. Check our Academic Calendar for the upcoming summer session to see retreat dates. Students may attend the retreat during the first or second year of their program. Completion will require three to five years of full-time study.
This dual curriculum is distinct in that it enables students to acquire broadly recognized professional chaplaincy qualifications and competencies and to learn to integrate spiritual caregiving theory and practice, while delving into the foundations of their religion—thus completing coursework typically expected by their endorsing bodies or necessary to attain their particular career goal. All the while, they are expanding their understanding of the religions of others.
Students have the option to specialize in Islamic Chaplaincy. Students who choose this option will use the program’s electives to meet Islamic Studies requirements.
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Gateway course (3 credits)
DI-550: Introduction to Interreligious Studies is an intersectional, integrative course that promotes breadth and depth of understanding of worldviews different from one’s own. It integrates theory and practice as it guides an exploration of how diverse individuals and groups understand “religion” and how those with differing understandings relate to one another. A core requirement of the Master of Arts in Interreligious Studies, this course is also a requirement of the MA in Peacebuilding curriculum.
Chaplaincy Core courses (12 credits)
The four core courses for the Master of Arts in Chaplaincy degree are designed specifically to address the “Common Qualifications and Competencies for Professional Chaplains” and the “Standards of Practice for Professional Chaplains” put forth by the Association of Professional Chaplains.
- CH-530 Chaplaincy Models and Methods
- CH-520 Theology and Scriptures in Spiritual Care Practice
- CH 510 Sociology and Psychology for Chaplaincy
- CH-540 Religious and Cultural Ethics for Chaplaincy
Co-Taught Interreligious Studies Seminars (6 credits)
Unique to our Master of Arts in Interreligious Studies degree is the fact that its core seminars are taught collaboratively by a pair of professors with contrasting academic expertise or religious commitments. Thus, core seminar instructors model dialogue, interreligious understanding, and interdisciplinarity. Students will choose two of the three core seminars:
- RS-525: American Religious Realities
- IP-611: Peace, Justice and Violence in the Sacred Texts
- TH-513: The Faiths as Formal Realities
Elective courses (39 credits)
By providing for a substantial number of elective courses, Interreligious Studies and Chaplaincy dual degree program enables HIU students to become well-grounded in their own religions, to gain a deeper understanding of the religions of others, and to gain understanding of specific sectors of professional chaplaincy (for example, through chaplaincy electives that focus on Health Care, Prisons, Military, Education, Community, or Third Spaces).
Generally, religion-specific endorsing bodies want chaplain candidates to be well grounded in their religion’s scripture, history, theology, and arts of ministry. Military and other federal chaplaincies expect 20 course credits in each category. Students must work closely with their advisor in order to meet the particular requirements set by their endorsing body or particular career goal. Students in the Islamic Chaplaincy specialization will take courses integrating theories with chaplaincy practices rooted in the Islamic tradition.
Field Education – (6 credits)
The two-semester Field Education requirement provides students with a structured opportunity to test their interest in and suitability for some specific area of the broad profession of chaplaincy. Field Education’s content and setting will vary according to the needs of the students, but each site must have a mission congruent with the values and ethics of HIU and recognize the importance of experiential learning in the formation of chaplains. Students spend eight hours per week at their site, 15 weeks per semester, for a total of 240 hours. They also attend a two-hour Field Education class session each week.
Clinical Pastoral Training course (3 credits)
Students in the dual degree program are expected to complete a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)—professional training for interfaith spiritual caregiving and religious leadership. CPE features supervised clinical service, formational opportunities, and significant introspection. Participants engage intensively and extensively with persons in crisis. Through feedback and theological reflection, participants grow personally, develop relationship skills, and fine-tune their understanding of spiritual care. CPE is offered at numerous hospitals and other sites around the US. Students are responsible for finding those opportunities in consultation with the Field Education director. Clinical Pastoral Training Course—which features verbatim analysis, cohort check-ins and discussion, and particularized guidance—provides a framework for connecting the student’s CPE experience to HIU’s chaplaincy degree program.
Co-Curricular Experiential Learning for Chaplaincy Students – (6 credits)
Whether enrolled in the MAC alone or in the dual degree program (MAIRC), chaplaincy students will participate in an on-campus retreat (2–3 days) providing a venue for networking, cohort-building, and review of spiritual caregiving skills.
Final Requirement (3 credits)
Students in the dual degree program will complete a capstone project or thesis related to chaplaincy.
Where Your Journey May Lead
Dual MA in Interreligious Studies and Chaplaincy Career Paths
Military Chaplaincy
Prison Chaplaincy
Preparation for Academic Career
Pathway into Ministry
Pathway into Chaplaincy
Here is a small sample of courses students in the program take. To view the entire course listing, use the link below.
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The gateway course to the MA in Interreligious Studies and a required course for the MA in Peacebuilding curriculum, Introduction to Interreligious Studies is an intersectional, integrative course that promotes deep understanding of worldviews different from one’s own.
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As the gateway to the MAC curriculum, this course is a comprehensive, systematic introduction to professional chaplaincy /spiritual caregiving; orientation to (or, in the case of advanced students, opportunity for reflection on) the role of the chaplain and methods suitable to the contexts in which chaplains characteristically serve (including schools, colleges, universities, prisons, health care facilities, fire and police departments, seaports, airports, the military, and mass casualty situations); and facilitates attainment of the “Common Qualifications and Competencies” and the “Standards of Practice” advocated by the Association of Professional Chaplains.
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As part of the MAIRS curriculum, this course facilitates an understanding of the scope of America’s religious diversity: the nature of its current complexity and factors contributing to its emergence; the mutually influencing interactions between religious communities (their convictions, practices, and structures); and the American contextual trends, such as immigration, political issues, and social drivers like race, ethnicity, or gender.
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This course will offer pastors, lay ministers and caregivers an opportunity to learn basic counseling skills for use in pastoral settings.
Opportunities & Highlights
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