The M.A. in Spiritual and Pastoral Care is geared to the adult learner who seeks either to build upon previous pastoral experiences or desires to move into ministry from another career. The program provides individuals with ways of focusing upon a particular ministry by making available an assortment of electives. Calling forth the ancient tradition of the cura animarum (care of the soul) and joining contemporary conversations relevant to the integration of the body-mind-spirit, the M.A. seeks to be holistic in scope and yet specialized in content.
Focusing on the art of theological reflection and pastoral conversation, the M.A. program is distinguished from the M.S. in Pastoral Counseling and does not lead to the Ph.D. or to licensing as a professional counselor. Expressly designed to prepare qualified persons for ministries in local churches and other organizations, or to lay a beginning foundation for work as a chaplain or spiritual director, the M.A. in Spiritual and Pastoral Care is arranged to provide grounding in spirituality, pastoral care, and the social sciences.
The M.A. degree requires completion of 45 credits and consists of a core concentration of 27 credits, a 12 credit specialized, professionally minded track of study and internship, and a 6 credit focus on integrating theory and practice with research. The core courses focus on the acquirement of skills in the areas of bereavement (assistance, guidance, or support), crisis intervention, the pastoral helping relationship, pastoral diagnosis, spiritual formation and guidance, theological reflection, and praxis.
Integration courses allow for a depth look at theology and the social sciences, and provide an opportunity to write a professional thesis that combines creativity with research.
The Specialized courses and electives provide the opportunity to choose a track of study and internship experience which lays the foundation for targeted careers or enhanced spiritual leadership in a variety of settings. M.A. candidates have completed their internship placements in clinical pastoral education (CPE), church ministry, and retreat ministry, among others.
While many students elect to pursue the program on a part-time basis, others may choose to accelerate their studies in order to complete degree requirements within two years of full-time study. Whatever the pace, coursework and thesis requirements must be completed within seven years.
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