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Buddhist Chaplaincy Program

IBS degree programs

Beginning in the Fall 2007, students may enroll at the Institute of Buddhist Studies with a Chaplaincy Emphasis. The emphasis opens opportunities to either:

Scroll down to read more about the Association of Professional Chaplains's course requirements.

If students mereley wish to take course work to apply toward their equivalency evaluation, they may elect to enroll at the IBS as a special student. However, if they choose to work toward a graduate level degree, they must complete the course requirements of that degree in addition to the APC requirements below.

Please contact our admissions office should you have any questions or concerns.


Course Requirements

The Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) has a set of requirements for its professional chaplain certifications (Board Certified Chaplain, Provisional Certified Chaplain, and Associate Chaplain). One of these is an educational requirement, specifically a three-year graduate degree, such as a Masters of Divinity or equivalent. The chaplaincy educational requirement covers nine subject areas (see below for these nine and the distribution of courses according to these subject areas), and is specifically not intended to be a vocational training. It is the intent of the Institute of Buddhist Studies Buddhist Chaplaincy program, therefore, to provide the practitioner with both breadth and depth of understanding of the Buddhist tradition — its philosophy, psychology, and practices, historically contextualized. It is only from a sound intellectual foundation that the effective application of Buddhist teachings can be made. Right view is both the beginning and the ending of the path.

This program is designed as a 72 semester unit program (24 three unit courses), which can be completed in three years of full-time study (4 three unit courses per semester = 12 units per semester for 6 semesters). Substitution of equivalent courses may be petitioned.

Required Core IBS Courses:

  1. Introduction to Shin Thought
  2. South Asian Buddhist Traditions
  3. East Asian Buddhist Traditions
  4. at least one of: Basic Buddhist Meditation, Zen Buddhist Meditation, Tibetan Contemplative Traditions — student is expected to take a course on a meditation tradition other than one they are already familiar with
  5. Buddhist Ethics
  6. Early Buddhist Literature
  7. Mahayana Literature
  8. Religious Education: The Six Aspects
  9. Buddhist Services and Ceremonies: a course on Shin services is offered each semester, this requirement may be fulfilled in a variety of other ways, consult your advisor
  10. Issues in Buddhist Ministry
  11. Buddhist Psychology, I: Abhidharma & Yogacara
  12. Buddhist Psychology, II: Interfacing with Western Psychologies
  13. Buddhist Chaplaincy and
  14. Buddhist Pastoral Counseling
    these two requirements, Buddhist Chaplaincy and Buddhist Pastoral Counseling, can be fulfilled by completing the Sati Center Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Program, and students are strongly encouraged to apply for this training.
  15. Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)
    students will be required to take a minimum of one unit of CPE training, earning 3 semester units; two units of CPE may be taken for a total of 6 semester units toward graduation. One unit of CPE training is usually an eleven-week, 400 hour requirement, and is offered at a variety of locations in the SF Bay Area. Many GTU students take this training during the summer so as to not interfere with their regular progress through a degree program. Students will need to arrange for this training on their own, and any additional costs involved are borne by the student.

    Required GTU Courses:
  16. Pastoral Counseling
  17. Buddhist Christian Dialogue
  18. Buddhism in America

Additional Courses, including Thesis Requirement:

Topics in Buddhist Thought: when appropriate topic is offered, and may be repeated
19 - 22: additional elective classes (for MA students, two more of these these are taken at GTU for a total of 5 GTU classes; see catalogue regarding distribution requirement)
23 & 24: in thesis

Association of Professional Chaplains Nine Core Subject Areas

The nine core subject areas identified by the Association of Professional Chaplains (from "Equivalency Issues for Buddhist Candidates for Board Certification with the Assocation of Professional Chaplains") include: A. Sacred Literature, B. Theology/Philosophy, C. Ritual/Liturgy, D. Religious History, E. Comparative Religions, F. Religious Education, G. Insitutional Organization and Administration, H. Pastoral Care and Counseling, and I. Spiritual Formation.

Examples of the courses that would fulfill each of these areas are as follows:

A. Sacred Literature
   Early Buddhist Literature
   Mahayana Literature

B. Theology/Philosophy
   Introduction to Buddhist Thought
   Buddhist Ethics
   Buddhist Psychology I & II

C. Ritual/Liturgy
   Buddhist Services and Ceremonies

D. Religious History
   South Asian Buddhist Traditions
   East Asian Buddhist Traditions

E. Comparative Religions
   Buddhist Christian Dialogue

F. Religious Education
   Buddhist Religious Education

G. Insitutional Organization and Administration
   Issues in Buddhist Ministry

H. Pastoral Care and Counseling
   Buddhist Chaplaincy
   Buddhist Pastoral Counseling
   Pastoral Counseling

I. Spiritual Formation
   Basic Buddhist Meditation
   Zen Buddhist Meditation
   Tibetan Contemplative Traditions