the Institute of Buddhist Studies

Degree Program Special Emphases

In addition to completing either of our degree programs students can elect to complete a special emphasis in Ministerial Education and/or the Buddhist Chaplaincy Program. Please note that the requirements of these emphases are in addition to the regular requirements of the degree programs.

Ministerial Education

The primary goal of Ministerial Education at the IBS is the professional education of Jodo Shinshu Hongwanjiha ministers for the Buddhist Churches of America. Like any other professional field, instruction cannot be limited to an existing body of knowledge, but needs to respond to a continually expanding and changing field. Developments in translations, interpretations, and historical information across the entire scope of Buddhist history and Japanese religion can influence the development of contemporary Shin Buddhist thought as it interacts with the religious, philosophic and social traditions of the increasingly global society we live in.

Buddhist Chaplaincy Program

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 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.

Click here for more information about the Buddhist Chaplaincy Program.