ChI and The Association of Professional

Chaplains
Some paid chaplain positions require professional board certification as a
chaplain by the Association of Professional Chaplains. Heres how ChI helps
graduates meet these requirements:
Ordination
The APC recognizes the ChI Interfaith Community as a faith group and as a valid
ordaining body. Being Clergy in Good Standing with a faith group recognized by
APC is required by the APC to become professionally board-certified as a
chaplain.
Graduate Level Degree
The other key requirement for APC board certification is the educational
component. ChI candidates applying for board certification who have requested
that their ChI coursework be accepted as the equivalent of a portion of the
accredited seminary work have received equivalency credit. What has not been
standard is the number of units applied to ChI coursework. This can vary
depending upon other factors, such as the additional masters-level work that the
candidate has completed. ChI graduates have received up to 24 units of credit for
their ChI coursework, toward the 48 unit Associate Certified Chaplain and 72
units for Board Certified Chaplain. Students completing The ChI/Starr King joint
program met this full requirement.
Continuing Pastoral Education (CPE)
The APC requires 2 units of CPE through ACPE, NACC, CASC for their associate
level and 4 units for the board certification. Four hundred hours is the
equivalent to one unit of clinical pastoral education. ChIs practicum, if
supervised, earns 1 unit of CPE.
We value our relationship with the APC. Many of ChI's ordained clergy are either
board-certified chaplains or associate certified chaplains through the APC
process. We look forward to their numbers growing in the future.
Note: In a 2015 APC poll with 244 responses from U.S. hospitals, 61% said their institution requires board
certification for the majority of their chaplain positions. Forty four percent said they require 4 units of CPE, 23%
required a minimum of 2 units, and 21% a minimum of 1 unit. Hospitals typically have the highest standards for
requirements. Prospective students are encouraged to refer to the job postings in their local community to learn
what might be necessary in terms of credentials and experience to pursue the type of position each feel called to
pursue.