WAU Launches Redesigned Master’s in Religion That Qualifies Graduates For Certified Chaplaincy Service

Takoma Park, Md. (April 10, 2018) Washington Adventist University’s newly redesigned Master of Arts in Religion program with a concentration in Clinical Pastoral Education will qualify graduates to become an Associate Certified Chaplain.

The redesigned program features new courses such as Pastoral Dimensions of Medical Ethics Decisions, Spiritual Side of Post Traumatic Disorder, and Introduction to Chaplaincy. Offered by the university’s School of Graduate and Professional Studies, the new program starts in the fall semester which begins the week of August 26-30. Courses are taught in the evenings in accelerated eight-week terms.

The redesigned program will include new courses such as RELP 593 Pastoral Dimensions of Medical Ethics Decisions, RELP 628 Spiritual Side of Post Traumatic Disorder, and RELP 511 Introduction to Chaplaincy.

“Clinical Pastoral Educaiton provides students of all faiths with the professional skills needed to minister to others and to function as part of an interdisciplinary team, said SGPS interim dean Nicole Currier. “Our program’s graduates will be eligible for certification through the Board of Chaplaincy Certification Inc., an affiliate of the Association of Professional Chaplains.”

Admission to Washington Adventist University’s Master of Arts in Religion program requires an undergraduate degree in any field and two prerequisite undergraduate courses with a grade of “B” or better. They include RELT 250 Principles of Christian Faith and either RELB 307 Introduction to the Old Testament or RELB 345 Introduction to the New Testament. Applications may be submitted online.

For more information or for help with the application or registration process, call 301-891-4092 or email sgps@wau.edu. Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and on Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

Washington Adventist University is Montgomery County’s only four-year private college. Part of the Seventh-day Adventist system of higher education, Washington Adventist University has been educating college students since 1904 on a 19-acre campus in suburban Takoma Park, close to the nation’s capital. Approximately 1,100 students of all faiths participate in the university’s eight graduate and 42 undergraduate programs. The 2018 edition of U.S. News & World Report ranked Washington Adventist University among the best regional colleges in the north. 

Media Contact:
Douglas Walker, 301-891-4134, dkwalker@wau.edu