Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)
Master of Divinity students may use a basic unit of clinical pastoral education (CPE) to meet one field education placement requirement. CPE units may ordinarily be taken during the academic year or during the summer. Students may also elect to receive academic course credit for CPE.
Students ordinarily may not be simultaneously enrolled in CPE and assigned in an additional field education setting.
Exception: students selected for parish based CPE. Parish based CPE counts as one field education placement.
Student Pastors may enroll in CPE during the academic year. Special permission must be sought and granted by the Office of Field Education for a student pastor to enroll in CPE during the summer.
CPE Not Requesting Academic Credit
- Field Education Requirement – Students seeking to fulfill the first or the second field education requirement through CPE must initially consult with the Office of Field Education. The student submits an application to a CPE program that is accredited by The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. The student then arranges for an interview with the CPE staff, gains acceptance to the program, submits a “Clinical Pastoral Information Form” to the Office of Field Education, and then enrolls in the CPE program that is accredited by The ACPE, Inc. The student is responsible for paying the CPE center directly for all fees related to enrollment in and completion of the unit. The student is responsible for having the CPE center mail directly to the Office of Field Education the original or certified copy of the supervisor’s final evaluation indicating the unit was successfully completed and a full unit of CPE credit was extended. Upon this notification, the Office of Field Education will inform the Divinity School registry, so that field education credit will be recorded. Field education credit for a CPE unit is contingent upon the Office of Field Education staff’s approval of both the program and experience.
- Conference/Judicatory Requirement – Many denominational conferences and judicatories require candidates for ordained ministry to complete a unit of clinical pastoral education in an accredited CPE center. To satisfy this requirement, a student may enroll in a CPE program of his/her choice that is accredited by The ACPE, Inc. The student is responsible for paying the CPE center directly for all fees related to enrollment in and completion of the unit. The student is also responsible for having the CPE center mail directly to the Office of Field Education the original or certified copy of the supervisor’s final evaluation indicating the unit was successfully completed and a full unit of CPE credit was extended. By the student’s request, the Office of Field Education will notify the student’s appropriate denominational/judicatory officials regarding successful completion of the required CPE unit.
- Personal/Professional Growth – Students may enroll in a unit of clinical pastoral education for the sole purpose of personal growth and professional/pastoral skills development (no judicatory and/or field education credits are needed/requested). The student is responsible for paying the CPE center directly for all fees related to enrollment in and completion of the unit.
CPE Requesting Academic Credit
Academic Credit – In all cases above, if a student also desires academic credit (2 course credits) for an accredited clinical pastoral education unit, then he/she must register for CPE 100 during the Divinity School course registration period. The student should gain acceptance in the CPE program before registering for CPE 100. The student will be responsible for the Divinity School tuition costs related to the CPE unit’s two-course equivalency. The Divinity School tuition charge for these two course credits will be at the current Divinity School tuition rate at the time the academic credit is officially recorded on the student’s record. The respective CPE center’s fee will be paid by the Divinity School (up to $450 – if the center’s fee is more than $450, the student is responsible for the balance). The student is also responsible for having the CPE center mail directly to the Office of Field Education the original or certified copy of the supervisor’s final evaluation indicating the unit was successfully completed and a full unit of CPE credit extended. The Office of Field Education will then notify the Divinity School registry to this effect, and academic credit for two courses will be recorded.
The Divinity School will consider academic credit for CPE units completed in prior semesters. However, the Divinity School will not reimburse the student for CPE center fees incurred. In these cases, the student will pay the current Divinity School tuition rate at the time the academic credit is officially recorded on the student’s record. Approval of the academic credit for a CPE unit from an ACPE, Inc. accredited agency will be determined by the Office of Field Education and the Academic Dean.
The timing for CPE should be decided in consultation with the Office of Field Education. When a student would best enroll in a basic unit of CPE will depend upon the student’s curriculum, personal circumstances, and judicatory requirements. It is not recommended for the first year of study because students need a year of basic foundational work in theology prior to CPE. Students seriously contemplating a career in pastoral counseling should take CPE earlier in their curriculum in order to engage vocational testing in an institutional setting. The personal discovery that often occurs in CPE can prove beneficial in shaping later curriculum choices while in Divinity School.
CPE is viewed as field education and is creditable as such. Ordinarily, students completing a field education credit through the Divinity School Office of Field Education may not be simultaneously enrolled in CPE. Students employed by churches and/or agencies that are not part of a formal field education placement may enroll in CPE, but are cautioned to give close attention to work load.