Spiritual Care — Certificate

The Spiritual Care Certificate is designed to build competence in spiritual care across diverse contexts, covering essential aspects of spirituality, religious diversity, and end-of-life care, with additional specialized training in either theoretical or practical components. Both tracks require a core set of courses, ensuring all participants have a common foundational spiritual care principles provided by faculty of the School of Religion.

This certificate is designed primarily for those who wish to acquire focused training in spiritual care to complement their careers in healthcare.

This academic program is enhanced by its close association with the Center for
Christian Bioethics, as well as proximity to Loma Linda University Medical Center and numerous healthcare professionals engaged in spiritual care.

In addition to Loma Linda University and School of Religion admissions requirements, the applicants to the M.S. in Chaplaincy Program are expected to:

1.  A four-year baccalaureate degree (or its equivalent) from an accredited institution
2. Grade point average of B (3.0) or better in the overall program and in the major field
3. A personal statement (~750 words) that specifies why the applicant is interested in this program, relevant background experiences, and how the program fits into personal and professional plans.
4. A writing sample (usually drawn from previous academic work) emailed directly to religion@llu.edu.
5. Three letters of recommendation (two academic and one pastoral)
6. An interview

Information on admission, tuition, and student life and an online application can be found on the Web at llu.edu/central/apply.

Clinical Care Track (optional)

The Clinical Practice Track is designed for students pursuing careers where direct spiritual support is a primary component. They will register for RELG 697 instead of RELE 527 and apply for Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) or Clinical Pastoral Orientation (CPO) training at Loma Linda University Medical Center. This will provide immersive, hands-on training, where students apply spiritual care skills in real-world clinical environments, under the guidance of an ACPE Certified Educator.