Requirements and Definitions for Board Certified & Associate Certified Chaplains

1. Undergraduate Education
   Bachelor’s degree from a college or university accredited by a member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (www.chea.org).
   
2. Graduate Education
   Qualifying Master’s degree conferred by a college or institution accredited by CHEA.
   – To qualify, the degree must include a minimum 30 semester hours and be granted in one of three academic disciplines: Theology, Philosophy, or Psychology.
   One year (24 semester hours) of study in three of four chaplaincy competence subject areas:
   – History of a religious or philosophical tradition
   – Spiritual Practices or Practical Ministry
   – Sacred Texts or Foundational Documents
   – World Religions
   Total Hours
   – Board Certified Chaplain: 72 graduate semester hours (includes up to 24 equivalency credits)
   – Associate Certified Chaplain: 48 graduate semester hours (equivalency credits not available)
   Mentored Education
   – Applicants trained in certain non-academic traditions may be eligible to meet the education requirements by documenting up to 7200 hours of mentored study: Buddhist and Indigenous traditions.
   Notes:
   – The total hours requirement includes the hours in the qualifying Master’s Degree, the chaplaincy competence subjects, and other study relevant to the practice of chaplaincy.
   – Courses counted toward the one year of chaplaincy competence subjects do not need to be included in the qualifying degree. Courses must be completed at CHEA accredited institutions.
   – Applicants for BCC who demonstrate a minimum of 48 graduate semester hours and meet the chaplaincy competence subject requirement can apply for up to 24 graduate education equivalent credits. See the Graduate Education Equivalency Worksheet for details.
   – Applicants who have earned academic credit for CPE as part of a degree program may apply one unit of CPE to both the total education hours requirement and the BCCI CPE requirement.
   
3. Faith Group Endorsement or Recognition
   Provide documentation of current endorsement or acceptable language in accordance with the applicant’s spiritual/faith tradition (received or reaffirmed within last 12 months). The letter must be mailed, emailed, or faxed directly to the BCCI office for your faith group. Faith groups must be recognized by the Department of Defense (Armed Forces Chaplains Board) or previously reviewed and approved by the BCCI. If not, the applicant must contact the BCCI office regarding a review of the faith group.
   
4. Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)
   Units accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) (prior to 11/1/2024), National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC), the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC), or BCCI approved CPE providers are accepted. The required clinical education for Board certified chaplains is four units. Associate Certified Chaplains need to have two units. Equivalency for one unit of CPE is available. See the CPE Equivalency Instructions for details.
   
5. Work Experience
   A minimum of 2,000 hours of work or volunteer experience as a chaplain following the completion of the required CPE units (four for BCC and two for ACC.) Use of additional units of CPE is considered an equivalency. Work experience hours accrue in positions where a substantial part of work duties focus on care commonly provided by chaplains in specialized settings, such as health care, prisons, or corporate chaplaincy. Properly documented volunteer chaplain hours are acceptable. Work hours accrued in parochial ministry cannot be included.
   
6. Professional Competence demonstrated in written materials and the certification interview.

The professional credential Board Certified Chaplain is awarded by a vote of Board of Chaplaincy Certification, Incorporated (BCCI) Commission on Certification. A chaplain holding the BCC credential has met all application requirements and demonstrated professional competence before a committee of peers. Application requirements are listed in the General Qualifications section above.

After meeting the application requirements, the chaplain meets with a Certification Committee, certified chaplains approved by the BCCI Commission on Certification, who assess competence in 29 chaplaincy skills and make a recommendation to the Commission on Certification. The Commission reviews the recommendation and finding that the applicant meets all requirements and demonstrates competence, votes to recommend to the board of directors’ ratification of the certification.

A Provisional Board Certified Chaplain has demonstrated professional competence by meeting all the board certified chaplain (BCC) eligibility requirements. Provisional status is granted in the case of one or both of the following exceptions:

1. The BCC candidate has demonstrated competency in at least 24-29 BCC competencies, inclusive of all those related to pastoral functioning (PPS 1-11).
2. The BCC candidate has not completed the 2,000 hours of work experience as a chaplain.

A Provisional Board Certified Chaplain has two years from the initial date of certification to submit a request for a subsequent appearance to demonstrate competency in the remaining standards to a certification committee, or to submit the proper documentation of completion of 2,000 hours of chaplaincy experience (for a paper review). If a provisional board certified chaplain does not complete either of these requirements within the specified timeframe, they will be removed from the roster and will need to reapply for certification.

The professional credential Associate Certified Chaplain is awarded by a vote of Board of Chaplaincy Certification, Incorporated (BCCI) Commission on Certification. A chaplain holding the ACC credential has met all application requirements and demonstrated professional competence before a committee of peers. Application requirements are listed in the General Qualifications section above.

After meeting the application requirements, the chaplain meets with a Certification Committee, certified chaplains approved by the BCCI Commission on Certification, who assess competence in 29 chaplaincy skills and make a recommendation to the Commission on Certification. The Commission reviews the recommendation and finding that the applicant meets all requirements and demonstrates competence, votes to recommend to the board of directors the ratification of the certification.

A Provisional Associate Certified Chaplain has demonstrated professional competence by meeting all the Associate Certified Chaplain (ACC) eligibility requirements. Provisional status is granted in the case of one or both of the following exceptions:

1. The ACC candidate has demonstrated competency in at least 24-29 BCC competencies, inclusive of all those related to pastoral functioning (PPS 1-11).
2. The ACC candidate has not completed the 2,000 hours of work experience as a chaplain.

A Provisional Associate Certified Chaplain has two years from the initial date of certification to submit a request for a subsequent appearance to demonstrate competency in the remaining standards to a certification committee, or to submit the proper documentation of completion of 2,000 hours of chaplaincy experience (for a paper review). If a provisional associate certified chaplain does not complete either of these requirements within the specified timeframe, they will be removed from the roster and will need to reapply for certification.