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Chaplain resident education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a chaplain resident. Chaplain residents usually study theology, pastoral counseling and specialized ministries, or religion. 48% of chaplain residents hold a master's degree, and 40% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 1,948 real chaplain resident resumes to see exactly what chaplain resident education sections show.

The most common colleges for chaplain residents are the Liberty University and the Liberty University.

There are also many online chaplain resident courses to help get the education required to be a chaplain resident.

There are certain chaplain resident certifications that you should consider. These chaplain resident certifications include Certified Chaplain and Certified Master Chaplain (CMC).

What education do you need to become a chaplain resident?

What degree do you need to be a chaplain resident?

The most common degree for chaplain residents is master's degree, with 48% of chaplain residents earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 40% and bachelor's degree degree at 5%.
  • Master's, 48%
  • Bachelor's, 40%
  • Doctorate, 5%
  • Associate, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a chaplain resident?

You should major in theology to become a chaplain resident. 46% of chaplain residents major in theology. Other common majors for a chaplain resident include pastoral counseling and specialized ministries and religion.

Most common colleges for chaplain residents

Chaplain residents often get their degrees at Liberty University, Interdenominational Theological Center, and Princeton Theological Seminary. Here are the most common colleges for chaplain residents in the US based on their resumes.
Chaplain resident common collegePercentages
Liberty University8.42%
Interdenominational Theological Center8.08%
Princeton Theological Seminary7.07%
Fuller Theological Seminary6.40%
Andrews University6.06%

Best majors for chaplain residents

Best colleges for chaplain residents

The best colleges for chaplain residents are Boston College, Emory University, and Fordham University.

A chaplain resident with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for chaplain residents. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become chaplain residents.

1. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,306

Enrollment

6,975

2. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,464

Enrollment

9,639

3. Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$48,522

Enrollment

6,557

4. North Park University

Chicago, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$29,860

Enrollment

1,967

5. Brescia University

Owensboro, KY • Private

In-state tuition

$22,100

Enrollment

918

6. Saint Thomas University

Miami Gardens, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$31,830

Enrollment

986

7. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$52,687

Enrollment

9,392

8. Duquesne University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$38,178

Enrollment

6,008

9. Southeastern University

Lakeland, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$25,870

Enrollment

5,570

10. Gardner-Webb University

Boiling Springs, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$32,000

Enrollment

2,010

20 best online courses for chaplain residents

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1. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course

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The Palliative Care Always Capstone course is designed to let you test your knowledge about palliative and help others understand the value of palliative care, while showing your creative side. In this course, you will impact community awareness about palliative care, promote self-care and wellness, show-off your communication skills in a virtual environment, and finish the course off by proving your thoughts on ways to offer psychosocial support to a patient and family...

2. Trauma Emergencies and Care

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Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...

3. Providing Trauma-Informed Care

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Exploring psychological trauma and how to provide care and compassion to trauma survivors...

4. Coping Skills and Self-Care for Mental Health

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Essential skills to manage intense emotions and develop a self-care practice to promote mental health...

5. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative

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Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...

6. Pain Management: Easing Pain in Palliative Care

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In this course, you will be able to develop a systems view for assessing and managing pain in the palliative care setting. By the end of the course, you will be able to: 1) Describe the pain problem in the palliative care setting; 2) Assess a person’s pain, 3) Explain the benefits of integrative therapies and pharmacologic strategies to manage pain...

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Empower Your Life Coach Your Clients to Develop Self-Care, Self-Love, Boundary Setting and How to Say No...

9. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children

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Welcome to the final course of lectures in your quest to master EMT basics. In this course, we will cover some of the highest-stress patient populations: pregnant patients and kids, also known as pediatrics. To wrap up your EMT knowledge we will end this course with information about hazmat situations, extricating patients from tight spots and finally how you write a note about your patient care. You will learn to ensure it communicates what your assessment of the patient was, what...

10. Health for All Through Primary Health Care

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This course explores why primary health care is central for achieving Health for All. It provides examples of how primary health care has been instrumental in approaching this goal in selected populations and how the principles of primary health care can guide future policies and actions. Two of the most inspiring, least understood, and most often derided terms in global health discourse are “Health for All” and “Primary Health Care.” In this course, we will explore these terms in the context...

11. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care

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This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...

12. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes

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COURSE 3 of 7. This course is designed to introduce you to critical office-based processes that a value-based practice must manage in the drive towards improved patient outcomes. In Module 2, we’ll focus on office-based and clinical patient-based supporting functions. At every level in healthcare, guidelines, processes, and functions exist to improve outcomes, and following a consistent process will return the best effect. Refine your understanding of value and learn strategies to provide real...

13. Health Care IT: Challenges and Opportunities

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A strong argument can be made that the health care field is one of the most information-intensive sectors in the U.S. economy and avoidance of the rapid advances in information technology is no longer an option. Consequently, the study of health care information technology and systems has become central to health care delivery effectiveness. This course covers the modern application of information technology that is critical to supporting the vision and operational knowledge of the health care...

14. Health Care Delivery in Healthcare Organizations

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Have you ever needed health care and thought that there must be better ways to get or deliver health care? For example, have you found yourself thinking that there should be a way to get a diagnostic test or treatment at home? Or do you work in a healthcare organization and find yourself thinking that there must be better ways to deliver health care? If you have, this course is for you. Course content includes an overview of health care delivery including healthcare consumerism, the patient's...

15. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale

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16. Thinking About Care

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18. Kids with Cancer Still Need School: The Providers Role

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20. The Critical Role of IT Support Staff in Healthcare

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Top 10 most affordable universities for chaplain residents

The most affordable schools for chaplain residents are Luther Rice College and Seminary, baruch college of the city university of new york, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for chaplain residents are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for chaplain residents.

1. Luther Rice College and Seminary

Lithonia, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,616

Cost of attendance

8,720

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

6. John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,270

Cost of attendance

14,177

7. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

8. Southern University at New Orleans

New Orleans, LA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,033

Cost of attendance

12,702

9. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

10. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Metropolitan Campus

San Juan, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$8,688

Cost of attendance

17,502

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for chaplain residents

The hardest universities for chaplain residents to get into are Boston College, Emory University, and Fordham University.

Some great schools for chaplain residents are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for chaplain residents based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

2. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,449

3. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions rate

46%

SAT average

1,354

4. Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,321

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

51%

SAT average

1,395

7. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

58%

SAT average

1,304

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for chaplain residents

The easiest schools for chaplain residents to get into are Nyack College, barry university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a chaplain resident without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for chaplain residents.

1. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

6. Rochester University

Rochester Hills, MI • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,002

7. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

8. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

9. Hardin-Simmons University

Abilene, TX • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,085

10. University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,062

Average chaplain resident salary by education level

Chaplain residents with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $48,640 annually. With a Master's degree, chaplain residents earn a median annual income of $47,585 compared to $42,959 for chaplain residents with an Bachelor's degree.
Chaplain resident education levelChaplain resident salary
Master's Degree$47,585
Bachelor's Degree$42,959
Doctorate Degree$48,640

Chaplain resident education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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