Fall and Spring Intern Units

Students pursuing certification with the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC), National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC), or National Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC) are offered the possibility of completing four consecutive Intern CPE Units with a comprehensive, sequential Level I and Level II CPE curriculum.

Every unit, whether taken as a single unit or as part of four consecutive units, requires a separate admission process.

Although intern CPE units are flexible in nature, there will still be a significant time commitment involved. Due to the intensity of the program, we recommend that you carefully plan your personal and professional schedules during the months of the program, allowing enough hours to complete all clinical and educational hours, as well as self-care.

Both Spring and Fall intern units offer CPE Level I and Level II programs that vary in length and involve attendance to one weekly educational session, individual supervision sessions, and 20 weekly hours of clinical work, including participation to the on-call day and night shift rotation.

Requirements

To apply for the Intern CPE Unit, you must meet the following requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree,
• Completion of or in process of completing a Master of Divinity, Master of Theology, or other equivalent degree from a seminary or graduate school that is accredited by a Department of Education authorized accrediting agency. Check to see if your institution is accredited. 
• Active membership in a faith group.

Dates and Deadlines

Applications are accepted on a rolling deadline process. Once a cohort has been formed, the applications process for that unit will be closed, and your application will be advanced into the next cohort.  

Upcoming Extended Unit dates are:

• Fall: September 8, 2026 to December 11, 2026
• Spring: January 11, 2027 to April 26, 2027

Schedules

• Class: Classes are held one day per week for four hours. Schedule is typically Tuesday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Clinical: Students will average 20 clinical hours in addition to 8 classroom hours each week for an approximate weekly average of 16 hours in-house.
• On-Call Shifts: On-call coverage for trauma and hospital emergencies rotates and is negotiated every three months between students and attending chaplains. Rotations are in-house, 12-hour shifts: 8am-8pm and 8pm-8am. On-call spiritual care coverage is 24/7, 365 days per year. Work hours do not typically exceed 16 weekly including both educational and clinical hours.