The Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies (MAPS) degree program prepares students for ministerial service in a variety of contexts. Embracing four areas of development—human, spiritual, intellectual, and ministerial—the program guides students in the development of their own pastoral identity through an integrated exploration of theology and pastoral practice.

Through graduate coursework, focused contextual experiences, and an integration project, students explore and work to develop those personal qualities necessary for faithful service, spiritual practices grounded in God's Trinitarian life, theological knowledge and intellectual skills, and the pastoral abilities appropriate to their gifts and ministerial context. The MAPS degree at the Institute of Pastoral Studies offers students a systematic and broad foundation for a variety of ministries and the tools necessary to engage critically and constructively the challenges and opportunities of our contemporary context.

The MAPS Concentration in Health Care Chaplaincy prepares students for the certification process with the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC) and other certifying bodies that require a 36 credit hour graduate degree.

All components of the MAPS—Health Care Chaplaincy concentration, except for Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), can be completed online or on-campus. Some courses are also available in the summer through the IPS Rome program.

In addition, for the MAPS concentration in Healthcare Chaplaincy:

• An understanding and personal integration of methods of pastoral care appropriate to the healthcare setting, supported by a conceptual foundation of theology and ethics.
• A readiness to complete successfully the process for certification as a Board Certified Chaplain (BCC) with The National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC).

CURRICULUM

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Core Courses
IPS 570	Introduction to Theology and Ministry	3
IPS 416	Introduction to New Testament	3
IPS 417	Introduction to the Old Testament	3
IPS 402	Church and Mission	3
IPS 531	Christian Doctrine	3
IPS 541	Liturgy and Christian Sacraments	3
IPS 553	Moral Theology and Christian Ethics	3
IPS 555	Human Person and Psychological Development	3
Three Health Care Related Courses
IPS 564	Foundations of Pastoral Care	3
IPS 404	Theologies of Suffering	3
Health Care Ethics Elective		3
Contextual Education
IPS 578	Contextual Education Preparation	0
IPS 579	Contextual Education Introduction	0
IPS 580	Contextual Education I	3
The Health Care Integration Project
IPS 493	Health Care Integration Project Portfolio 2	0
Total Hours		36

¹

A variety of health care ethics courses are offered through Loyola's Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics. A list of these courses can be found in the Graduate School catalog, under the heading, "Bioethics and Health Care Leadership."

²

In IPS 493, students are mentored in the process of preparing the materials required to sit for board certification.

On the Institute of Pastoral Studies webpage, you can find more information about the vocation of chaplaincy.

Students interested in becoming Board Certified Chaplains with the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) can do so by pursuing the Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree and choosing electives aimed at meeting APC competencies. The APC requires a 72 credit hours degree (the MDiv) and certifies Protestant chaplains as well as chaplains in an array of religious traditions.

Graduate & Professional Standards and Regulations

Students in graduate and professional programs can find their Academic Policies in Graduate and Professional Academic Standards and Regulations under their school. Any additional University Policies supersede school policies.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

MA in Pastoral Studies

By completing the Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies, students will be able to demonstrate:

• A fluency with the theological, ministerial, and interpersonal resources that make successful service to the church and world feasible in positions of formation, scholarship, or ecclesial leadership.
• The capacity to understand and critique the social and cultural contexts in which the graduate will be called to serve, always with an eye toward the marginalized, excluded, and systems of oppression.
• The ability to articulate with rhetorical skill and persuasion convincing command of relevant theological and ministerial themes and applications to various potential audiences, both orally and in writing.
• Personal engagement with, and an ability to draw upon, spiritual and psychological insights and scholarship that will nourish them as they make successful ministerial or academic contributions to their particular settings and contexts.
• By completing the Concentration in Chaplaincy, students will be able to demonstrate an understanding and personal integration of methods of pastoral care appropriate to the healthcare setting, supported by a conceptual foundation of theology and ethics.
• By completing the Concentration in Chaplaincy, students will be able to demonstrate a competency to obtain certification as a Board Certified Chaplain (BCC) with The National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC) or other recognized national certifying association that requires a 36-credit hour graduate degree.