Chaplain Education

Backed by over 40 years of leadership, our chaplaincy training is nationally accredited through the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). Built for real-world readiness, we combine clinical rigor with hands-on experience to prepare skilled, board-certified spiritual caregivers to serve across healthcare and community settings. Both online and in-person offerings are available.

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  • Our excellence is driven by our educators, nationally recognized and defining the future of spiritual care.

    • Benefit from ACPE Certified Educators with extensive backgrounds in clinical practice, academia, and research

    • Experience a curriculum that embeds real-world complexities into every phase of instruction

    • Engage with faculty who bridge educational rigor and direct clinical experience

    • Move beyond passive learning through active mentorship, supervision, and challenge

  • Students do not just study spiritual care. They practice it, refine it, and grow into it.

    • Immediate patient and community involvement from the start of the program

    • Supervised clinical practice within complex, real-world care settings

    • Reflective learning built around verbatims and performance-based evaluation

    • Advanced CPE units to prove proficiency in care, ethics, and collaboration

  • Flexible by design. Rigorous by standard. The Center removes unnecessary barriers while preserving the depth and rigor spiritual care requires.

    • Flexible in-person and remote learning formats designed to fit real life without disruption

    • Expanded access without compromising relational learning and program structures that support outcomes, not just convenience

    Graduates leave with demonstrated competence, not just completed coursework. They receive expert-led, practice-based education built for real-world readiness.

    • Evaluation based on real clinical performance

    • Documented competencies aligned with board certification, including formal evaluations and direct supervisor assessments

    • Development of professional identity, presence, and self-awareness

  • The excellence of the Center for Advancing Spiritual Care & Education is driven by its educators—nationally recognized professionals currently defining the future of spiritual care.

    Educational Format

    • Hybrid Learning: Instructional sessions are conducted via Zoom, complemented by two mandatory in-person sessions for orientation and final evaluations.

    • Academic Structure: The curriculum utilizes an adult learning model featuring didactics, lectures, small group reflections, and the presentation of verbatim clinical reports with peer and supervisor feedback.

    • Technological Competence: Interns must possess and demonstrate proficiency with the necessary hardware, including a computer equipped with a microphone and video camera.

    • The excellence of the Center for Advancing Spiritual Care & Education is driven by its educators—nationally recognized professionals who are currently defining the future of spiritual care.

Our CPE Education Team

Ty Crowe is an ACPE Certified Educator and the Director of Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he has led one of the nation’s premier Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) programs for over 17 years. With expertise in CPE program management, accreditation consultation, and supervisory training, Ty integrates compassionate practice with academic rigor, ensuring that chaplaincy training meets the today’s changing needs of healthcare institutions and faith communities alike. His career reflects a deep commitment to developing the next generation of spiritual care leaders grounded in creativity and empathy. Ty has an exceptional record of program leadership and mentoring Certified Educator Candidates through program completion.

Mr. Ty Crowe

ACPE Certified Educator

Rev. Dr. David Fleenor

ACPE Certified Educator

Rev. Dr. David W. Fleenor is an ACPE Certified Educator, Episcopal priest, and nationally recognized leader in healthcare chaplaincy education. He currently serves as Director of Clinical Pastoral Education at ArchCare, the continuing care community of the Archdiocese of New York, where he oversees accredited CPE programming across complex healthcare systems. Over the course of his career, David has overseen and strengthened Clinical Pastoral Education programs within major academic medical centers, including Mount Sinai Health System, NYU Health, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. His leadership consistently integrates clinical excellence, reflective practice, and rigorous accreditation standards.

Rev. Jennie Thomas

ACPE Certified Educator

Rev. Jennie Thomas is a Board-Certified Chaplain and ACPE Certified Educator with nearly two decades of experience leading clinical pastoral education across Louisiana, Florida, and virtual settings. Her specialized training as a Certified Educator was completed at The McFarland Institute, complementing a strong academic foundation that includes a Master of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary and a Master of Social Work from Tulane University. Most recently, she has served as a Contract Certified Educator for Intern Units with the U.S. Army CPE System Center. This role underscores her versatility and commitment to preparing chaplains for service in specialized settings.

Certification & Clinical Practice

  • Unit Credit: Completion of one ACPE CPE unit requires 100 hours of education and 300 hours of clinical practice.

  • Clinical Placement: All 300 clinical hours must be completed at a site pre-approved by the Certified Educator.

Admissions Criteria

Prerequisites: Candidates must hold a Bachelor’s degree or demonstrate a sufficient theological background.

Process: Interested individuals must submit an official ACPE application. Following an education team review, selected applicants will be invited to the interview stage; please note that interviews are not guaranteed for all applicants.

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2027 CPE Unit Schedule - Now Accepting Applications

A flexible schedule for those seeking to learn more about chaplaincy and the provision of spiritual care and development.

Extended Intern Unit Opportunities

2027 Extended Intern Unit Option 1:

  • 03/29– 08/27, 2027 (22 WEEKS)

  • Mondays, 2:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. plus bi-weekly individual supervision

  • Hybrid: online education and two required in-person sessions

  • Tuition: $1200 per unit; includes $250 nonrefundable deposit

  • ACPE Certified Educator: Mr. Ty Crowe

2027 Extended Intern Unit Option 2:

  • 03/29– 08/27, 2027 (22 WEEKS)

  • Tuesdays, 4:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. plus bi-weekly individual supervision

  • Hybrid: online education and two required in-person sessions

  • Tuition: $1200 per unit; includes $250 nonrefundable deposit

  • ACPE Certified Educator: TBD

CPE Accelerated Training Units (Capstone Alternative)

  • WINTER Unit: 1/11/27 – 4/16/27 (14 weeks)

  • Fridays, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. plus bi-weekly individual supervision

  • Tuition: $1200 per unit; including $250 nonrefundable deposit

  • ACPE Certified Educator: Rev. Dr. David Fleenor

An alternative to a traditional intern unit, the education focus is rigorous, experiential, and integrative pathways for students to demonstrate mastery of program learning outcomes while significantly strengthening professional readiness. With appropriate academic approval, this Unit may be structured to be equivalent as a Capstone Project alternative. (These are mixed-level units).

2027 Residency Program: One-year Commitment (3 units)

  • 2027 START DATE COMING SOON - ONE YEAR COMMITMENT

  • APPLICATIONS ARE BEING ACCEPTED NOW

An exciting option for those who have already completed a single CPE unit, have an MDiv or equivalent, and who are interested in deepening their learning experience in a year-long and focused program.

Residency is a full-time position, and includes three units of CPE with a $40,000 salary, family medical benefits, guaranteed 5% plus up to 4% employer match payment to a retirement fund, and $3,500 relocation aid for students moving further than 500 miles to participate.

  • Tuition: $800 per unit; nonrefundable

  • Includes three (3) CPE Units

  • 12 month program with education breaks between Units

  • ACPE Certified Educator: Rev. Dr. David Fleenor

  • Clinical placement is at St. Mark’s Hospital in Salt Lake City; other partnering hospitals may be considered

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Clinical Placement Options

Placement Process and Fees

We provide a range of clinical placement opportunities for students. There is NO FEE for onboarding and placement at our partnering hospitals and other locations, which are listed below. Regardless of the chosen location, all placements must be pre-approved by the Certified Education and Center leadership team.

Partnering Hospitals and Locations

HCA Clinical Partners in Utah: Placement at these locations comes with no placement fee and includes free onboarding, which covers immunizations. The hospitals available for placement are as follows:

  • St. Mark’s Hospital – Salt Lake City

  • Lakeview Hospital – Bountiful

  • Ogden Regional Medical Center – Ogden

  • Timpanogos Regional Hospital – Orem

  • Mountain View Hospital – Payson

  • St. Mark’s Towers Senior Living Community – Salt Lake City

  • St. Mark’s Millcreek Senior Living Community – Salt Lake City

Other Clinical Placement Locations

For clinical placement at locations other than our partnering hospitals or other approved clinical partners, a fee of $1,000 applies. This is a one-time fee and will not be charged for multiple units at the same location. All such placements must be pre-approved by the Certified Educator. Students or their placement locations are responsible for any onboarding costs, including immunizations.

Eligible locations for placement may include hospitals, hospice and long-term care facilities, prison and youth correction facilities, religious and community programs, corporations, and other organizations.