Program Overview
Degree abbreviation
Ed.D. in Faith-Based Clinical Chaplaincy Psychotherapy
Total program length
120 semester credit hours
Maximum approved transfer credit
Up to 40 semester credit hours
Minimum credits completed through the University after maximum transfer
80 semester credit hours
Normal completion time
Three to six academic years, depending on approved transfer credit, enrollment status, academic progress, and completion of the doctoral project
Advanced faith-based clinical chaplaincy psychotherapy and specialization courses
30 credit hours
Leadership, administration, and professional practice
21 credit hours
Research methods and program evaluation
18 credit hours
Professional application and doctoral residency
15 credit hours
Advanced electives or concentration courses
12 credit hours
Comprehensive examination and doctoral candidacy
6 credit hours
Applied doctoral project and defense
18 credit hours
Total
120 semester credit hours
The Doctor of Faith-Based Clinical Chaplaincy Psychotherapy (DCCP) is an advanced professional degree designed for practitioners seeking to integrate rigorous psychotherapeutic methodologies with the theological principles of care, compassion, and servant leadership. The program provides a comprehensive framework for addressing the human condition by synthesizing psychological science, clinical assessment techniques, and the historical traditions of pastoral care. Candidates engage in high-level inquiry to foster psychological well-being and emotional wholeness within diverse community settings. By fostering a deep commitment to ethical stewardship and spiritual integrity, the program equips graduates to navigate complex human narratives with wisdom and professional excellence. The curriculum emphasizes the application of evidence-based practices that honor the dignity of every individual, ensuring that practitioners are prepared to serve with competence in multifaceted clinical and chaplaincy roles.
The Doctor of Education in Faith-Based Clinical Chaplaincy Psychotherapy is an applied professional doctorate emphasizing advanced faith-based clinical chaplaincy psychotherapy knowledge, organizational leadership, ethical stewardship, program development, community-care systems, higher-education instruction, and evidence-informed professional practice.
Students may receive up to 40 semester credit hours of approved graduate or doctoral transfer credit. Accepted transfer credits are applied toward the 120-credit graduation requirement and may reduce the number of courses and the amount of time required to complete the degree. A student receiving the maximum transfer-credit award must complete at least 80 semester credit hours through the University.
The applied doctoral project must address a documented faith-based clinical chaplaincy psychotherapy-support, educational, organizational, or community-care need. The project must include scholarly research, an implementation model, measurable outcomes, ethical safeguards, an evaluation plan, and a successful oral defense.
DOCTORAL TRANSFER-CREDIT POLICY: The Doctor of Education and Doctor of Philosophy programs each require 120 semester credit hours. Students may transfer up to 40 semester credit hours of eligible graduate or doctoral coursework toward either degree. Transfer credit is not automatically awarded. Each request is evaluated individually according to: The academic level of the previous coursework; The relevance of the coursework to the doctoral curriculum; Course content and learning outcomes; Credit-hour equivalency; Grades earned; The age of the coursework; Official institutional documentation; The University's residency and transfer-credit policies. Accepted transfer credit may reduce the number of courses and the amount of time required to complete the degree. Students awarded the maximum 40 transfer credits will have 80 semester credit hours remaining in the 120-credit doctoral program. Comprehensive examinations, doctoral candidacy, doctoral residency, the applied doctoral project, dissertation research, and the final oral defense must ordinarily be completed through the University. These requirements may not be satisfied through transfer credit unless expressly permitted under a published University policy.