- Be a Roman Catholic or a member of one of the churches in union with Rome. For details, see Episcopal Regions, Archdioceses, and Dioceses in the U.S. on the USCCB website. Please note that only members of the listed archdioceses, dioceses, the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter are eligible to apply for certification with the NACC. Ecclesiastical Endorsement is a requirement for certification and the NACC requests the Ecclesiastical Endorsement on your behalf after your application receives approval to move forward with an interview.
- Chaplaincy Ministry Membership in the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC). In order to receive a Certification Application, you must have completed a Chaplaincy Ministry Membership application and be current on your payment of annual membership fees of $325. For an application, please click here. For further inquiries regarding membership, please contact our Membership Specialist at membership@nacc.org.
- Graduate-level Theological Degree in theology, divinity, religious studies, pastoral ministry, pastoral studies, or spirituality from an accredited academic institution.
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- Please note that a Bachelor of Theology (STB) from a Pontifical University or affiliated institution is equivalent to a Master’s degree from an accredited institution in the United States. Therefore, in this case, the STB satisfies the graduate-level theology prerequisite for Initial Board Certification and does not require foreign transcript analysis.
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- For degrees in other related disciplines, please contact the Director of Pastoral Care and Certification at the National Office to confirm your degree meets the requirements of the NACC Standards, prior to entering the Certification Application process.
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- Graduate -Level Theological Degree equivalency may be granted providing the Applicant demonstrates and documents that the submitted graduate-level degree and supplemental experience and education satisfactorily address the requirements of Qualification 301.QUA3. Click here for more information on Graduate Degree Equivalency.
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- The Certification Commission requires transcript analysis at the applicant’s expense for all degrees acquired outside the United States, except degrees from Pontifical Universities or affiliated institutions.
- Bachelor’s degree from a college, university, or theological school accredited by a member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (www.chea.org).
- A minimum of four units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE), the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops/Commission on Certification and Accreditation (USCCB/CCA), or the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC/ACSS).
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- Click HERE for the directory for accredited ACPE centers.
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- An Applicant may be granted an Equivalency for one (1) unit of CPE (Qualification 301.QUA4). See the CPE Equivalency page for more details.
For any questions regarding prerequisites for Board Certification please contact the NACC at certification@nacc.org or by phone at (414) 483-4898 x304.
