INTERNSHIP
CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION (CPE)
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION MODULE (TRM)
A Guide to NPTS Requirements and Procedures for Application
INTERNSHIP
The Field Education Department is available to help you discern what type of setting would be most supportive to your preparation and training for ministry. It is our goal to be a resource in your search for the right internship setting and an advocate in your ongoing dialogue with potential internship supervisors. Please keep in mind that the Field Education Department does not “place” interns and cannot promise to find students a suitable site. However, help is available through the Field Education Department. We are available to assist you in direction, counseling, and occasionally in providing a listing of churches and para-church ministries that contact us for students who are ready to do their field work.
Our chief concerns in matching students with field education settings are as follows:
1. A broad range of ministry experience and exposure which aligns well with vocational aspirations.
2. A supervising pastor who will take seriously, even be invigorated by, the mentoring role. This includes a consistent and intentional presence for consultation and encouragement.
3. A healthy ministry setting which provides constructive evaluation of the student as well as space for self-reflection.
4. A financial arrangement that does not create a hardship for the student – specifically, the internship should not increase the intern’s debt-load.
In summary, our hope is to find sites where our students can flourish through a guided practical learning experience, growing in their gifts, their sense of call to ministry, and their pastoral identity. We count it as a wonderful privilege to be in this ministry and genuinely enjoy getting to know NPTS students as we help them develop their field education plans.
Requirements
The MDIV degree requires 48 field education credits:
- 34 or 40 credits earned through internship experience
- 6 or 12 credits earned through CPE
- 2 credits earned through the Theological Reflection Module
The MACF & MACM degrees each require 24 field education credits:
- 22 credits earned through internship experience (aligned with chosen degree concentration)
- 2 credits earned through the Theological Reflection Module
Internship Tracks
First Year Internship Information
North Park Theological Seminary provides program flexibility for students in fulfilling field education requirements. One of the ways this can be done is through a First Year internship. It is specifically designed for people already in ministry who are anticipating eventual academic work at North Park. First Year Interns are fully accepted degree students. This is a program that allows one to:
- receive seminary credit
- focus on experiential learning
- test ministerial calling
- begin seminary without immediate relocation
Concurrent Field Education
Many students prefer to fulfill their internship requirement by working, serving, and learning in a church, agency, or camp while taking classes. Often personal circumstances not only suggest this track, but also sometimes demand it.
Concurrent field education can be applied for at any time during the student's course of study. (Even during the first year if the student can demonstrate previous ministry experience, as a volunteer or otherwise. Those without such experience are encouraged to worship regularly and volunteer services at a local congregation. In a number of cases, such voluntary ministry has developed into a field education site.) However, one of the risks to this track is that combining study and church service can be difficult to manage. Students selecting this track should be careful not to take on too much.
Post Middler Internship
For a number of years, this track was standard for Seminary students. Between the second and third year a student had a full-time internship at a church, camp or agency and took few or no academic courses. Educationally, it remains the preferred track for those whose circumstances allow them to elect it. It provides the minimum depth and length necessary to test and clarify call, identify growth areas, develop a host of skills and competencies, and allows the time to reflect, learn, and integrate ministry, theology, and life.
Post Studies Field Education
Life's situations and circumstances may sometimes dictate that a student postpone part or all of their field education until the completion of classroom studies.
Post Studies Field Education should be petitioned when it appears likely the student may have to postpone part or all of their field education. However, one of the risks to this track is that churches may prefer to consider candidates who have completed field education or who can demonstrate significant previous church service. Therefore, the post-studies student would do well to be active in a local congregation on a voluntary basis during the time of studies to establish relationships and to provide future references.
Please see the NPTS catalog for more detailed information concerning particular degree programs.
Registering for Internship
1. Complete a Learning Contract with your site supervisor and forward to the Field Education office for approval.
2. Through the WebAdvisor “Placeholder” (FLDC-5000), register yourself for the appropriate number of field education credits. (Note: You must re-register yourself through the WebAdvisor “Placeholder” each semester of internship.)
These first steps inform the Field Education Department of your intentions to engage in field work and your assessment of the appropriate number of credits which you plan to complete for that given semester. The Field Education Department will then award credits at the completion of the semester.
3. Once registered you will be given access to the “NPTS Interns’ Connection” folder on Blackboard (found under “My Organizations”). There you will find the appropriate field education forms for your degree program and instructions for their completion. Click on “Internship Reporting Forms” and follow the link for your degree program.
4. You will also be assigned to a Cohort Group found on Blackboard’s NPTS Interns’ Connection, in which you are expected post a response to the monthly question and participate in group discussions.
Internship Fees, Lengths and Hours
All field education credits will be charged a fee, which for this academic year has been set at $35.00 per credit. This fee is not considered tuition and is not covered by the Presidential Scholarship. Please plan ahead regarding the billing of these credits when you register.
The following are examples of time schedules in which to achieve field education credits (Note: Field work is given credit based on the standard that one field education credit is the equivalent of one 40 hour week of field work):
- Nine month full-time internship = 34 field education credits
- Nine month half-time internship = 17 field education credits
- Three month full-time summer internship = 12 field education credits
Retroactive Field Education Credits
Please note that if you are planning to petition the Field Education Committee for retroactive field education credits, it is required that you do so during the first year of seminary coursework.
CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION (CPE)
North Park Theological Seminary highly values the Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) experience, and therefore requires it of all MDIV students, and strongly recommends it for others pursuing placement or other ministry settings. CPE gives the opportunity to develop professional identity as well as confidence and skill in dealing with persons and families in crisis situations. Most CPE centers are based in hospital settings. However, there are alternate settings such as urban ministries, hospice and senior care in the Chicagoland area. CPE gives the opportunity for personal and professional growth as part of an ecumenical and accountable peer group. Furthermore, CPE affords the opportunity for professional development by working under observation and instruction of a trained supervisor, who has received credentials for such supervision. It is recommended that students complete CPE as soon as possible after their first year of seminary. The experience will be informative in the classroom and an invaluable aid for internship. While CPE may be done concurrently with class work at some centers in Chicago, a much richer experience is provided when taken during the summer so the student’s full attention can be given to the program.
Registration & Requirements
Please note that CPE must be completed BEFORE a student enters into the ‘End of Studies’ process in preparation for graduation. If there are any questions about this point, please contact the Field Education Department.
Although the student applies directly to the CPE site for acceptance into the program, you must register with the Field Education Department by submitting a copy of the acceptance letter received from the CPE site/supervisor. The Field Education department will register you and apply credits upon completion of your CPE and the receipt of your final evaluation. The CPE site or supervisor is not responsible for submitting your final evaluation; it is your responsibility to secure your final evaluation and forward it to the Field Education department.
CPE is available in what is referred to a full unit (minimum of 440 hours) or a half unit (240 hours). Program formats vary, but can be intensive (10-12 weeks of full-time work for a full unit, or 10-12 weeks of half-time for a half unit) or extended (typically one fixed and one varied day each week for 6-9 months). Almost all programs also require 24-hour on-call experiences, usually once a week.
North Park Theological Seminary requires all students earning an MDIV degree to complete at least one half unit of CPE (6 credits) as part of the field education requirement. However, students are strongly encouraged to complete a full unit of CPE (12 credits) at an accredited site. It is a possibility that you may discern during the course of your seminary work a call to chaplaincy, in which case the first full unit at an accredited site is mandatory. Also, please keep in mind there are very few CPE sites that offer half units.
All fees are paid directly to the CPE site, with the exception of Swedish Covenant Hospital, where the fee is paid directly to NPTS. The Swedish Covenant site meets the NPTS degree requirements, but is not an accredited CPE program.
International Students
If you are an international student, please contact Ann-Helen Anderson (North Park University’s International Student Coordinator) at 773-244-5571. The Field Education Department understands that immersing yourself in a culture different from your own can be challenging. We want to help you have the best possible experience in your field work and CPE. If you are having challenges in your internship or CPE process, please don’t hesitate to come by the Field Education office so that we may assist you in any we can
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION MODULE (TRM)
This module earns the final 2 field education credits required for graduation. It should be taken after completing at least one half of one’s field education credits or upon approval of the Field Education Director. The TRM takes place in an intensive one or two-day format, and is based on group discussion of case studies presented by students. Students register for TRM via the Field Education Director or Assistant Director. Upon registration, course requirements will be forwarded to the student.
FIELD EDUCATION RESOURCES
- Blackboard “Seminary Resource Center”
- Blackboard “Interns’ Connection”
- www.acpe.edu
(For CPE information, site directory and application)
Feel free to speak or visit with the Field Education Department:
Dr. Timothy L. Johnson, Director
773-244-5251, tjohnson2@northpark.edu
Rev. Deborah R. Penny, Assistant Director
773-244-5259, dpenny@northpark.edu
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