Program purpose
Preparation for thoughtful, accountable service.
Biblical care, pastoral listening, ethics, crisis discernment, referral, supervised ministry, and a defended research project.
What you will study
A coherent academic pathway.
The complete program requires 60 semester credits.
- Graduate core — 12 credits
- Christian care specialization — 42 credits
- Research capstone — 6 credits
Courses and requirements
Your complete course map.
Select a course to read its scope, prerequisites, learning hours, and assessment requirements. Follow prerequisite order; the course list does not promise a delivery date.
Required courses 60 credits
GRA501 Graduate Theological Research and Writing3 credits
Develop a graduate research question and theological argument using credible primary and secondary sources. Evaluate literature, distinguish evidence from assertion, use accurate citations, and prepare a defensible proposal. Assessment includes a literature review, research design, and oral explanation of the proposed inquiry.
Prerequisites: Graduate admission.
Workload: At least 135 documented learning hours.
Assessment: The published course outcomes, required assessed work, and degree-level rubric govern; the verified syllabus supplies assessment weights.
GRA502 Advanced Biblical Interpretation and Exegesis3 credits
Apply advanced methods of contextual biblical interpretation and exegesis. Examine genre, literary structure, historical setting, theological coherence, and interpretive alternatives. Produce a sustained exegetical study that supports its conclusions and acknowledges methodological and evidentiary limits.
Prerequisites: Graduate admission.
Workload: At least 135 documented learning hours.
Assessment: The published course outcomes, required assessed work, and degree-level rubric govern; the verified syllabus supplies assessment weights.
GRA503 Advanced Biblical Theology of the Kingdom of God3 credits
Investigate the Kingdom of God across Scripture and theological scholarship. Evaluate relationships among Christ’s work, the Church, discipleship, mission, justice, and Christian hope. Develop a supported theological argument with a responsible ministry implication.
Prerequisites: Graduate admission.
Workload: At least 135 documented learning hours.
Assessment: The published course outcomes, required assessed work, and degree-level rubric govern; the verified syllabus supplies assessment weights.
GRA504 Christian Leadership Ethics and Accountability3 credits
Evaluate Christian leadership through biblical ethics, stewardship, authority, truthfulness, boundaries, and accountability. Analyze difficult ministry cases and develop a reasoned governance or accountability response that protects people and permits fair review.
Prerequisites: Graduate admission.
Workload: At least 135 documented learning hours.
Assessment: The published course outcomes, required assessed work, and degree-level rubric govern; the verified syllabus supplies assessment weights.
PCC601 Theology of Christian Care3 credits
Critically examine biblical and theological accounts of human dignity, sin, suffering, grace, and care. Develop a scholarly framework for church-based pastoral support.
Prerequisites: GRA501 through GRA504.
Workload: At least 135 documented learning hours.
Assessment: The published course outcomes, required assessed work, and degree-level rubric govern; the verified syllabus supplies assessment weights.
PCC602 Advanced Pastoral Listening3 credits
Analyze helping relationships, power, boundaries, and careful listening in Christian ministry. Demonstrate and critique supportive responses using fictional cases.
Prerequisites: GRA501 through GRA504.
Workload: At least 135 documented learning hours.
Assessment: The published course outcomes, required assessed work, and degree-level rubric govern; the verified syllabus supplies assessment weights.
PCC603 Biblical Interpretation in Pastoral Counsel3 credits
Evaluate competing uses of Scripture in difficult care situations. Develop contextual interpretations and identify harmful proof texting or unsupported spiritual claims.
Prerequisites: GRA501 through GRA504.
Workload: At least 135 documented learning hours.
Assessment: The published course outcomes, required assessed work, and degree-level rubric govern; the verified syllabus supplies assessment weights.
PCC604 Christian Care Ethics and Accountability3 credits
Evaluate care ministry governance, consent, confidentiality limits, safeguarding, and supervision. Defend a reasoned response to complex ethical cases.
Prerequisites: GRA501 through GRA504.
Workload: At least 135 documented learning hours.
Assessment: The published course outcomes, required assessed work, and degree-level rubric govern; the verified syllabus supplies assessment weights.
PCC605 Marriage and Family Pastoral Ministry3 credits
Develop a theological approach to family discipleship, relational support, and church care. Address power and safety while maintaining clear boundaries from professional therapy.
Prerequisites: Graduate core and PCC601 through PCC604.
Workload: At least 135 documented learning hours.
Assessment: The published course outcomes, required assessed work, and degree-level rubric govern; the verified syllabus supplies assessment weights.
PCC606 Grief Lament and Christian Hope3 credits
Engage Scripture and Christian scholarship on grief, lament, loss, and hope. Design a pastoral accompaniment framework that allows uncertainty and respects individual experience.
Prerequisites: Graduate core and PCC601 through PCC604.
Workload: At least 135 documented learning hours.
Assessment: The published course outcomes, required assessed work, and degree-level rubric govern; the verified syllabus supplies assessment weights.
PCC607 Suffering Trauma Awareness and Pastoral Presence3 credits
Examine responsible Christian presence alongside people affected by suffering. Evaluate ministry claims and referral boundaries without teaching clinical diagnosis or trauma treatment.
Prerequisites: Graduate core and PCC601 through PCC604.
Workload: At least 135 documented learning hours.
Assessment: The published course outcomes, required assessed work, and degree-level rubric govern; the verified syllabus supplies assessment weights.
PCC608 Crisis Discernment and Referral Networks3 credits
Develop a church referral framework for situations beyond pastoral competence. Evaluate fictional cases using approved safeguarding and emergency protocols and appropriate professional partnerships.
Prerequisites: Graduate core and PCC601 through PCC604.
Workload: At least 135 documented learning hours.
Assessment: The published course outcomes, required assessed work, and degree-level rubric govern; the verified syllabus supplies assessment weights.
PCC609 Christian Care Across Cultures3 credits
Analyze cultural assumptions, language, power, and Christian hospitality in care. Develop context-sensitive pastoral responses with informed consent and respectful listening.
Prerequisites: Graduate core and PCC601 through PCC604.
Workload: At least 135 documented learning hours.
Assessment: The published course outcomes, required assessed work, and degree-level rubric govern; the verified syllabus supplies assessment weights.
PCC610 Pastoral Peacemaking3 credits
Critically evaluate biblical reconciliation, accountability, forgiveness, and church conflict. Defend a pastoral response that does not substitute mediation for necessary safeguarding.
Prerequisites: Graduate core and PCC601 through PCC604.
Workload: At least 135 documented learning hours.
Assessment: The published course outcomes, required assessed work, and degree-level rubric govern; the verified syllabus supplies assessment weights.
PCC611 Church Care Team Supervision3 credits
Design preparation, role boundaries, case consultation, records controls, and feedback for a church care team. Evaluate leadership responsibility and limits of volunteer service.
Prerequisites: Graduate core and PCC601 through PCC604.
Workload: At least 135 documented learning hours.
Assessment: The published course outcomes, required assessed work, and degree-level rubric govern; the verified syllabus supplies assessment weights.
PCC612 Christian Care Case Seminar3 credits
Present an integrated analysis of fictional ministry cases using scholarship, Scripture, ethics, and referral reasoning. Respond to critique and justify the limits of the proposed response.
Prerequisites: Graduate core and PCC601 through PCC604.
Workload: At least 135 documented learning hours.
Assessment: The published course outcomes, required assessed work, and degree-level rubric govern; the verified syllabus supplies assessment weights.
PCC613 Supervised Christian Care Ministry I3 credits
Undertake an approved church-care learning agreement with qualified ministry supervision. Use consent-based activities and protected or fictionalized evidence for faculty assessment.
Prerequisites: Graduate core, PCC601 through PCC612, and approved supervision.
Workload: At least 135 documented learning hours.
Assessment: The published course outcomes, required assessed work, and degree-level rubric govern; the verified syllabus supplies assessment weights.
PCC614 Supervised Christian Care Ministry II3 credits
Demonstrate advanced pastoral judgment through a distinct supervised learning agreement. Evaluate learning, referral decisions, boundaries, and improvements from PCC613.
Prerequisites: PCC613.
Workload: At least 135 documented learning hours.
Assessment: The published course outcomes, required assessed work, and degree-level rubric govern; the verified syllabus supplies assessment weights.
PCC690 Christian Care Ministry Research Capstone6 credits
Produce an original theological study or approved ministry evaluation addressing Christian care. Defend the method, evidence, conclusions, and boundaries; submit work distinct from supervised practice.
Prerequisites: Graduate core, PCC601 through PCC612, and accepted proposal.
Workload: At least 270 documented learning hours.
Assessment: The published course outcomes, required assessed work, and degree-level rubric govern; the verified syllabus supplies assessment weights.
Academic standards and transfer requirements
Each semester credit requires at least 45 documented learning hours: approximately 15 hours of instruction or equivalent faculty-guided engagement and 30 hours of independent work. A 3-credit course requires 135 hours; a 6-credit course requires 270. Shorter terms do not reduce workload.
Undergraduate and certificate courses require C or higher and a cumulative GPA of at least 2.00; graduate and doctoral courses require B or higher and at least 3.00. Grades: A 90-100, B 80-89, C 70-79, D 60-69, F below 60. Complete at least 67% of attempted credits within 150% of the published program credits. Existing repeat and appeal procedures continue.
Each syllabus specifies measurable outcomes, readings, learning activities, workload, prerequisites, assessment weights, accessibility, and integrity rules before teaching. Assess Scripture and theology, evidence and method, ministry application, and ethics and communication. Final projects require at least 3 on the four-level rubric in every dimension, the minimum course grade, and accepted revisions.
Bachelor students complete at least 30 credits through GDICU, including all 12 advanced field and capstone credits. At least half of each certificate and master degree, and every required culminating project and GDICU-supervised practice component, must be completed through GDICU. All doctoral credits are completed through GDICU. Transfer requires documented content, level, workload, and outcome equivalence; C minimum undergraduate, B minimum graduate.
Count each course once within a credential. Approved certificate courses may apply once to a bachelor degree after admission and a course-by-course equivalency review. Undergraduate work cannot become graduate credit. Previously awarded graduate-degree work cannot be reused in another graduate award. Experience, attendance, ordination, or office alone earns no academic credit.
No recruitment, intervention, or data collection begins before proposal approval and documented institutional ethics review, consent, confidentiality, safeguarding, and site permissions where required. A theological text or archival study also requires source integrity and any access permissions. Existing examination, one-revision, and appeal policies continue.
Academic requirements do not open applications or enrollment. Faculty assignments, complete teaching packages, library access, supervision, accessibility, student support, systems, financial terms, and applicable authorization must be verified before program release. Existing student catalog rights and written transition plans remain in force.
Read the complete academic catalog for the governing program and student policies.
Who may apply
Admission begins with verified preparation.
A verified earned bachelor’s with at least a 3.00 cumulative GPA or documented equivalent, prior transcripts, a Christian ministry-purpose statement, a theological writing sample, and suitable biblical and theological preparation. Conditional admission below 3.00 requires faculty approval.
Completion standard
Progress must be demonstrated.
Complete all 60 required graduate credits, earn B or higher in applied courses, maintain at least a 3.00 cumulative GPA, and complete every required research, defense, and supervised-learning component.