Apply for Clinical Pastoral Education
For intern and resident applications, UNC uses an easy online application process.
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Filling out the demographic portion of the application should be completed in one sitting. Before you begin, gather information about your own demographics, contact information, faith group contacts, educational background, and personal, faith group, and academic references. If you encounter problems submitting your application or have any questions, contact us at pastoral.education@unchealth.unc.edu for help.
- After you finish the application, we will send you a request to submit the required essay questions by email. You can view those questions in advance here.
- View more information about responding to these essay questions below.
- Please note, you must fill out the online application by clicking "Begin Application" below, before you submit essay questions.
Begin Application
Deadlines
Internships
UNC uses a rolling admissions policy. Students are encouraged to apply early as applications are taken until the unit is full. There are no application fees for CPE at UNC Hospitals.
Residency
The application deadline for the residency program is December 31st. Interviews are scheduled from December through February, and decisions are made mid-February. There are no application fees for CPE at UNC Hospitals.
Application Tips
UNC's Clinical Pastoral Education programs are competitive. The following are tips for completing your application:
- Each essay question should not exceed 5 pages; however, a paragraph or two per question typically will not be long enough.
- Be courageous when considering which information to disclose. Remember, this is not a job you are applying for, but rather an opening in a specialized ministry preparation/development program.
- The helping incident you select to write about is often enhanced by writing dialogue in a verbatim form. You will also want to include a personal reflection paragraph or two at the end.
- Clear and concrete goals for ministry development are preferable to vague, abstract philosophies.
The CPE Interview
If you are invited for an interview at UNC Hospitals, you will be contacted by an ACPE Certified Educator to schedule the interview. You are encouraged to be 5-10 minutes early for your interview. Directions and parking information will be included with the interview confirmation email. We are typically able to reimburse your parking.
During the interview, you will be asked questions based upon your application. Interviewers may be the CPE faculty, staff chaplains, and other members of the professional advisory group associated with the CPE programs at UNC Hospitals. Interviews typically last about one hour.
Multiple factors go into the decision to accept or decline applicants. UNC Hospitals' CPE programs do not discriminate against any person on any grounds, and make every attempt to be inclusive and seek diversity in each training group. Depending upon the timeline for applicants and the beginning dates for a particular unit of training, it may be several weeks (or less) before all decisions about the upcoming training groups are made.
Certified Educator CPE Applications
The ACPE Certification Process has two parts to the admission process:
- Part One: Application and acceptance to a local ACPE Accredited Center
- Part Two: Application and acceptance to become a Certified Educator Candidate with ACPE
Applicants may begin the process by downloading and completing the Application for Certified Educator Programs (be careful to choose the Certified Educator program form, not the traditional CPE form) from the ACPE website. The first page of the form should be completed and emailed to UNC Hospitals at the address above and to the national office, per the instructions contained in the application. Upon receipt, the national office will send the applicant information about setting up the portfolio to upload their responses to the questions on page two of the application.
Admission to UNC Hospitals Certified Educator CPE Program includes the following criteria:
- A completed Application for Certified Educator Programs
- College graduation
- Graduate theological degree or its equivalent
- Ordination or commissioning to function as a spiritual care provider by an appropriate religious/spiritual authority as determined by ACPE. Individuals whose spiritual or religious community do not have ordination should email certification@acpe.edu for more information.
- Endorsement/statement of accountability from an appropriate religious/spiritual authority as determined by ACPE
- Successful completion of a minimum of four units of Level I/Level II CPE
- Demonstration of spiritual care and conceptual competence as evidenced by the attainment/completion of Level I/Level II Outcomes
- Evaluation of the competencies for admission to a Certified Educator Program
Using the application materials that applicants have uploaded to their portfolio, our faculty will conduct an initial assessment of each applicant’s suitability for admission and potential for becoming an educator. Acceptance into the UNC's program is distinct from acceptance to the ACPE Certification Process.
For a more detailed overview of this process, visit the ACPE website.
