For a detailed overview of Buddhist education for chaplaincy in the United States and the requirements for becoming a Board Certified Chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains, readers are referred to “The Path to Buddhist Chaplaincy: Academic Education, Religious Endorsement, Professional Board Certification” by Gauthier, Kinst, Miller, and Yuen, available in the 2020 version at Chaplaincy Innovation Lab or as an updated chapter in the forthcoming book Refuge in the Storm: Buddhist Voices in Crisis Care (North Atlantic Books, 2023).

In brief, the four requirements are:

  • 72-credits of Graduate Theological Education
  • 4 units of Clinical Pastoral Education
  • Religious Endorsement
  •  2000 hours of chaplaincy employment

Note that there are other certifying chaplaincy organizations, with evolving requirements, and not all chaplaincy sectors nor employers require, or recognize, certifications for professional chaplaincy.