MDiv in Spiritual Direction

United’s MDiv in Spiritual Direction program will prepare you with the required knowledge and skills to effectively support others in their personal spiritual development in both one-on-one and group settings. The MDiv program specifically prepares you for spiritual direction in an ordained congregational leadership position.

If you would like to focus on spiritual direction without pursuing comprehensive ministerial training or ordination, check out the MAL in Spiritual Direction.

This degree program may be a good fit for you if you are interested in:

• A career in ordained church ministry with a specialty in spiritual direction
• A career in ordained church ministry with additional vocational skill in spiritual direction outside or alongside of the congregational context.

CONCENTRATION LEARNING OUTCOMES

In addition to achieving the core MDiv degree learning outcomes, a graduate of the Master’s in Spiritual Direction degree program will be able to:

• Apply deep listening, their way of knowing, and their spiritual life to the use of discernment models used to guide others to go deeper into personal and communal wholeness and healing.
• Apply deep listening, evocative questions, presence, silence, compassion, and empathy to the soul care and spiritual guidance of others.
• Apply the Guidelines for Ethical Conduct to their professional role as a spiritual director/companion.
• Effectively participate in a one-to-one spiritual direction/companionship session.
• Effectively lead a group spiritual direction/companionship session.
• Effectively teach a contemplative spiritual practice.
• Demonstrate skills and articulate strategies for providing effective spiritual care for those experiencing trauma in a variety of given situations.

UNITED’S MDIV in Spiritual Direction AT A GLANCE

• 72 credits
• Twenty-four 3-credit courses, including one practicum
• A final thesis or project is not required, but you can use an elective to pursue either
• Can be completed in three years if you take a full-time course load (24 credits per year)
• Most MDiv concentrations, including Spiritual Direction, can be completed entirely via distance learning