Also this second level offers opportunity for continued leadership development. The sequence of ministries for the Master of Divinity student normally begins with Level I Supervised Ministry during the second year at the Union. Level II Supervised Ministry can be taken no sooner than the third academic year. For information in this catalog about Supervised Ministry Options. The student for the Master of Divinity degree, after successfully completing two required supervised ministries, must undertake a full-time pastoral internship consisting of a minimum of forty hours per week for ten weeks.
Students can enhance the internship experience by extending it over a longer period of time.
The previous supervised ministries and the accompanying theological reflection seminars provide a readiness for entering an internship. All pastoral internship experiences must be undertaken within ministry centers having prior approval by the Union. The Department of Pastoral Studies recognizes the tremendous diversity of the apostolic experiences of the students enrolled in the Master of Divinity program, as well as the diversity of internal apostolic programs of the member and participating religious communities. The Union seeks to work with each student and with each religious community in structuring internship experiences. The Manual for Supervised Ministry gives some specific guidelines for the pastoral internship as a Deacon.