MA Chaplaincy Studies

To meet the needs of working professionals, teaching is delivered in four intensive blocks each year. Residentials take place from Monday to Wednesday at our site in Cardiff where we enjoy an extensive library and well-equipped teaching rooms.

We recognise the value of online and blended learning but student experience, not least during Covid, evidences an overwhelming preference for studying alongside others in a residential community.

You are welcome to worship alongside members of our theological college in our attractive chapel. Our en-suite accommodation is modern and purpose-built.

Year three MA students are encouraged to attend the residentials as a member of our learning community and work on their dissertation with access to the library, teaching staff.

Moral issues in Chaplaincy

As a chaplain, you spend much of your day taking difficult decisions. Postgraduate training in ethics will sharpen your thinking, boost your confidence, and enable you to understand your colleagues’ perspectives. This module explores resources for ethical thinking and ethical approaches. You will get a chance to investigate an issue within the context of your organisation, faith (if appropriate), and society.

Research and Reflection: Resources and Methods

Providing a foundation in research, this module introduces some of the study skills you’ll need for more advanced study. It will help you produce a research proposal and grasp how research shapes both policy and practice. (It is optional for those seeking the PG Cert only).

Chaplaincy in Organisational Context

Today’s rapidly changing chaplaincy contexts require flexible responses. This module will introduce you to organisational theory. It will explore the strengths and underlying assumptions of various approaches to chaplaincy. It critiques chaplaincy in its wider context of globalisation, diversity, and inequality. It will equip you to use the resources of practical theology on the frontline.

Reflective Practice Relationships and Emotional Management in Ministry

We want to do everything we can to enable you to practice safely and effectively. We explore issues related to stress in ministry, resilience, and safe practice. We’ll give you some tools to explore the subject. You then negotiate what you want to write about in more depth. It’s a great chance to share experiences of chaplaincy with others.

Reflective Practice Placement

Reflecting on our professional context and being self-aware helps ensure we are both a safe and effective practitioner. Reflecting on our regular place of employment enables us to see fresh possibilities and develop as a leader.

Chaplaincy and Christian Mission

Making sense of our relationship with our sending church (or other faith community) and our chaplaincy role is not always straightforward. This module will give you an opportunity to deepen your understanding of chaplaincy’s historical roots, and its relationship with theology and culture. It will help you critically reflect on your role.

Dissertation in Chaplaincy Studies (MA only)

This triple module equips you to become a researcher. Supported by a supervisor, you agree a subject. You then get a chance to navigate research libraries and ethics committees before working with participants. Your 15,000-word dissertation will be something well worth the effort! If you do well, it could be your first step to an MPhil or Doctorate!

Your learning will be assessed using a wide range of methods. These aim to prepare you for further academic study and equip you to be effective in the workplace. They include essays, preparing resources for others, producing a business plan, evidencing theological reflection, and reporting on your workplace experience.

7-9 October 2024

20-22 January 2025

17-19 March 2025

2-4 June 2025

Our tutorial team comprises a carefully chosen yet diverse blend of senior practitioners and academics. See Tutorial staff and Operational Team.

Accommodation charges are additional to your fees and charged fully inclusive at £180 per residential, full-board.

Learning support is at the heart of our practice, from application to graduation. Our friendly team is only a phone call or email away and we want you not only to succeed academically but also thrive during your time alongside us. Our Learning Support Team are on hand to advise students with additional learning needs.

We are keen that everyone on the Chaplaincy Studies programmes should enjoy their time at St Padarn’s. We hope that whatever your perspective, you will encounter respect, humility, and hospitality. To help you decide whether you’re likely to be comfortable studying with us, we thought we’d offer some additional information. You may wish to view our Equality and Diversity Policy.

You will be studying alongside professional chaplains who by their very nature tend to be welcoming and respectful of a range of opinion. Similarly, we employ staff who reflect the diversity of our local area.

There are however some distinctively Christian aspects of the programme that may not suit everyone:

• tutors may well start or finish lectures with a short Christian prayer (which may be formal or informal in style)
• most students are Christian ministers, and therefore will naturally express themselves using Christian language and draw on examples from Christian ministry
• integration of life, work and faith is seen as important and there will not be easy boundaries with faith being expressed in one activity or room but absent from another
• time is scheduled in the day for those choosing to take part in morning and evening prayer/Eucharist.

If you subscribe to another faith or none, please contact us so we can explore how best to support your learning.

We really do hope that you will enjoy studying with us. We always welcome informal conversations, whether by Zoom, Teams, email, phone or face to face.