02-514-5 Me. Code R. § 3
The applicant shall provide documented proof of a master's degree or a doctoral degree from a regionally accredited institution that meets the core curriculum requirements of Section 3(2) of this chapter, and is a:
- Master of Divinity or Doctor of Divinity degree; or
- Master's or doctorate degree in pastoral counseling.
Alternatively, the applicant may provide documented proof of an equivalent degree from a program approved by the board that meets the core curriculum requirements of Section 3(2) of this chapter.
The degree program completed by the applicant pursuant to Section 3(1) of this chapter included a minimum of 20 semester hours or quarter-hour equivalent as an organized sequence of study that includes curricular experiences and demonstrated knowledge that substantially satisfies each of the areas of study described in paragraphs A through E below, plus the 400 hours of clinical pastoral education required by paragraph F.
Except for clinical pastoral education, full area credit will be recognized for a three semester hour course in the designated area. Except for clinical pastoral education, partial area credit will be recognized for a course that contains components or significant aspects of an area, and area requirements other than clinical pastoral education may be satisfied by academic work completed in one or more separate courses. In determining whether a course pertains to an area, the board will consider the content of the course as set forth in course descriptions, catalogs, syllabi, lesson plans, assignment lists, reading lists, or other contemporaneous documents; completed coursework produced by the applicant; any reliable information furnished by the applicant, the instructor who taught the course, a member of the academic department which offered the course, or a senior administrative official of the institution; and the title of the course. No one course will be recognized as satisfying more than one area of study.
In evaluating the applicant's academic credentials, the board shall consider the unavailability of the foregoing materials due to passage of time. In the event of a denial hearing, the board shall give due regard to the credibility of the applicant in evaluating any testimony of the applicant relating to course content, provided that the applicant has first demonstrated to the board a good faith effort to obtain the documentation described in the preceding paragraph.
Four hundred hours of clinical pastoral education that meet the requirements of subparagraph (1) or (2) below. Clinical pastoral education is a supervised internship in ministry to persons in crisis. Development of a pastoral identity and the integration of the person of the student chaplain into the ministry are the central goals. A typical program of clinical pastoral education includes ministry to individuals and their families, written reports of visits reviewed in individual and/or group supervision, group dynamics sessions, and didactic seminars. The ministry is in the context of teamwork with other professionals.
An applicant with a qualifying degree described in Section 3(1) of this chapter who completed a minimum of 20 semester hours or quarter-hour equivalent in counseling and human relations as part of the degree program that do not substantially satisfy the required areas of study described in Section 3(2) of this chapter may meet the educational requirement for licensure by completing such supplemental graduate level coursework as the board deems necessary to satisfy the deficiencies found.
02-514 C.M.R. ch. 5, § 3