Courses, Schedule & Tuition
Students in the multi-faith clinical pastoral education (CPE) program at Cedars-Sinai work directly with patients in a hospital setting. You'll learn how to listen to—and provide spiritual support to—patients and their families, as well as staff members, in their time of need. Our interdisciplinary approach combines observation, hands-on experience, mentoring and academic instruction.
Courses
Cedars-Sinai's ACPE-certified CPE™ program is accredited to offer Level I, Level II and Certified Educator CPE. CPE units are offered throughout the year. Small student cohorts ensure you receive in-depth quality, hands-on chaplaincy training to effectively support patients, families and staff.
- Level I is a foundational program where students develop core clinical skills, professional identities and pastoral authority.
- Level II is for applicants who have already met Level I outcomes and is focused on professional spiritual care practice and competence.
- Certified Educator CPE is education for those who have successfully completed a minimum of four units of Level I/Level II CPE, and wish to become certified as ACPE educators.
- Level I and Level II CPE is offered throughout the year. Certified Educator CPE programs are not always available; please check for availability.
One unit of CPE is at least 400 hours combining supervised clinical practice in ministry and no fewer than 100 hours of structured group and individual education. A half-unit of CPE is at least 240 hours combining supervised clinical practice in ministry and no fewer than 60 hours of structured group and individual education.
Schedule
CPE training is intense work, but Cedars-Sinai offers flexible options:
- Our full-time course is 40 hours per week for 11 weeks, plus on-call duty, and is held in the summer semester at Cedars-Sinai.
- Our 5-month extended courses are approximately 24 hours a week for 19 weeks, plus on-call duty, and are conducted during the fall-winter and winter-spring semesters. CPE group supervision takes place on Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; clinical hours take place at Cedars-Sinai and are flexible according to each student's schedule.
- Our 9-month extended courses, designed for students and working professionals, run over the course of the fall-spring semesters for approximately 37 weeks. 9-month extended units include 6 hours of CPE group supervision every other week (day of the week negotiated unit-by-unit). Students are responsible for 8 clinical hours per week which are flexible according to each student’s schedule. Students may complete all of their clinical hours at Cedars-Sinai or they can use an outside clinical site (i.e. congregation, etc.) to fulfill up to 4 of the 8 hours. The option to complete hours at another site is based on the site being a place where the CPE intern is already engaged in a pastoral capacity, such as a congregation where the student is already on staff in a pastoral care role. All outside clinical placements will need a Clinical Placement Agreement discussed and signed prior to the start of the unit.
ACPE Certified CPE™ Unit |
Dates |
Availability |
|---|---|---|
|
2021-2022 Fall-Spring (9-Month Extended) |
Aug. 30, 2021–May 20, 2022 |
Closed |
|
2022 Winter-Spring (5-Month Extended) |
January 17, 2022 – May 20, 2022 |
Closed |
|
2022 Summer Full-Time |
June 7, 2022 – August 19, 2022 |
Closed |
|
2022-2023 Fall-Winter (5-Month Extended) |
August 28, 2022 – January 6, 2023 |
Open |
|
2022-2023 Fall-Spring (9-Month Extended) |
August 28, 2022 – May 26, 2023 |
Open |
|
2023 Winter-Spring (5-month Extended) |
January 17, 2023 – May 25, 2023 |
Open |
|
2023 Summer (Full-Time) |
June 5, 2023 – August 18, 2023 |
Open |
|
2023 Fall-Winter (5-month Extended) |
August 27, 2023 – January 12, 2024 |
Open |
|
2023 Fall-2024 Spring (9-month Extended) |
August 27, 2023 – May 24, 2024 |
Open |
- Rolling Admissions: Applications are considered in the order they are received.
- All units, especially Summer units, fill quickly. Please apply 6 months to 1 year in advance of the unit start date.
Note: Cedars-Sinai observes New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. No classes or training are held on these holidays.
Application Information
On average, just 4–7 students are accepted to participate in each CPE cohort. Applications are processed in the order they are received, and all units—especially in the summer—fill quickly. We strongly recommend applying 6 months to 1 year in advance of your desired start date.
Tuition
To apply in the CPE program, review the tuition and payment information:
- If you are accepted to the program, a nonrefundable deposit of $150 is required to reserve your space. The deposit will be applied to your cost of tuition (make check payable to "Cedars-Sinai" with "CPE Program" written on the memo line).
- Tuition is $550 per unit of CPE.
- Cedars-Sinai doesn't provide stipends.
- Financial assistance may be available for students who have been accepted into the program and who can demonstrate financial need.
Have Questions or Need Help?
Call the Clinical Pastoral Education team Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific Time (U.S.), or send a message. You can also visit our offices, which are on the Plaza Level, between the North and South towers, next to the chapel.
Cedars-Sinai ACPE Certified CPE™ Center is accredited to offer Level I, Level II and Certified Educator CPE™ by the ACPE: acpe.edu.