The Master of Divinity degree is a full-time three-year academic program combining distance and in-person learning opportunities. The College offers rolling admissions so you can apply at any time during the year and, once admitted, begin your studies.

Understanding the Master of Divinity Program

To assist you in understanding what the Master of Divinity program offers and whether it fits your personal goals for education and spiritual growth and service, please download and read the Master of Divinity curriculum in the Gauden University course catalog before you send in your application.

Admissions Requirements

• A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university or the educational equivalent
  
  
• Fluency in written and spoken English
  
  
• Submission of application and supportive materials online. If you need to submit supportive materials via mail or fax, please send them in one packet.

Note: letters of recommendation should be sent by the recommender, not the student. Transcripts should be sent to Gauden by the verifying organization.

• Regular access to the internet and to long distance phone service
  
  
• Computer literacy: send/receive email, compose documents, navigate the Web

No prior experience with healing, counseling, meditation, or expanded states of consciousness is necessary, but applicants will succeed most easily if they feel drawn from a spiritual calling to embark upon this path, from a deep sense of inner knowing that this is the journey they would like to explore for this stage of their lives.

Criteria for Admissions

• Commitment to service and personal growth
  
  
• Academic and work experience
  
  
• Letters of reference
  
  
• Answers to essay questions

The Master of Divinity program involves instruction in attaining meditative states of higher consciousness, to help you in achieving greater understanding and flow. The techniques used include guided visualizations, energy awareness techniques, work on the subtle energy bodies, and verbal releasing and sharing. Some of the self-examination, states of consciousness, and personal insights in this work can be very stimulating, exciting, or lead to emotional releases. If you have a mental, physical, or emotional condition that would make participation unwise in the light of this knowledge, we advise you to reconsider participation.

Admissions Process

Note: To facilitate the application review process, please include your full name on everything submitted to the University.

1. Complete admissions application and return (via email, fax or mail) with the $75 application fee.

2. Submit supporting documents (resume, essays, pictures, etc.) and ensure that letters of recommendation and transcripts are sent to Gauden.

3. If applicable, complete and submit the Advanced Standing application along with the $200 advanced standing fee.

4. The Admissions Committee will review your application once it is complete and will respond within 4-6 weeks. Please note: offers of admission are provisional until Gauden receives all necessary supporting documents.

5. Upon acceptance, complete and sign enrollment agreement.

6. Complete financial arrangements.

7. Schedule and attend orientation calls.

8. Order materials. Begin coursework.

Please use the following information for communicating with Gauden regarding your admissions application:

Gauden University
Attn: Admissions
PO Box 1020
Petaluma, CA 94953

Email: admissions@gauden.org

Telephone: 707.773.3799

Fax: 877.842.4283

Advanced Standing

Many of our applicants may have prior experience with some components of the curriculum, and we want to respect and honor that previous experience. The College’s policy on advanced standing is to evaluate fairly and give appropriate credit for institutional requirements fulfilled outside the program while upholding Gauden’s standards of excellence and being equitable across the student population.

You may apply for advanced standing for the portion of the curriculum that you have previously completed. We can only accept graduates of these courses for advanced standing; incomplete study cannot be granted credit. If you own the course materials, you need not purchase them again. Please note that a grant of advanced standing for a course does not eliminate the requirement of the Reflection homework for that course. This homework is part of your student academic record, and it contributes to the faculty’s ability to assess your progress within the learning goals of the Master of Divinity program.

A non-refundable fee of $200 is required when submitting your application for advanced standing. This fee is used toward the costs of reviewing your prior experience in light of Gauden’s program and standards, and assessing your likelihood of success as an advanced placement student. Please refer to the Advanced Standing application for more details.