Welcome! We are excited about your interest in our professional and scholastic degree programs. Congratulations on getting to this place in your spiritual discernment process. You may apply to the MDiv, MASC, and MA degree programs or The Chaplaincy Institute (Chi) Joint Programs for Chaplaincy and Spiritual Direction using the appropriate steps provided below.
Application Steps (MDiv & MASC)
- Admissions Counseling and/or Campus Visit: Contact the Admissions and Recruitment Office and schedule an Admissions Counseling appointment or Campus Visit by filling out a Prospective Student Form.
- Application Form, Cover Letter, and Application Fee: Submit the Application Form (Application Form (Word), Application Form (PDF)), a Cover Letter that introduces yourself and your interest in Starr King, and the $65 Application Fee (Payable to SKSM).
- Application Essays and Autobiographical Statement: Complete the 10 Application Essays (Application Questions PDF, Application Questions Word) and an Autobiographical Statement and email them to the school.
- Official Transcripts: Request Official Transcripts to be mailed from all institutions of higher education you attended to the Admissions Director.
- Letters of Recommendation: Request 3 Letters of Recommendation (Recommendation Request Letter) from: 1) Religious/Community Leader; 2) Educator/Advisor; and a 3) Personal Reference and have them sent with the accompanying form to the school.
Once the Admissions and Recruitment Office has all of these materials, your application will be considered complete, and it will be considered by the Admissions and Scholarship Committee. You can either scan your completed admissions application documents and email them to the Admissions and Recruitment Director at admissions@sksm.edu, or mail them to:
Admissions and Recruitment Director
Starr King School for the Ministry
2441 Le Conte Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94709-1209
Starr King is authorized under federal law to enroll non-immigrant students.
Admittance to the M.Div. and M.A.S.C. programs may be for the Fall or Spring semesters. You must attend New Student Orientation in Berkeley before you begin your degree program. Please see the Academic Calendar for Orientation dates.
Chaplaincy and Spiritual Direction Joint Program Application Steps
Starr King & The Chaplaincy Institute
- Complete Application: Complete all of the Applications Steps for the MDIV or MASC degree programs.
- Send a written request to admissions@sksm.edu requesting that Starr King application materials be forwarded to The Chaplaincy Institute.
- Supplemental Essay Questions: Complete the appropriate 3 Supplemental Essay Questions at the bottom of the Essay Questions. Applicants who would like to apply to both The Chaplaincy and Spiritual Direction programs must complete all 6 Supplemental Essay Questions. Please send to Mary@chaplaincyinstitute.org.
- Make payment of ChI application fee of $65 online at: http://chaplaincyinstitute.org/payonline/ (note that payment is for joint program application).
- Interview with The Chaplaincy Institute: Once ChI receives materials and fee, an interview will be scheduled.
Application Deadlines
Fall 2017
Application Priority Deadlines
- February 1, 2017
- March 1, 2017
Application Regular Deadline
- April 1, 2017
Application Final Deadline
- May 1, 2017
Spring 2018
Application Priority Deadlines
- August 1, 2017
- September 1, 2017
Application Regular Deadline
- October 1, 2017
Application Final Deadline
- November 1, 2017
Additional Application Resources:Print the Application Checklist.
- Print the Application Checklist.
- For reference, please print the Federal Financial Aid (Title 9) statement.
Application Steps (MA)
Master of Arts: Graduate Theological Union (GTU)
This degree program is conferred by the Graduate Theological Union. It is also known as the Common M.A. because it is offered in cooperation with the nine member schools of the GTU. You are required to affiliate with a member school, such as Starr King, or a participating academic center or institute. The primary academic base for your M.A. is your chosen school of affiliation.
The Common M.A. provides
- an opportunity to explore and enrich assumptions about theological and ethical issues inherent in life and work
- an academic structure for personal, sustained inquiry into theological questions
- a high level of competence in a specific area of study preparing you for doctoral studies
Application requirements include:
- meet an application deadline: Feb. 15 for Fall enrollment or Sept. 30 for Spring enrollment
- non-refundable $65 application fee.
- a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
- an academic statement of purpose
- three academic letters of recommendation
- academic transcripts
- Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores taken no more than five years before applying
Admission to the M.A. program is by joint approval of the GTU admissions committee and the Starr King M.A. Admissions Committee.
To apply to the GTU Common Master of Arts program, contactgtuadm@gtu.edu. Starr King admits Common M.A. students for the Fall and Spring semesters. M.A. students are expected to participate in the next available Starr King orientation.
See Applying to Starr King Degree Programs on this page below for application procedures.
We recognize that you may still be deciding whether, when and where to attend seminary. We know it takes time to work out the details in your heart and mind. No worries. We welcome your inquiries throughout your discernment process.
Contact us to schedule a tour, class visit, and meeting with a student faculty member or an alum.
For the fastest response, email admissions@sksm.edu to get the conversation started.
Stay Connected!
Before you make contact or after we’ve begun to engage, there are several ways that we recommend to stay in touch with Starr King:
- The Starr King Snapshot and Message from the President monthly newsletters, sign up and conveniently receive them in your inbox;
- If you are on Facebook, join our Starr King Facebook Page for real-time updates and opportunities;
- The next time you are watching your favorite video, subscribe to our YouTube Channel for direct access to our latest viewable media;
- Right here at sksm.edu, listen to our audio podcasts and visit our News & Events page for exciting developments in a variety of formats.
As always, feel free to email admissions@sksm.edu as frequently as necessary with your questions.
