1. Two (2) semesters’ worth of field-based learning (TC 801 and TC 802) are required for completion of the MDiv degree. Both semesters’ worth of engagement should be completed at the same site, if at all possible.
2. Students receive a letter grade for the Contextual Education course.
3. Each semester’s work earns three (3) credits for a total of six (6) credits overall.
4. Students participate weekly in an Integration of Theology and Practice group (ITP). These groups are led by STH faculty members or PhD students and are designed to enhance students’ overall growth through the use of case studies, peer-group action-reflection, and discussion.
5. The time commitment involved in field-based site learning is expected to be approximately: 20 hours/week x 13 weeks/semester = 260 hours each semester or 520 hours for the academic year. This 20-hour per week commitment includes 1 hour/week of travel time; 1-1/2 hours/week for ITP participation; 2 hours/week for preparation of case studies and reflection papers; and 2 hours/week for Sabbath keeping.
6. An additional six (6) credits of contextual education (TC803 and TC804) may be earned for a maximum total of twelve (12) so long as all other core and distributional requirements are met.
7. Students will receive a minimum stipend of $1000 per semester from their contextual education site. If the site is unable to contribute this stipend, please contact the Office of Contextual Education.
8. A background check will need to be completed prior to the start of the contextual education placement. Information about this will be sent from the Academic Dean’s office.

Policy on Contextual Education Fellowships

The purpose of contextual education fellowships is to assist students doing a full academic year of contextual education, and for whom, therefore, employment is difficult for that entire year. In order to receive the minimum stipend of $1000/semester, the student must be a duly enrolled, tuition-paying Master of Divinity student in a two-semester sequence of contextual education at Boston University School of Theology. MDiv students fulfilling their contextual education otherwise (during the summer, at another school, or through CPE, for example) may petition the School for a stipend through the STH Office of Financial Aid. Such requests will be considered on a case by case basis through the normal channels for financial aid appeals as funds are available.

Students are expected to locate their own sites in consultation with the Contextual Education Office. To be eligible for credit, field-based learning sites must be approved by the Office of Contextual Education. Students cannot begin the classroom component of TC 801 until they have secured an approved site. In consultation with their academic advisers and the Office of Contextual Education (ConEd), students select field settings compatible with their overall educational goals. Students seeking a congregational placement cannot use their home churches.

The field setting is responsible for ensuring the availability of a certified on-site supervisor and (in the case of ecclesial settings) an internship committee made up of representatives of those affected by the student’s service. The provision of internship committees in non-ecclesial sites such as agencies and parachurch organizations is not uniformly mandatory but is determined on a case-by-case basis.

Supervisory sessions typically take place weekly between the student intern and the field supervisor. In some instances, off-site supervision may be used with the approval of the appropriate Director of Contextual Education. Monthly meetings should also take place between the student intern and the internship committee.

Students may select learning sites from the following categories: STH Partner Sites, Student-Initiated Placements, or Boston Theological Institute Sites.

Students may develop field-based placements to meet special needs or interests. Since there are several detailed steps involved in the process, students should begin working on such arrangements early enough to meet all requisite deadlines. These settings must meet the criteria for learning and supervision for all contextual education placements as outlined here and they are subject to the approval of the appropriate Director of Contextual Education. For those seeking placement in a community setting, a number of good websites can provide inspiration for investigation. See, for example, bostoncares.org, idealist.org and volunteermatch.org.

Note that approved student-initiated sites and supervisors do not need to be previously accredited by STH.

However, if the supervisor or site wants to develop a long-term relationship with BU for future placements, then they will need to receive training by STH.

A student wishing to propose a self-initiated placement should meet with one of the Directors of Contextual Education to discuss the idea. If the placement is approved, the standard field-based learning documents must be filed: Basic Information Sheet, Field-Based Placement Covenant, Learning Agreement, Mid-Year Evaluation (summer placements exempted), and Final Evaluation.

Students enrolled in the MDiv/MSW program or MTS/MSW program may use one of their required SSW internships to meet their contextual education requirement at the School of Theology.

Students in the MDiv/MSW program must register for TF 821 in the Fall and TF 822 in the spring. (Dual Degree Contextual Education) for 1 credit each semester. Students in the MTS/MSW program must register for either TF 821 in the fall or TF 822 in the spring for 1 credit total.

Students in these courses will participate in Integration of Theology and Practice groups along with other MDiv students in TC 801 and TC 802. Dual degree students are required to complete all written and reading assignments given to all contextual education students. MSW students may submit copies of the placement covenant, learning agreement, mid-year review and final evaluation required by the School of Social Work to fulfill the completion requirements for these documents for STH contextual education.

Normally, contextual education in the summer is undertaken only after TC801 and TC802 have been completed. However, opportunities may arise which necessitate either one or two semesters of required contextual education being done in the summer. Completing both semesters of contextual education during the summer requires approval from the Director of Contextual Education and the Academic Dean.

In order to meet the requirements for TC801 and TC802, summer contextual education placements must total 260 hours for either TC 801 or 802. These hours include dedicated time for:

• Meetings with the on-site supervisor (1 hour/week)
• Meetings with online Integration of Theology and Practice group (1.25 hour/week)
• Travel time (up to 1 hour/week)
• Preparation time for completion of reflection papers and other requirements related to completion of the placement (approximately 2 hours/week)
• Sabbath-keeping/self-care time of (2 hours/week)

For elective credit (TC803 and TC804), total hours are variable. Students engaging in a summer placement as a requirement for TC803 and/or TC804 should consider 65 hours as equivalent to one course credit. Please note that students in the MDiv degree program may count only 3 credits of TC803 or TC804 toward the “Theories and Practices of Leadership” 6-credit distributional requirement.

For students intending to take 6 credits (2 units) of ConEd during the summer:

Students taking six credits worth of contextual education during the summer must notate their intent to do so on the Placement Request Form.

Financial Aid Policy for Summer MDiv Contextual Education

Students completing both semesters of contextual education in the Summer

Students who are granted permission to complete both semesters of contextual education (6 credits) during the summer must register for TC801 (3 credits) in Summer 1 and TC802 (3 credits) in Summer 2. STH will shift 6 credits of financial aid from another semester of the student’s choosing (typically the final semester) to the summer in which contextual education is being taken. For international students, that shift must come from the final semester, as they are not allowed to go part-time in any other semester.

This means that STH financial aid will only cover 6 credits in the semester from which the student has chosen to shift the other 6 credits of financial aid; in other words, the student will need to shift to part-time status in that semester.

Here is a sample plan of study for summer contextual education, assuming the student chooses to go part-time in their final semester:

Please note that in order to make this work financially, the student must shift all 6 credits from one semester. The student cannot shift 3 credits from two different semesters. That is because 9 credits is considered full time, and will still use up a full-time financial aid semester leaving nothing to shift to the summer when it is needed for contextual education.

Students completing only one semester of contextual education in the Summer

Students who are only completing 3 credits of contextual education in the summer should simply register for those 3 credits in the fall following the summer.

Any questions on this policy should be directed to Jamie Shore in the STH Financial Aid office.

Students may seek placements abroad, usually for the summer. Boston University’s International Programs office offers helpful information for many conceptual and logistical questions related to studying and working outside the United States. Additional ideas and contacts may be gained by perusing some of the resources available throughout the University. The African Studies Center and Center for the Study of Asia are good places to begin the search. Outside of BU, the ELDIS website provides links to many international organizations that take volunteers. And, although Christian Connections for International Health deals primarily with internships and jobs in the health field, the resources of their website are valuable as well.

International placements follow the same policies and procedures of other STH placements. At this time, STH has no program funds available to support international placements. Although the ConEd Office can offer guidance and suggestions, students contemplating field education abroad are expected to explore funding possibilities on their own.

Preparation

The ConEd Office strongly encourages students who are engaging in any sort of cross-cultural contextual experience to do some preparatory work prior to taking up their assignments. The United States government’s Peace Corps program has a good self-training manual that can be worked through at an individual’s pace. Here are some other good reading resources that offer a wealth of thoughtful and practical advice:

American Cultural Baggage by Stan Nussbaum;

Cross-Cultural Connections by Duane Elmer;

Foreign to Familiar by Sarah Lanier;

Survival Kit for Overseas Living by Lawrence Kohls.

The University is also rich in resources for students wishing to learn another language. Information on available courses may be found here and here. The Howard Thurman Center, located in the lower level of the George Sherman Student Union building, offers BU students access to a variety of Rosetta Stone language learning computer programs. If you would like to take advantage of the software, please visit the Howard Thurman center and speak with the staff.

Students may elect to pursue clinical training in hospital, prison, social service, and parish settings either locally or in centers throughout the country that are approved by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). One (1) unit of CPE earns six (6) credits of contextual education. CPE credits may transfer if they are from an ACPE accredited institution. They may not fulfill the contextual education requirements of TC801 and TC802 except for the Master of Divinity Chaplaincy track or in particular circumstances by petition to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and the Director of Contextual Education.

For a list of CPE sites, please refer to www.acpe.edu.

Occasionally, students choose to spend an entire semester or academic year in a full-time field placement. For example, a student might serve as a full-time college chaplain, away from STH. Students can receive 3 credits for 260 hours per semester and 6 credits for 520 hours per semester. If the planned internship is not at a BU STH-accredited site with a BU STH-certified supervisor, an agency or ecclesial site application must be completed. If the internship is also meeting a denominational and/or dual degree requirement, the student should confer with one of the Directors of Contextual Education on matters of coordinated communications and requirements from respective institutions.

A field-based placement covenant, learning agreement, mid-year evaluation, and final evaluation must be submitted to the ConEd Office in accordance with a mutually-agreed upon schedule. That schedule should conform, where possible, to the normal contextual education calendar.

Students planning internships should consult with the registrar regarding their enrollment as a student at STH during their time away from campus and with the ConEd Office on the matter of theological supervision for the experience.

Prior to beginning their contextual education placement, international students must apply for Circular Practical Training (CPT) authorization through the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO). Following is the link describing the requirements and application process: https://www.bu.edu/isso/employment-internships/student-off-campus-work-and-training/curricular-practical-training-cpt-f-1/. One of the Directors of Contextual Education will need to sign the application. The pdf form already has a space for electronic signature. A copy of the application will need to be filed with the Contextual Education Office as well as submitted to ISSO. If you have any questions about this process, please contact ISSO or the STH Registrar (sthregfa@bu.edu).

There are three forms STH students will complete for the Contextual Education Office as part of their placement, which are described below.

Please note: if a student pursues a placement site that is affiliated with another BTI school, they should follow procedures and deadlines for that school, but submit copies of all those forms to the STH ConEd Office by email to sthope@bu.edu when completed.

Placement Request Form

Once a student has a placement in mind, and has been in touch to confirm that the placement supervisor is interested in working with them, they should complete the Placement Request Form. This form is then sent to the Office of Contextual Education for review and approval. If the placement is approved, the student will move forward with the site. A placement is not considered “set” until the Contextual Education Office has approved a student’s site. Approval will come in the form of an email to the student’s BU email address.

Learning Agreement

At the start of the semester when the student’s placement begins, they will speak to their site supervisor about their learning goals for their Contextual Education experience. The student will craft some personal and professional goals that they hope to get out of their time in the placement, and these will be used to complete the Learning Agreement form. The student will provide a draft copy of their Learning Agreement to their ITP small group leader, their site supervisor, and any other theological supervisors with whom they will be working. Everyone should be in agreement about the learning goals that the student is putting in place with the site, as well as the agreed-upon hours and tasks to be undertaken by the student.

Once the draft of the Learning Agreement is signed by the student, site supervisor, and ITP leader, the student will turn it in to their ITP Leader and the Contextual Education Office for final review and approval. Once approved, the Learning Agreement will provide the roadmap for the placement, and will be the document by which the student is ultimately evaluated for successful ConEd completion.

Rationale and Plan for Learning Agreements

Learning Agreements are the means by which students, supervisors, and ITP leaders work out the details of field placements or on-site experiences. Each Learning Agreement should be designed in concert with the overall educational goals of the student; the student’s degree track or specialization; and the specific tasks or activities that will take place at the site. A well-constructed Learning Agreement will provide a framework and reference point for all parties involved so that the expectations of the student, site, and school are clear and mutually understood. The Learning Agreement should also help guarantee that evaluations and negotiated changes proceed from a concrete basis.

Evaluation Process

Evaluation is a critical part of capturing and interpreting the learning that has been part of the Contextual Education experience. Students complete the Self-Evaluation Form after every semester of a placement or project.

Site and/or theological supervisors complete the Supervisor Evaluation Form after every semester of a placement or project.

Both of these evaluation forms are submitted to the Office of Contextual Education, where they will be utilized by the ConEd staff and ITP Leaders to determine a student’s progress in their Contextual Education requirement. These forms are also used during a student’s Mid-Degree Review, if ConEd is completed by that time.

Mid-year Review and Goal Revision

At the midpoint of a student’s Contextual Education experience (typically after the first of two semesters of a placement), students and supervisors should review the Learning Agreement that was agreed upon by all parties at the start of the placement. If any part of the Learning Agreement needs to be revised, changed, or removed, that is fine. The altered Learning Agreement must be signed once again by the student, their supervisor(s), and their ITP leader, then submitted to the Contextual Education Office (sthope@bu.edu) for review and approval.

Final Evaluation and Assessment

During the month preceding the end of the placement, the student and supervisor(s) should meet to have a frank and generative conversation about the entirety of the student’s Contextual Education experience. The student will then do a final evaluation using the Student Self-Evaluation Form, and the supervisor(s) will complete the Supervisor Evaluation Form.

As was true for the mid-year evaluation, all members of the learning partnership should reflect on the student’s progress as per the goals of their Learning Agreement or Project Proposal.

The pursuit of a BTI-affiliated site should only be undertaken in consultation with one of the Directors of Contextual Education. Each school within the BTI welcomes students from other schools to engage in field-based learning at one of their sites when the site is not filled by one of their own students. All approved placements must meet the standards of competent supervision as set out elsewhere in this document. This includes one-on-one weekly supervision sessions. Supervisors must also be available for regular consultations and meet the requirements and deadlines for Learning Agreements and Evaluations at their respective schools.

Students must adhere to the BTI policies detailed below and coordinate fully with the sponsoring school. To receive full credit, the student must submit copies of all required paperwork to the sponsoring school and to BUSTH.

Assumptions about Sites and Supervisors shared among the BTI member schools

1. Affiliation: Indicates a field education site and/or supervisor has had a relationship with a particular BTI member school’s field education program. That affiliation includes:
   1. The site has been available to that BTI member school’s students and has provided supervision for those students.
   2. The site abides by the policies of the BTI member school’s field education program.
   3. The supervisor has received training and support (e.g., library access, course enrollment) from the BTI member school.

The status of affiliation means the BTI member school can presume to count on that site and supervisor for students in future years, while there is no guarantee that a student will be available in a given year or that the site must work exclusively with that school’s students in future years.

1. Switching Affiliation: Sites are encouraged to affiliate with the BTI member school that best meets the site’s organizational needs and mission. If a site wishes to switch affiliations from one BTI member school to another, it must contact both the school with which it is ceasing affiliation and the school with which it wishes to partner. This is for the benefit of transparency and information sharing; it is not for the purpose of seeking approval for the switch.
2. Supervisor Training: Each person who wishes to supervise field education students must satisfy the qualifications of the affiliated school. That typically includes enrolling in a basic supervisory training offered by that BTI member school. While all undersigned BTI schools agree to recognize completion of supervisory training at any undersigned BTI school, it is assumed that supervisors will pursue the training at the school where their sites are affiliated except in unusual circumstances.
3. Student compensation: BTI member schools vary in practice and policy on the compensation of field education students. Each field education site arranges student compensation according to the guidelines of its affiliated school. It is understood that not all of these arrangements will be suitable for students from other BTI schools so must be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.
4. Communication: Each BTI school manages communication and placements in its own way, which students can and must learn through direct communication with the appropriate field education offices.

Required Procedures and Student Responsibilities for Sharing Sites

1. Student communication responsibility: If a student is interested in serving in a field education site of another BTI member school, the student must receive approval from those in charge of field education in his/her home school, the director of field education at the site’s affiliated school, and, of course, the site. The sequence in which these steps are taken will vary from student to student, but communication is essential.
2. Manner of communication with affiliated BTI school: Students may contact the director of field education from the affiliated school via phone, email, or in person. In most cases, it is advisable for students to make the first contact via email, with the understanding that different field education directors will express different preferences for follow-up communication.
3. Site Expectations: The student is responsible to learn what expectations the site may have that are different from field education sites at her/his home school (e.g. written work, relationship with teaching committees, and hours).
4. Curricular Expectations: If the student’s school field education program demands writing that is used in the supervisory process (e.g., theological reflection paper, verbatim) the student is responsible for informing the supervisor and fulfilling those curricular obligations.
5. Notification of agreement: If the student and the site decide that they will work together, they must notify the field education programs of both schools of that decision.
6. Site-Related Documentation: It will be determined between the student and supervisor as to which school’s site-related documentation (e.g., contract/covenants, learning agreements, and evaluations) will be used. Having determined that, the student is responsible for ensuring that all site-related documents are sent to both the student’s school and the site’s affiliated school.
7. Tuition: The student incurs no additional tuition liability in serving in another school’s field education site. All tuition is paid to the student’s home school.

Some BTI schools do not have a formal affiliation with the sites and/or supervisors at which their students regularly serve. If a student from another BTI school wishes to serve in such a site, the student and those in charge of field education at the student’s home school will decide on the procedures to follow.

BTI member schools affirming this policy, 2017:

Boston College, School of Theology and Ministry, Chestnut Hill, MA

Boston University, School of Theology, Boston, MA

Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, MA

Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, MA

(First adopted by BTI field educators, February 16, 1990; amended April 2007; amended February 2017.)

BTI Schools Contact Information

Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
Phone: 617.552.8440
Contacts: Theresa O’Keefe, Melissa Kelley, Marcia Ryan

Boston University School of Theology
Office of Contextual Education
745 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
Phone: 617.353.3037
Contacts: Anastasia Kidd

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
130 Essex St.
Box 241
So. Hamilton, MA 01982
Phone: 978.468.7111
Contact: Katherine Horvath

Center for Urban Ministerial Education
363 South Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02130
Phone: 617.427.7293 ext 1640
Contact: Virginia Ward

Harvard Divinity School
45 Francis Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: 617.495.5761
Contacts: Emily Click, Laura Tuach

Holy Cross School of Theology
50 Goddard Avenue
Brookline, MA 02146
Phone: 617.731.3500
Contact: Philip Mamalakis