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International Standard of Church Higher Education Draft 0.9 20 September 2026 For consultation

Part IV · No. 16

The degree certifies academic competence. Any office, mandate or ordination is a separate act.

Ecclesiastical Administration·Level 7 · Second Cycle·Ecclesiastical degree · no suffix

M.E.A.

Master of Ecclesiastical Administration

A specialised management qualification for dioceses, parishes, monasteries, foundations, and international Church structures.

CHEQF Level7
Qualification typeSecond cycle, ecclesiastical-professional
Admission requirementsA Level 6 degree; management experience in a Church/nonprofit environment is desirable.
Normative volume90–120 EAC.

Content · Outcomes

Content is what is taught. Outcomes are what is verified.

What the programme must contain

  1. ecclesiastical governance
  2. finance and stewardship
  3. HR and volunteer management
  4. property and operations
  5. risk and compliance
  6. communications
  7. fundraising
  8. canon/civil law interfaces

What the graduate must demonstrate

  1. organises the sustainable operation of a Church institution
  2. establishes budgeting, control, and reporting systems
  3. manages staff, volunteers, and conflicts
  4. understands the limits of competence of ecclesiastical authorities
  5. designs governance and compliance processes in an international environment.

Final · Progression

Final capstone work and dissertations may not be transferred from elsewhere.

How the programme closes

An applied institutional project with a measurable outcome and analytical report.

Where it leads

Access to D.E.A. or DBA.C. in a relevant specialisation.

Status

Black is what the degree certifies. This is what it does not.

No CHEQF academic degree, by itself, confers a right to ordination, ministry in a particular jurisdiction, or appointment to ecclesiastical office. Such decisions are made by the competent Church authority.

“This is an ecclesiastical academic qualification awarded within the Church system of higher education. It is not represented as a state-awarded or state-accredited academic degree unless such recognition has been separately granted by the competent authority of the relevant jurisdiction.”

Recommended status statement on every diploma, Article 17

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