Colleges and seminaries offer courses leading to a music ministry certificate. Schools such as Dallas Baptist University combine field observation, practical training, and courses in theory, conducting and education, as well as organizational and management skills.
The American Guild of Organists and National Association of Pastoral Musicians offer certification to their members, who engage in self study, and attend conferences and workshops each year. Certification is granted on the basis of competency demonstrated through exams and essays or academic papers.
Saint Joseph's College of Indiana offers the Rensselaer Program, through which one can earn a Master's in Church Music and Liturgy. The program is structured so musicians take a one-month leave during the summer, completing their degree over the course of four years.
Another way to earn credit applicable toward an academic or experience-based certification process is attending workshops and conferences. The Center for Sacred Music at Virginia Wesleyan College, the Church Music Association of America and universities such as Yale, the Peabody Institute and the Royal School of Church Music present annual programs.