MA in Pastoral Counseling – Parent & Child/Adolescent Nurturing Tomorrow’s Leaders
36
Credit Hours
100% online,* 8-week courses
Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total
Help Parents Raise the Next Generation with the Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Parenting and Child Counseling Degree
Liberty University’s 100% online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Dobson Center Parenting and Child/Adolescent Development is designed to train chaplains, ministry professionals, and church leaders to become biblical counselors in Christian ministries and agency-based, non-licensure settings.
Students in the online Master of Arts (MA) in Pastoral Counseling will study psychology and the Christian understanding of human nature, as well as how God’s creation informs biblical counseling. The online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling provides a balanced treatment of spiritual and mental health in order to equip ministry professionals with marketable skills utilized by successful adult and child psychologists.
Liberty University has collaborated with world-renowned psychologist, author, radio show host, and family expert Dr. James C. Dobson to create the James C. Dobson Center for Child Development, Marriage, and Family Studies. Through this partnership, Liberty University offers a parent and child/adolescent program that is designed to help ministry professionals serve parents and their children.
*Some exclusions apply. Please refer to our exclusions page for more information.
Accreditation
Liberty Theological Seminary, as part of Liberty University’s John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). Your seminary degree is approved by ATS and has met rigorous accreditation standards, so you can feel confident that your degree is both academically excellent and well-respected among churches, ministries, and nonprofit organizations.
Why Choose Liberty’s Online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Parenting and Child/Adolescent Development Program?
If you are already a ministry professional, you might be wondering how to become a counselor. You might also feel that you lack the training to help people struggling with spiritual and mental health crises. If so, completing an online Christian counseling graduate degree like the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling can help you minister to parents, children, and adolescents in religious communities. Become a parent and child mental health counselor and help families overcome trials.
This program is designed to build on your ministry experience. Learn more about Christian counseling and pastoral care and receive important training in counseling families through parenting issues and childhood disorders. If you want to branch out into a Christian counseling role, the field-specific training offered in the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling can help you provide biblical counseling in a variety of settings.
If you are looking for a child counseling degree and want to equip families with important parenting skills, our master’s degree program in child and parenting pastoral care can help. With this degree, you can explore the various parent-child relational problems that create conflict and poor communication. You can also gain the parent counseling skills you need to correct issues in the home. Liberty’s James C. Dobson Center for Child Development, Marriage, and Family Studies will ensure that your ministry training is recognized and field-tested.
What Will You Study in the Online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Parenting and Child/Adolescent Development Program?
The core content of the online parent and child counseling master’s program offers a broad set of foundational Christian counseling skills and knowledge along with field-specialized courses and hands-on skill areas. Pursuing biblical counseling training in Liberty’s online pastoral counseling graduate program can help you understand how the science of psychology reflects biblical principles of personhood and human nature, as well as how mental health treatment benefits from spiritual health.
In the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling, you will have the opportunity to pursue hands-on training on campus during 2 optional intensives. You will also gain experience in your community through the pastoral counseling internship.
Through the parent, child, and adolescent psychology area of study, Liberty University’s James C. Dobson Center offers you advanced training in family counseling and parenting skills. The parenting and child/adolescent development track features lectures and material from Dr. James C. Dobson that can equip you with the knowledge you need to positively impact families and communities.
In the parenting and child/adolescent development track, you will study important foundational subjects, including how family issues and environmental factors affect child development. You will also learn about the development of personhood – from childhood to adulthood. Additionally, you can choose courses on specific child counseling issues, such as childhood trauma or healthy sexuality.
*Please note that while the parenting and child/adolescent development degree may allow you to apply for some Christian counseling certifications, the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling is not designed to fulfill clinical requirements for state-licensed professional counseling. You can view Liberty University’s licensure-track Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy degree for more information about counseling licensure.
Potential Career Opportunities
Students who complete a degree in Christian counseling like the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling can be equipped for ministry-based, non-licensure counseling roles in many areas, including marriage and family counseling, addiction counseling, and counseling women.
Graduates of the parenting and child/adolescent development track can be equipped for specialized parent counseling and family therapy ministry.
- Associate pastor
- Caseworker
- Child advocate
- Church counselor
- Family therapist
- Outpatient care counselor
Featured Courses
Degree Information
- This program falls under the Liberty Theological Seminary.
- View the Graduate Divinity Course Guides (login required).
Degree Completion Plan
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Tuition & Aid
Your success is our success, which is why we are committed to providing quality academics at an affordable tuition rate. While other colleges are increasing their tuition, we have frozen tuition rates for the majority of our undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs for the past 9 years – and counting.
Grad & Postgrad Divinity Block Rate (9-15 credit hours) | $2,750 |
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Grad & Postgrad Divinity Part Time (0-8.99 or over 15 credit hours) | $395/Credit |
Military Grad & Postgrad Divinity Block Rate (9-15 credit hours) | $2,475 |
Military Grad & Postgrad Divinity Part Time (0-8.99 or over 15 credit hours) | $275/Credit |
Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.
All Tuition & Fees
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Admission Information for Our Online MA in Pastoral Counseling
Admission Requirements
- Apply online or over the phone with an admissions counselor by calling (800) 424-9596.
- A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required).
- Send official college transcripts (mailed as sealed, unopened copies or sent via a direct electronic transcript system). A regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with at least a 2.0 GPA is required for admission in good standing. Applicants who have earned a master’s degree or at least 12 graduate credits from an accredited institution will be assessed on the basis of the master’s-level degree work.
- Unofficial transcripts can be used for acceptance purposes with the submission of a Transcript Request Form.
- Admission to this program also requires:
- The School of Divinity Questionnaire (login required).
- Submission of contact information (login required) for 1 pastoral recommender.
- Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy.
Preliminary Acceptance
If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:
- Be in your final term and planning to start your master’s degree after the last day of class for your bachelor’s degree.
- Complete a Bachelor’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
- Submit an official/unofficial transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript must show a minimum of 105 completed credit hours.
- If you are a current Liberty University student completing your undergraduate degree, you will need to submit a Degree/Certificate Completion Application.
- Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment in the new master’s degree.
Dual Enrollment
Please see the Online Dual Enrollment page for information about starting graduate courses while finishing your bachelor’s degree.
Transcript Policies
Unofficial College Transcript Policy
Unofficial transcripts combined with a Transcript Request Form can be used for admission. Official transcripts are required within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first, and will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.
Before sending unofficial college transcripts, please make sure they include the following:
- Your previous school’s name or logo printed on the document
- Cumulative GPA
- A list of completed courses and earned credit broken down by semester
- Degree and date conferred (if applicable)
Official College Transcript Policy
An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to luoverify@liberty.edu.
If the student uses unofficial transcripts with a Transcript Request Form to gain acceptance, all official transcripts must be received within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first. Failure to send all official transcripts within the 60-day period will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.
Admissions Office Contact Information
Liberty University Online Admissions Verification
1971 University Blvd.
Lynchburg, VA 24515
Ready to Apply?
Submit your application online or over the phone.
Military
Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe.
Who May Qualify?
- Active Duty
- Reserve/National Guard
- Veterans/Retirees
- Spouses of Service Members and Veterans/Retirees
- Current Department of Defense Employees
Available Benefits:
- Tuition discounts – $275 per credit hour for part-time graduate and postgraduate divinity courses
- Discounted divinity block rate – $2,475 per semester*
- Additional discount for veterans who service in a civilian capacity as a First Responder (less than $625 per course)**
- 8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)
*Credits taken below 9 and above 15 credit hours per semester are charged at the part-time rate.
**Not applicable to certificates.
Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Liberty University’s online seminary, the John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, unique?
- Liberty University’s online seminary, the John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, is led by experienced Christian counselors and ministry professionals who teach practical ministry skills while imparting deep theological teaching.
- You can study content developed by renowned biblical studies scholars in Liberty University’s John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, such as Dr. Elmer L. Towns and Dr. Gary R. Habermas.
- You can prepare to address mental and spiritual health issues in your biblical counseling practice by developing broad experience in Christian counseling and pastoral care.
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