Master of Arts in Sports Chaplaincy Play Strong and Pray Stronger
36
Credit Hours
100% online,* 8-week courses
Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total
Beginning in Fall 2024, this program will be discontinued and replaced with the Master of Arts (MA) in Chaplaincy – Sports.
Become a Sports Chaplain with Our Master’s in Sports Chaplaincy Degree Online
Pursuing a career as a chaplain does not limit you to only acting in military and hospital capacities. Sports chaplains are needed to create spiritually-rich environments in the world of sports where athletes can receive counseling, spiritual guidance, and mentorship from religious leaders.
Liberty University offers a 100% online master’s degree in sports chaplaincy to provide the training you can use to make an impact for Christ in the sports world. Our master’s in sports chaplaincy degree is designed to prepare future sports chaplains for a biblically-based sports ministry in both religious and secular settings. Learn effective methods and strategies you can use to become a valuable member of your team – no matter the playing field.
*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 Master of Arts in Sports Chaplaincy Online Program?
This sports chaplaincy degree is designed to prepare men and women for sports ministry rooted in biblical principles. There is a great need for team chaplains in the field of sports, and it is up to people like you to answer this calling. Liberty University’s chaplaincy programs strive to build leaders by providing a quality education. Our faculty are seasoned ministry professionals who have years of first-hand experience in the field.
As a master’s in sports ministry degree student, you are required to shadow a chaplain. During this experience, you will apply the skills learned through your online chaplaincy training to a real-world setting. Liberty’s chaplain studies seek to prepare you for both the theoretical and practical aspects of sports chaplaincy – challenging you to strive for excellence in your field.
What Will You Study in Our Sports Chaplain Program?
The M.A. in Sports Chaplaincy degree seeks to teach students the leadership and organizational skills needed to develop, build, and maintain ministries in the sports industry. Our online courses offer sports chaplain training that can help you develop a culturally-informed ministry leadership plan that is made for sports.
This program also focuses on ethical advisement, counseling, teaching, and leadership principles that are applicable in both religious and secular settings. You will use current research, literature, and field experience to analyze common strategies and practices in sports chaplaincy.
In this degree program, you will complete a shadowing requirement for experience as a sports chaplain. For this experience, you will study under a chaplain. Observing a chaplain can challenge you to blend your online sports chaplaincy training courses with practical application – equipping you with a deeper understanding of sports chaplaincy. You can find more details on this requirement in the FAQs.
Potential Career Opportunities
The MA in Sports Chaplaincy was created to provide you with the opportunity to pursue your passion in one of these careers:
- Church sports leader
- Sports chaplain
- Sports ministry leader
- Sports ministry missionary
- Youth pastor
Featured Courses
Degree Information
- This program falls under the John W. Rawlings School of Divinity.
- View the Graduate Divinity Course Guides (login required).
Degree Completion Plan (PDF)
Not sure what to choose?
Speak to one of our admissions specialists to help you choose the program that best fits your needs.
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.
To continue our mission of providing affordable education, electronic textbooks are provided for many divinity courses* all for one convenient fee.
*Electronic textbooks are not provided for courses that fall under departments outside the School of Divinity.
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 |
These rates also apply to the MA in Pastoral Counseling, which falls under the School of Behavioral Sciences.
All Tuition & Fees
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Admission Information for Liberty’s Online MA in Sports Chaplaincy Degree
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)
These benefits also apply to the MA in Pastoral Counseling, which falls under the School of Behavioral Sciences.
*Credits taken below 9 and above 15 credit hours per semester are charged at the part-time rate.
**Not applicable to certificates.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the shadowing opportunity require?
- The shadowing opportunity (CHPL 598) requires you to shadow 4 chaplains for 3 hours each. For each chaplain you shadow, you will complete an assignment detailing your experience. You must also interview each chaplain you shadow.
- While approved chaplains are not required to identify with any particular denomination, the chaplains you shadow must be Evangelical Christians and agree to Liberty University’s doctrinal statement.
- There are several accepted observation settings. In addition to athletic settings, you can shadow chaplains in church, hospital, law enforcement, military, and university settings. Your shadowing requirement can allow you to fully grasp what it is like to be a chaplain.
Inner Navigation
- Overview
- What Sets Us Apart?
- Why Choose Liberty?
- What Will You Study?
- Tuition & Aid
- Admission Information
- Military
- FAQs
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