MA in Pastoral Counseling – Marriage and Family Revive Hope, Restore Families
36
Credit Hours
100% online,* 8-week courses
Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total
Help Heal Broken Marriages and Families by Earning Your Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Marriage and Family
If you want to help others in ministry or agency-based settings, then Liberty University’s online Master of Arts (MA) in Pastoral Counseling — Marriage and Family degree is for you! Our MA in Pastoral Counseling – Marriage and Family can equip you with the knowledge and skills critical for effectively counseling families and individuals in a variety of church and parachurch settings.
This online degree is also a valuable option if you want to further your education and counseling skills to further your career. It is important to note that this is a non-licensure program that is suitable for ministry and agency-based professionals, as well as students just entering the field. If you want to pursue licensed counseling, we invite you to review our Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy degree.
*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 Pastoral Counseling – Marriage and Family Online Program?
If you are already a ministry professional and find that you need more training to help people struggling with spiritual and mental health crises, then earning an online Christian counseling degree like the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling will help you get the tools you need.
This program is designed to build on your ministry experience to support your Christian counseling and pastoral care role, as well as to receive important life coach training. The field-specific training and biblical counseling techniques in the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling will provide much-needed support for biblical counseling in a variety of settings.
The online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling will give you marital counseling and family therapy training that will help you start a new ministry or expand your current ministry scope. Liberty’s James C. Dobson Center for Child Development, Marriage, and Family Studies will ensure that your ministry training is rooted in field-tested practices and sound counseling studies.
*Please note that while the marriage and family area of study may allow you to apply for some Christian counseling certifications, the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling is not designed to fulfill all 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.
What Will You Study in the Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Marriage and Family?
The Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Marriage and Family degree is designed with core content in pastoral counseling ministry while also providing specialized marriage and family degree courses. Each of the courses within the degree is designed to equip you with a biblical worldview of human behavior and the application of counseling skills. Not only will you be introduced to the theories and skills required to provide pastoral crisis intervention and counseling, but you will also develop the skill sets to address specific psychological issues that apply to men, women, and children throughout their lifespan.
Potential Career Opportunities
- Church counselor
- Military chaplain
- Non-licensed counselor
- Pastoral counselor
After completing our master’s degree in pastoral counseling – marriage and family, graduates will have the opportunity to obtain or advance their positions in ministry, lay church counseling, chaplaincy, and local, agency-based settings.
Featured Courses
Degree Information
- This program falls under the Liberty Theological Seminary.
- View the Graduate Divinity Course Guides (login required).
Degree Completion Plan (PDF)
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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.
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 MA in Pastoral Counseling – Marriage and Family
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, has experienced Christian counselors and ministry professionals who teach practical ministry skills while imparting deep theological teaching.
Learn from 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.
Are there other similar online degree programs?
- Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Dobson Center Marriage and Family Studies – This marriage and family studies degree is offered 100% online and features lectures and material from world-renowned psychologist, author, radio host, and family expert, Dr. James C. Dobson. The overarching goal of the program is to equip men and women with knowledge to positively impact the family and society.
- Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy – Liberty’s marriage and family therapy degree provides you with a strong understanding of counseling principles and strategies to prepare you to seek licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist. Our courses will provide you with a thorough background in individual and group counseling theories and techniques, as well as clinical practice. In our M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy, an emphasis is placed on the understanding of ethical, professional, and legal issues in counseling.
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