Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Leadership
Increase Your Ministry Potential with Liberty’s MA in Pastoral Counseling – Leadership Degree
Earning a graduate degree in pastoral counseling is an excellent way to capitalize on your current education while expanding your ministry potential. Whether you are looking to become a lay leader, non-licensed counselor, youth pastor or another type of leader in ministry, Liberty’s Master of Arts (MA) in Pastoral Counseling – Leadership degree can train you for the career God has called you to pursue.
Our pastoral counseling graduate degrees can hep provide you with the proper skill set to help believers and nonbelievers alike as they experience life’s challenges. This degree is a great option if you are looking to work in church, hospital, or community settings that do not require clinical counseling licensure. In fact, as a non-licensure track, the entire graduate degree in pastoral counseling can be completed in as little as 2 years!
So why wait? Your future in Christian leadership and pastoral counseling may only be 24 months away. Get started with Liberty so you can meet the emotional and spiritual needs of fellow believers, your congregation, and your community.
Credit Hours
View CoursesNext start date: Aug 18, 2025
ATS Accredited
Highlights
Highlights of Our Master’s in Pastoral Counseling – Leadership Degree
Graduate Sooner and Step Into Your Calling
If you’re eager to begin making a difference, Liberty’s MA in Pastoral Counseling can be completed in as little as 1 year. This accelerated path allows you to earn your degree quickly without compromising on the depth and quality of your education. You can be fully equipped to serve others and pursue your ministry goals in less time than you might expect.
Earn Recognized Certifications That Expand Your Reach
As part of your program, you’ll have the opportunity to earn valuable certificates through the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC). These include specialized training in Crisis Response, Life Coaching, and Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts (SYMBIS). Each certificate adds meaningful, practical tools to your skill set.
Grow in a Community That Truly Cares
At Liberty, you’re more than just a student, you’re part of a close-knit learning community. With a 6:1 student-to-professor ratio for residential graduate students, you can receive the personal attention and mentorship you deserve. Our faculty not only teach, they pray for you, walk alongside you, and invest in your growth every step of the way.
Career Potential
What Can You Do with This Pastoral Counseling and Leadership Degree?
Liberty University’s Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling can help prepare you to pursue the following occupations:
- Associate pastor
- Human services specialist
- Lay leader
- Non-licensed counselor
- Teaching pastor
- Youth pastor
#4 Best College Campus in America
At Liberty, you’ll find an affordable, high-quality education designed to help equip students like you for the real world. Our commitment to excellence has earned us recognition as the #4 Best College Campus in America by Niche.com.
Earning your degree from a nonprofit university with state-of-the-art resources like ours can help set you apart from your peers.
Courses
What Will You Study in This Pastoral Counseling Master’s Degree?
Our graduate students studying pastoral counseling explore the multicultural, family, and spiritual issues most often faced in a pastoral setting. As a student in this program, you can receive training in solution-based models so you can apply various behavioral approaches and appropriate biblical teaching in your work. You will also examine the best ways to promote spiritual growth during crises as well as in premarital and marriage circumstances.
By specializing your degree in leadership, you will study the biblical principles of leadership as depicted in the life of Christ and learn how to apply them within a contemporary ministry setting. You can also learn from the lives of influential people who served as religious, political, military, and business leaders.
Part of leading is knowing how to work with people from different social, cultural, economic, and experience backgrounds. Throughout this degree, you can discover how to cultivate strong, decision-making teams within your ministry. You will also study how to resolve conflicts within your organization. Casting a clear, achievable vision is also crucial to effective leadership, so you can explore how to create and share a mission statement that guides you and your ministry in your pursuit of God’s will.
Featured Pastoral Counseling – Leadership Degree Courses
LEAD 510 – Biblical Foundations of Leadership
LEAD 520 – The Life of Leaders
PACO 500 – Introduction to Pastoral Counseling
PACO 617 – Theories and Techniques in Pastoral Counseling
Degree Information
- This program falls under the Liberty Theological Seminary
- View the Degree Completion Plan
- Check out our course catalog
- Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total
Accreditation
Your seminary degree is approved by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and has met rigorous accreditation standards. You can feel confident that your degree is both academically excellent and well-respected among churches, ministries, and nonprofit organizations.
BENEFITS
Why Choose Liberty’s Pastoral Counseling Master’s Degree in Leadership?
Make a Wise Investment in Your Calling
Pursuing a graduate degree is a significant step, and we want to make sure it’s one you feel good about. As a nonprofit Christian university, Liberty is committed to keeping tuition affordable while delivering a high-quality education. Our MA in Pastoral Counseling – Leadership can help give you the academic depth, biblical foundation, and leadership training, all without the financial burden of most private universities.
Gain Confidence as a Spirit-Led Leader
This degree is more than a credential, it’s preparation for a life of meaningful service. You can be equipped to lead others with both wisdom and compassion, grounded in strong theology and sharpened by leadership training. We want you to graduate confident not only in what you know, but also in how you lead and care for those God places in your path.
Step Beyond the Classroom and Into the Field
There’s no substitute for real-world experience, which is why every student in this program completes a 225-hour internship. Whether you’re counseling individuals, working with couples, or leading group sessions, you can gain valuable face-to-face experience in a supervised, approved setting. It’s your chance to apply what you’ve studied and grow through ministry practice.
Grow With Faculty Who Walk Alongside You
You’re never on this journey alone. Our faculty are more than professors, they’re mentors who are deeply committed to your success. They’ll guide you through your internship, monitor your progress, and offer prayerful support as you grow into the counselor and leader God has called you to be.
Admissions
How Do You Become a MA in Pastoral Counseling Student?
Every application is reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and all applicants must submit the following documents and meet the minimum requirements for admission:
- Admission application
- Official transcripts showing a regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with at least a 2.0 GPA for admission in good standing
- John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Questionnaire
- Pastoral recommender contact information
- Self-certification form (for students who are in the final term of their bachelor’s degree)
- Current Liberty undergraduate students seeking preliminary acceptance into a graduate program must complete a degree completion application through their ASIST account
Have Questions?
We’ll make sure you have the information you need to take your next step.