Master of Arts in Religion (M.A.R.) – Pastoral Counseling
Bring Healing to Your Congregation with Our Master of Arts in Religion – Pastoral Counseling Degree
Supporting your congregation through the joys and challenges of their lives often means serving as their counselor – a responsibility for which many pastors need preparation. But God hasn’t called you to walk this path alone, and our Master of Arts in Religion – Pastoral Counseling degree is designed to provide you with the skills you need to help your congregation identify and overcome a variety of challenges.
In your M.A.R. degree program, you will be taught by experienced ministry professionals who are dedicated to helping you practice biblical counseling grounded in clinical research. By earning a pastoral counseling master’s degree, you will learn how to respond to spiritual, psychological, and marital crises with grace and compassion to help bring healing and restoration.
Pursue Your Degree with Confidence
- Liberty University’s John W. Rawlings School of Divinity is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of ATS, the Association of Theological Schools.
- Learn from theologians who have years of experience as well-respected authors, speakers, and researchers.
- We are committed to defending the authority of Scripture and conservative evangelical theology.
- Our master’s degree in religion provides hands-on experience within the local church as well as opportunities to serve with churches and organizations like the International Mission Board, Hume Lake, Samaritan’s Purse, and Second Baptist Houston.
- The option to take Monday-only classes allows residential graduate students to complete large portions of their M.A. in Religion attending classes 1 day a week.
- We offer multiple scholarship opportunities to our residential students, including the Keesee Scholarship.
What Will You Learn?
- How to develop a clinically informed, biblical approach to premarital counseling
- Prominent psychological approaches developed for Christian counseling
- The process of pastoral counseling
- The relationship between biblical teaching and counseling
Career Opportunities for Graduates of Our Master’s in Religion – Pastoral Counseling Degree Program
- Associate pastor
- Counselor
- Lay leader
- Missionary
- Youth pastor
John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Facilities and Resources
- The Rawlings School of Divinity is the world’s largest school for religious studies and ministerial training.
- Liberty’s School of Divinity stands on a solid, biblically-based foundation and a firm commitment to conservative evangelical theology.
- Liberty’s Rawlings Scriptorium Museum exhibits Christian scriptural artifacts valued at over $1 million, which are available for scholarly research and study.
- The faculty in our School of Divinity are first-rate biblical scholars and theologians. Liberty’s faculty have impacted the field of biblical scholarship since our founding, including Dr. Ed Hindson who is a fellow of the International Biographical Association in Cambridge, England.
Admission Requirements for John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Graduate Degrees
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 bachelor’s degree transcripts with a 2.0 GPA or higher
- Self-certification form (for students in the final term of their bachelor’s degree)
- Rawlings School of Divinity questionnaire
- Pastoral recommender contact information
- Current Liberty undergraduate students seeking preliminary acceptance into a graduate program must complete a degree completion application through their ASIST account
These rates are reflective of academic year 2024-2025. Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.
Credit Hours
Available On Campus
Class Type
Residential
Transfer Credits
Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total
Next Start Date
Aug 18, 2025
Accreditation
ATS Commission on Accrediting
