Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling – Pastoral Care

What Will You Study in Liberty’s Ed.D. in Community Care and Counseling?

The Doctor of Education classes can help equip you to provide professional counseling services in a ministry setting. Through this graduate counseling program, you can learn to evaluate diverse individual, group, and family populations as well as:

• Crisis and current issues in pastoral counseling
• Ethics and issues in pastoral counseling
• Growth and development of the pastoral counselor

This doctoral pastoral counseling program, provided in a flexible online format, is ideal for professionals such as pastors, licensed professional counselors, licensed marriage and family therapists, and authorized clinical social workers who want to further their education.

Potential Careers for Ed.D. in Pastoral Care and Counseling Graduates

• Church counselor
• Marriage and family counselor
• Outpatient care therapist
• Social worker
• University professor 

Please note: Many clinical counseling roles will require individual state licensure, which this degree does not provide.

Highlights of Liberty’s Ed.D. in Community Care and Counseling Program

As a leader in distance education since 1985, we understand what it takes to create a flexible and affordable education for busy people. Since we have been investing in distance and online learning for decades, our experience has taught us how to streamline our degree options so you can focus on what really matters to you. While many schools offer online degrees, we believe Liberty stands out.

Here’s what sets us apart:

• Our online programs are backed by our brick-and-mortar campus – ranked as Niche.com’s #2 Best College Campus in America for 2026 – and that commitment to excellence extends to our online students as well. Earning your online Ed.D. in Community Care and Counseling — Pastoral Care and Counseling from a nonprofit university with this kind of recognition can help set you apart from others in your field.
• Most of our online tuition rates rank in the top 35% for affordability for 2025 when compared to our leading online competitors. As a nonprofit university, Liberty continues to strive to keep costs low for our students! 
• You can learn from faculty members who are not only academically qualified but also bring real-world counseling and ministry experience to your online classroom.
• You have the opportunity to enhance your leadership and supervisory skills so you can train, mentor, or guide other counselors or ministry professionals within your organization or church.

Military Benefits

Service is important to us, so whether you’re currently serving in the Armed Forces, have served, or are married to someone who serves, we’re here to serve you. Liberty’s military benefits are available to:

• Active duty service members of the U.S. Armed Forces
• Reserve/National Guard
• Veterans/retirees
• Spouses of service members and veterans/retirees
• Current Department of Defense employees

We are proud to support you in your pursuit of a flexible and affordable online education by offering you the following benefits: 

• Tuition discounts — $375 per credit hour for Ed.D. courses
• 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)