Help Heal Broken Lives with an Online Counseling for Human Services Degree – Criminal Justice
Liberty University’s 100% online Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling — Criminal Justice is designed for human services professionals seeking graduate-level training and for students beginning a career in human services and mental health support. The non-licensure online human services degree does not require any on-campus visits and has no thesis requirement, making it easier for you to fit graduate courses into your busy schedule.
While this degree primarily focuses on human services counseling, the criminal justice concentration covers essential skills that can complement your training in human services. Police officers, social workers, or those currently employed by the family service sector can benefit from training in criminal justice — a career field that is often accompanied by trauma, rehabilitation, and intense stress.
As a Christian university, Liberty is committed to training human services professionals who can apply scientific research, clinical tools, and a biblical worldview to their practice. As such, the online master’s in human services counseling can help equip you to better serve clients who struggle with life’s challenges by addressing their social, psychological, and spiritual needs.
The criminal justice area of study for the online Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling program includes training designed to help human services professionals apply theories of counseling and human behavior to support mental health and personal growth in correctional facilities and police stations.
Your career in correctional counseling starts here! Apply today and become a force for good in the criminal justice or human services field.
*Some exclusions apply. Please refer to our exclusions page for more information.
Why Choose Liberty’s Online Master’s in Human Services Counseling Degree – Criminal Justice?
Do you have a passion for studying the human mind and finding the best way to help people improve their lives? With the online Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling degree, you can dive into the fascinating study of human behavior and psychology while also learning to help solve specific, real-world mental health problems through counseling.
The Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling degree program offers a balance of field-tested practice and cutting-edge research in behavioral sciences — so you can be confident that your approach to treatment will be backed by solid, scientific study that is built on a biblical worldview.
If you are trying to branch out from a human services role to serve in a criminal justice organization, the criminal justice area of study is designed to give you the advanced research in human behavior and criminal justice administration that you’ll need. If you’d like to focus on mental health pertaining to criminal justice, you may want to pursue the criminal justice track for the online master’s in human services counseling.
What Are the Benefits of Pursuing Liberty’s Online Human Services Degree?
- Be mentored by professors with real-world experience while you explore cutting-edge scholarship and methods for human services counseling.
- Complete your coursework on a schedule that fits your life with Liberty’s widely respected online learning environment.
- Study a balanced perspective on the theological principles that underlie psychology and learn effective counseling techniques rooted in a biblical worldview.
- See best practices put to action by observing group meetings in your own community.
What Will You Learn in the Criminal Justice Concentration for the Human Services Counseling Degree?
The core content of the online Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling degree provides a balanced overview of important theories in psychology while applying this knowledge to specific, real-world counseling practices. In the online master’s in human services counseling program, you will study the development of the human mind from childhood to adulthood and learn how multicultural issues impact counseling in individual and group settings.
As a Christian university, Liberty bases this study of human thought and behavior on a Christian worldview and demonstrates how biblical principles inform these scientific and evidence-based practices. In the online criminal justice area of study, you will receive an overview of the interdependent organizations and agencies of the criminal justice system along with the theoretical and practical management perspectives embraced by these organizations.
You will also be trained in practical, real-world human resource management methods in the criminal justice field and study important case law that has formed substantive procedural changes in criminal law. The administrative skills emphasized in the criminal justice track can help equip you for a human services or management role that utilizes your expertise in human behavior studies.
Please note: The online Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling is not designed to fulfill clinical counseling requirements. You can view Liberty University’s licensure-track Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling for more information about counseling licensure.
Featured Courses
- CJUS 500 – Criminal Justice Integration
- CJUS 520 – Administration of Justice Organizations
- CJUS 530 – H.R. Management in Criminal Justice Organizations
- CJUS 550 – Topics and Trends in Criminal Justice
Human Services Counseling Degree Highlights
We are recognized by multiple institutions for our academic quality, affordability, and accessibility. Our commitment to excellence also helped us rank in the top 10% of Niche.com’s best online schools in America. Earning your online degree from a nonprofit university with this kind of recognition can help set you apart from others in your field.
- The majority of tuition for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs has not increased in 9 years. While many other online colleges have raised tuition, Liberty has been able to keep costs low as a nonprofit university.
- You can complete the online Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling – Criminal Justice degree in as little as 1 year.
Master’s in Human Services Counseling – Criminal Justice Online Degree Information
- This program falls under the School of Behavioral Sciences.
- Download and review the Degree Completion Plan.
- View the Graduate Behavioral Sciences Course Guides (login required).
Military Benefits
Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe. Whether you are a current service member, discharged or retired from service, or the spouse of a service member or veteran, we are here to support you every step of the journey.
As a thank-you for your dedication and service to our country, Liberty is honored to serve and support you in your pursuit of online education by offering the following benefits:
- Tuition discounts – $275 per credit hour for graduate courses
- Additional discount for veterans who serve 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)
Potential Career Options for Graduates of the Online Master’s in Human Services Counseling – Criminal Justice Degree
The online Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling seeks to equip you with the mental health and counseling skills needed to succeed in private, public, and nonprofit human services settings. These settings include Christian counseling ministries, youth ministries, community service agencies, group homes, outreach services, in-home mental health support services, probation agencies, and other types of casework and support settings where counseling skills are needed.
Here are some other positions you may be qualified for:
- Behavioral disorder counselor
- Case manager
- Chaplain in criminal justice ministry*
- Juvenile detention/youth counselor
- Non-licensure correctional counselor
*Chaplaincy may be an option in some cases. However, many roles will require additional training or a seminary degree.
Admission Requirements for Our Human Services Counseling Degree
A regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with a 2.0 or above GPA is required for admission in good standing. Please visit our admission requirements page for more detailed admissions-related information.
All applicants must submit the following:
- Admission application
- Application fee*
- Official college transcripts
- Unofficial college transcripts may be accepted with a completed official transcript request form**
- Proof of English proficiency (for applicants whose native language is other than English)
*There is no upfront application fee; however, a deferred $50 application fee will be assessed during Financial Check-In. This fee is waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required.
**An official transcript is needed within 60 days of acceptance or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first.
