MA in Human Services Counseling | Criminal Justice

Credit Hours

Online,* 8-week courses

Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total

Next Start Dates: January 19, 2026 | February 16, 2026 | March 23, 2026

Help Heal Broken Lives with an Online Counseling for Human Services Degree – Criminal Justice

Liberty University’s online Master of Arts (MA) in Human Services Counseling – Criminal Justice is designed both 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.

Your officially conferred degree name will be Master of Arts (MA) in Human Services Counseling – Criminal Justice.

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.

*Some exclusions apply. Please refer to our exclusions page for more information.

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Transfer in up to 75% of an Undergrad Degree
Transfer in up to 50% of a Grad/Doctoral Degree

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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 interested in applying human services insights within criminal justice settings, this specialization offers a path toward deeper study in areas connected to human behavior and criminal justice administration. If you want to explore mental health concerns related to criminal justice, you may find that the criminal justice concentration aligns with your academic and professional goals as you pursue Liberty’s online Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling.

What Will You Study 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 study 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.

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Tuition & Aid

At Liberty University, a private Christian education is less expensive than you think. Over the last 10 years, Liberty University’s Online Program has only raised its standard tuition costs by less than 5% – and most of our online tuition rates rank in the top 35% for affordability for 2025 when compared to our leading online competitors.

Graduate Full Time	$580/Credit
Graduate Part Time	$645/Credit
Military Graduate	$290/Credit

These rates are reflective of academic year 2025-2026. Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

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Admission Requirements for Our Human Services Counseling Degree

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.
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.

Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses Policy

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

Submit your application online or over the phone.

Start Online Application

Apply by phone: (800) 424-9595

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 – $290 per credit hour for graduate courses
Additional discount for veterans who serve in a civilian capacity as a First Responder*
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)

*Not applicable to certificates.

These rates are reflective of academic year 2025-2026. Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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.
See best practices put to action by observing group meetings in your own community.
Study a balanced perspective on the theological principles that underlie psychology and learn effective counseling techniques rooted in a biblical worldview.

What skills will I study in the Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling degree?

The online Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling seeks to equip you with the mental health and counseling skills that may be applied 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.

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*Some restrictions may occur for this promotion to apply. This promotion also excludes active faculty and staff, military, non-degree-seeking, DGIA, Continuing Education, WSB, and certificate students.

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MA in Human Services Counseling Degree – Criminal Justice Increase Your Knowledge in Human Services

Help Heal Broken Lives with an Online Counseling for Human Services Degree – Criminal Justice

What Sets Us Apart?

Why Choose Liberty’s Online Master’s in Human Services Counseling Degree – Criminal Justice?

What Will You Study in the Criminal Justice Concentration for the Human Services Counseling Degree?

Potential Career Opportunities

Featured Courses

Degree Information

Not sure what to choose?

Tuition & Aid

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Admission Requirements for Our Human Services Counseling Degree

Admission Requirements

Preliminary Acceptance

Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses Policy

Transcript Policies

Admissions Office Contact Information

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of pursuing Liberty’s online human services degree?

What skills will I study in the Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling degree?

Are you ready to change your future?

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