MA Human Services Counseling | Dobson Parenting Child

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 Parents Raise the Next Generation with a Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling – Dobson Center Parenting & Child/Adolescent Development

Liberty University’s online Master of Arts (MA) in Human Services Counseling – Dobson Center Parenting and Child/Adolescent Development is designed to train you in essential counseling principles and strategies. The biblical integration in this child and family studies degree can help provide a solid foundation for you to effectively work with adults and adolescents.

Liberty collaborated with the late Dr. James C. Dobson, a world-renowned psychologist, author, radio show host, and family expert, to create our James C. Dobson Center for Child Development, Marriage, and Family Studies, which houses this degree program and several others.

The parent and child/adolescent development program can help equip ministry professionals and pastors with the tools they need to guide parents and their children through difficult situations. This online counseling degree also offers essential training for aspiring human services counselors, especially if you’re interested in child and adolescent psychology.

While the parenting and child/adolescent development track may allow you to apply for some Christian counseling certifications, the online Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling is not designed to fulfill clinical requirements for state-licensed professional counseling. You can view Liberty University’s licensure-track Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree for more information about counseling licensure.

Your officially conferred degree name will be Master of Arts (MA) in Human Services Counseling – Dobson Center Parenting and Child/Adolescent Development.

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

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No Standardized Testing for Admission
Transfer in up to 75% of an Undergrad Degree
Transfer in up to 50% of a Grad/Doctoral Degree

Top 10 Reasons to Choose Liberty

Why Choose Liberty’s Online Parent and Child/Adolescent Counseling Graduate Program?

If you are looking for an online child counseling degree that can help you guide parents and children through trials, our parent/child development specialization can help you explore parent-child relational problems and identify solutions that create meaningful results. These insights can help you address conflict and poor communication in families and gain the parent counseling skills you need to equip parents and help correct issues in the home.

Unlike a regular Master of Science in Child and Adolescent Development, our degree in child development seamlessly combines 3 closely related areas: Christianity, counseling, and family studies. Our adolescent development counseling degree won’t just help you gain the critical thinking skills needed to work with children and adolescents – it can also help equip you with effective, proven principles endorsed and used by the late Dr. Dobson himself. Whether you want to work in ministry or a non-licensure private practice, our MA in Human Services Counseling – Parent and Child/Adolescent degree can help you as you pursue your career goals.

What Will You Study in the Online MA in Human Services Degree in Family Counseling and Development?

Liberty University’s James C. Dobson Center for Child Development, Marriage, and Family Studies gives students in the parent and child/adolescent development area of study advanced training in field-tested, evidence-based family counseling and parenting skills training. The parent and child psychology degree track features lectures and material from world-renowned psychologist, author, radio host, and family expert, the late Dr. James C. Dobson.

If you choose the parenting and child/adolescent development track, you will study important foundational subjects, such as how family issues and environmental factors affect development from childhood to adulthood. You will also be able to select specific child counseling courses, such as childhood issues, trauma, and healthy sexuality.

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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 Online Master’s in 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.

View Military Benefits

Frequently Asked Questions for Our Online Parent and Child/Adolescent Counseling Graduate Program

What are the benefits of pursuing Liberty’s Master’s in Child Development and Family Counseling?

Complete your coursework on a schedule that fits your life with Liberty University’s time-tested online learning environment.
Study a balanced perspective on the theological principles that underlie psychology and learn effective parent, child, and adolescent counseling techniques with a firm biblical worldview.
Be mentored by professors with real-world experience in human services and counseling while you explore cutting-edge methods for parenting skills and child/adolescent development.
See best practices put to action by observing group meetings in your own community.

Do counselors need a master’s degree?

In most situations, counselors need a master’s degree. As a counselor, you would be working on mental health concerns with patients. This type of work requires specialized training that can be offered through a program like the MA in Human Services Counseling at Liberty University.

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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 – Child/Parenting Degree Study Core Counseling Principles

Help Parents Raise the Next Generation with a Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling – Dobson Center Parenting & Child/Adolescent Development

What Sets Us Apart?

Why Choose Liberty’s Online Parent and Child/Adolescent Counseling Graduate Program?

What Will You Study in the Online MA in Human Services Degree in Family Counseling and Development?

Potential Career Opportunities

Featured Courses

Degree Information

Not sure what to choose?

Tuition & Aid

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Admission Requirements for Our Online Master’s in 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 for Our Online Parent and Child/Adolescent Counseling Graduate Program

What are the benefits of pursuing Liberty’s Master’s in Child Development and Family Counseling?

Do counselors need a master’s degree?

Are you ready to change your future?

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