MA in Human Services Counseling | Marriage & Family

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

Support Family Healing with Liberty University’s Online Marriage and Family Therapy Degree

Do you have a heart for helping people strengthen their relationships and heal past trauma? Conferring our online Master of Arts (MA) in Human Services Counseling – Marriage and Family may be the right next step for you. With this degree, you can gain relevant training that could help you prepare for career advancement or new opportunities. If you want to help struggling marriages and families, this degree can help you get there.

As a Christian university, we are dedicated to training human services professionals with integrity. Our goal is to equip you to successfully apply scientific research and clinical tools in your practice. This online program can help you prepare to better serve clients who struggle with the challenges of life. You can learn to address their social, psychological, and spiritual needs.

The marriage and family area of study can equip you to address the many challenges of engaged and married couples, children with disabilities or behavioral issues, and other family issues. This specialization offers advanced practical training by providing real-world knowledge from experts in the field. You will examine best practices for various types of assessments used in marital and family counseling.

The online Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling is not designed to fulfill clinical counseling requirements. To get more information about a licensure-track marriage and family program, please see our Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy page.

*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

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Why Choose Liberty’s Degree in Human Services Counseling?

Are you passionate about studying the human mind? Do you love helping people improve their lives by changing their behavior? Our online master’s degree in human services counseling can provide you with in-depth knowledge on human behavior and psychology. You can learn how to apply your knowledge as you solve specific, real-world problems in the counseling and mental health field.

The Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling provides a balance of field-tested practice and cutting-edge research in behavioral sciences. You can be confident that your approach to treatment will be backed by solid scientific study while still maintaining a biblical worldview in ethics and practice.

Do you want to transition to a non-licensed marriage and family therapist role while pursuing an advanced online degree with a Christian university? The online Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling – Marriage and Family can provide the specialized training you need. If you want to help families heal and grow together, the marriage and family area of study can train you to apply your expertise in human thought and behavior to the real-world problems that families face.

What Will You Study in Liberty University’s Human Services Counseling Master’s Program?

The core content of the online Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling provides a balanced overview of important theories in psychology. This knowledge is then applied to specific, real-world counseling practices. In the online master’s in human services counseling, you will study the development of the human mind from childhood to adulthood. You can also learn about how multicultural issues impact individual and group situations.

At Liberty University, we base this study of human thought and behavior on a Christian worldview. Our courses clearly demonstrate how these science and evidence-based practices are informed by biblical principles.

The marriage and family area of study provides an overview of marital counseling and family therapy issues and topics. You can choose to use your developed skill set to help newly engaged or married couples connect and sort through critical communication challenges. You may also choose to work with specific age groups for child development counseling or counsel women through developmental and situational crises.

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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 Master’s in Human Services Counseling Program

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 About Our MA in Human Services Counseling – Marriage and Family

What is the difference between family counseling and marriage counseling?

Most counselors who learn to work with families also learn to work with couples and vice versa. The married couple is the smallest family unit, so it can fit into this category. However, marriages have their own set of dynamics and associated problems. These issues may need to be addressed separately from the rest of the family.

Family counseling can involve a married couple, but it typically involves other family members as well. This usually means parents and children in counseling together to work on familial issues. However, it can be other pairings or groups of family members as well as extended family.

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

Complete your coursework on a schedule that fits your life with Liberty’s award-winning online learning environment.
Study a balanced perspective of the theological principles that underlie psychology. You can learn effective human services counseling techniques from a biblical worldview.
Be mentored by professors with real-world experience in human services and counseling while you explore cutting-edge scholarship and methods for marriage and family counseling.
See best practices put to action by observing group meetings in your own community.

Are you ready to change your future?

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App Fee Waived This Week*

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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 – Marriage & Family Shape the Future of Families

Support Family Healing with Liberty University’s Online Marriage and Family Therapy Degree

What Sets Us Apart?

Why Choose Liberty’s Degree in Human Services Counseling?

What Will You Study in Liberty University’s Human Services Counseling Master’s Program?

Potential Career Opportunities

Featured Courses

Degree Information

Not sure what to choose?

Tuition & Aid

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Admission Requirements for Our Master’s in Human Services Counseling Program

Admission Requirements

Preliminary Acceptance

Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses Policy

Transcript Policies

Admissions Office Contact Information

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Frequently Asked Questions About Our MA in Human Services Counseling – Marriage and Family

What is the difference between family counseling and marriage counseling?

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

Are you ready to change your future?

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