MA in Pastoral Counseling | Crisis Response & Trauma

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

The Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Crisis Response and Trauma Equips You to Help Rebuild Hurting Communities

Liberty University’s 100% online Master of Arts (MA) in Pastoral Counseling – Crisis Response and Trauma is designed to train ministry professionals and church leaders to become pastoral counselors in ministry and non-licensure settings. Students in the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling will study psychology and the Christian understanding of human nature and God’s creation that informs pastoral counseling. The online pastoral counseling master’s degree provides a balanced treatment of spiritual and mental health, which will equip ministry professionals already in the field or students who want to move into a pastoral counseling role.

The crisis response and trauma area of study offers training for ministry professionals who want to help communities and individuals recover from life-altering tragedies and emergencies. The skills and knowledge gained through the crisis response and trauma track will equip pastoral counselors with the tools needed to identify and address the effects of events such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, abuse, and personal tragedies that damage individuals, families, and whole communities’ ability to have healthy relationships and lead successful lives.

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

Accreditation

Liberty Theological Seminary, as part of Liberty University’s John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). Your seminary degree is approved by ATS and has met rigorous accreditation standards, so you can feel confident that your degree is both academically excellent and well-respected among churches, ministries, and nonprofit organizations.

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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 of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Crisis Response and Trauma?

If you are already a ministry professional and find that you need additional training to help people struggling with spiritual and mental health crises, completing an online degree like the Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling will help fill in the gaps and build on your ministry experience. If you want to branch out into a pastoral counseling role, the field-specific training and biblical counseling techniques in the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling will provide much-needed support for guiding others on a variety of issues.

The crisis response and trauma area of study will show you how to apply pastoral counseling principles and pastoral care to help people in times of trouble and disaster. These skills can equip you and your ministry to go into your community and help in times of great need and suffering as you help on-site when disaster strikes at home or abroad.

What Are the Benefits of Liberty’s Online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling?

Unlike many online Bible colleges or online seminaries, Liberty University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
Study a balanced perspective on the theological principles that underlie psychology, giving you effective pastoral counseling techniques with a firm biblical worldview.
If you choose to take advantage of the optional on-campus intensives, you will have additional hands-on training and meet directly with your peers and professors.
Gain marketable real-world experience in crisis response and trauma therapy by helping people in your community with the pastoral counseling internship.
The online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling falls within the Liberty Theological Seminary and receives the graduate tuition rate of just $410 per credit hour for part-time students, as well as the online seminary’s block rate. Students attending full time (9-15 credit hours) are eligible for a block rate of $2,850 per semester!*

*Credits taken above 15 credit hours for the Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling online are charged at the part-time rate.

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.

What Will You Study in the Online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling?

The online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling provides a broad set of foundational pastoral counseling skills and knowledge along with field-specialized topic courses and hands-on skill areas. If you pursue pastoral counseling training, you can learn how the science of psychology reflects biblical principles of personhood and human nature, and how mental health treatment benefits from spiritual health.

You will also have the opportunity to pursue hands-on training on campus during two optional intensives. In addition to this training, you will gain experience in your community through a pastoral counseling internship.

Our crisis response and trauma area of study builds on core pastoral counseling and pastoral care skills training in disaster relief efforts and trauma ministry. You will have the opportunity to customize your crisis response and trauma electives in areas that will be most useful to your ministry. You can choose to receive general crisis and first responder training to ensure that you are prepared to help during a disaster, or you can receive training in P.T.S.D. and combat-related trauma so that you can assist veterans and their families. Our crisis response and trauma area of study provides a flexible crisis counseling training of assessment and treatment options to help suffering people in their communities.

*Please note that the online Master of Arts in Pastoral 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 degree for more information about counseling licensure.

Potential Career Opportunities

Students who complete the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling will be equipped for ministry-based, non-licensure pastoral counseling roles in many areas.

With the crisis response and trauma area of study, students will be equipped for private and public disaster relief and support positions and ministries, as well as individual and group trauma ministry.

Associate pastor
Chaplain
Church counselor
Life coach
Pastor

Additional requirements may be necessary for licensure or practice in these roles. Liberty University does not guarantee employment.

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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.

Grad & Postgrad Divinity Block Rate (9-15 credit hours)	$2,850
Grad & Postgrad Divinity Part Time (1-8.99 or over 15 credit hours)	$410/Credit
Military Grad & Postgrad Divinity Block Rate (9-15 credit hours)	$2,575
Military Grad & Postgrad Divinity Part Time (1-8.99 or over 15 credit hours)	$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 Information for Our MA in Pastoral 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.
Admission to this program also requires:
- The School of Divinity Questionnaire (login required).
- Submission of contact information (login required) for 1 pastoral recommender.
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 part-time graduate and postgraduate divinity courses
Discounted divinity block rate – $2,575 per semester*
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)

*Credits taken below 9 and above 15 credit hours per semester are charged at the part-time rate.

**Not applicable to certificates, postgraduate, or doctoral programs.

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

Do the professors have a background in this area?

Liberty University’s online seminary, the John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, has experienced pastoral counselors and ministry professionals who teach practical ministry skills while imparting deep theological teaching. You can learn from content developed by renowned biblical studies scholars in Liberty University’s John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, such as Dr. Elmer L. Towns and Dr. Gary R. Habermas.

What setting would pastoral counseling be used in?

Are you ready to change your future?

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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 Pastoral Counseling – Crisis Response & Trauma Addressing Wounds Before They Deepen

The Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Crisis Response and Trauma Equips You to Help Rebuild Hurting Communities

Accreditation

What Sets Us Apart?

Why Choose Liberty’s Online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Crisis Response and Trauma?

What Are the Benefits of Liberty’s Online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling?

What Will You Study in the Online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling?

Potential Career Opportunities

Featured Courses

Degree Information

Not sure what to choose?

Tuition & Aid

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Admission Information for Our MA in Pastoral Counseling Degree

Admission Requirements

Preliminary Acceptance

Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses Policy

Transcript Policies

Admissions Office Contact Information

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Military

Frequently Asked Questions

Do the professors have a background in this area?

What setting would pastoral counseling be used in?

Are you ready to change your future?

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