MA in Pastoral Counseling Online

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

Be Instrumental in the Healing Process by Earning a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Discipleship and Church Ministry Degree

Liberty University’s online Master of Arts (MA) in Pastoral Counseling – Discipleship and Ministry is designed to train ministry professionals and church leaders to offer pastoral counseling in Christian ministries and agency-based, 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. Additionally, this pastoral counseling degree provides a balanced examination of spiritual and mental health, which equips ministry professionals already in the field or students who want to move into a pastoral counseling role.

With the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling’s discipleship and church ministry specialization, you will expand on the pastoral counseling and care training at the core of the program to create healthy, effective church and parachurch group ministries. If you want to bring people together to support each other as they grow and heal, the discipleship and church ministry track can equip you to use your pastoral counseling training to guide these groups and raise up new leaders.

Your officially conferred degree name will be Master of Arts (MA) in Pastoral Counseling – Discipleship and Ministry.

*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 – Discipleship and Church Ministry?

If you are already a ministry professional and find that you lack the training to help people struggling with spiritual and mental health crises, you should consider a degree in pastoral counseling. Liberty’s Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling can help fill in the gaps and build on your ministry experience to support your pastoral counseling and care. If you want to branch out into a Christian counseling role, the field-specific training and biblical counseling techniques in the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling can help provide much-needed support for biblical counseling in a variety of settings.

If your church or ministry wants to start small groups or provide pastoral counseling services, the discipleship and church ministry area of study will provide you with additional specialized ministry training to ensure that your group members and leaders connect and grow as a part of the body of Christ. If you need help revitalizing a fading church or have the thrilling challenge of an exploding ministry to conquer, this track can give you the tools you need for your journey.

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).
Gain a balanced perspective of the theological principles that underlie psychology, which will help you develop more effective pastoral counseling techniques from 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 by helping people in your congregation and community through a pastoral counseling internship.
The online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling falls within the Liberty Theological Seminary but 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 below 9 and above 15 for the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling 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 with the Online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling?

The online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling provides foundational pastoral counseling training along with field-specialized topic courses. Students who pursue pastoral counseling training in the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling degree can learn how the science of psychology reflects biblical principles of personhood and human nature, and how mental health treatment benefits from spiritual health.

Students in the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling will have the opportunity to pursue hands-on training on campus during 2 optional intensives. Additionally, all of Liberty’s pastoral counseling students will gain experience in their own communities through a pastoral counseling internship.

The discipleship and church ministry area of study will help you utilize the pastoral counseling and care training you’ve received to develop small group ministry for families, age or interest groups, and small devotional groups. You can learn how small group ministries work and how best to start or support them, while also gaining important instruction in leading a healthy and growing church. With the pastoral counseling skills and knowledge you gain in the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling, you will be able to create opportunities for families and individuals to meet, connect, grow, and heal both spiritually and mentally.

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 a degree in pastoral counseling, like the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling, can become equipped for ministry-based, non-licensure pastoral counseling roles in many areas. Graduates of the discipleship and church ministry area of study will be equipped to start and support group ministries in a church or parachurch organization.

Some of the specific roles you may qualify for with an MA in Pastoral Counseling include:

Associate Pastor
Chaplain
Church Counselor
Lay Leader
Non-licensed Counselor
Teaching Pastor
Youth Pastor
Life Coach

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 – Discipleship and Ministry 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.

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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.

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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 – Discipleship and Ministry Provide Spiritual Guidance

Be Instrumental in the Healing Process by Earning a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Discipleship and Church Ministry Degree

Accreditation

What Sets Us Apart?

Why Choose Liberty’s Online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Discipleship and Church Ministry?

What Will You Study with 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 – Discipleship and Ministry Degree

Admission Requirements

Preliminary Acceptance

Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses Policy

Transcript Policies

Admissions Office Contact Information

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