Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling | General

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

Prepare to Foster Spiritual and Mental Health with an MA in Pastoral Counseling – General

Are you passionate about helping others in the context of a Christian environment? At Liberty, you can pursue a pastoral counseling degree and better prepare for a career in pastoral counseling. With specialized training, you can further develop your skills and study leading techniques in pastoral counseling that can benefit your congregation, community, or nonprofit organization.

With a Master of Arts (MA) in Pastoral Counseling – General from Liberty University, you can take courses that can help sharpen and challenge you in both the education and pastoral counseling field from a biblical perspective. In addition, our general track allows you to hone your skills with a wide selection of courses available across our specializations for pastoral counseling.

Whether you are currently serving as a pastor and want to bolster your pastoral counseling skills or are seeking positions of added responsibility, a pastoral counseling degree online can help.

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

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

Please note that the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling program 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.

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 Master’s in Pastoral Counseling Degree?

If you are already a ministry professional and want to branch out into pastoral counseling, our online pastoral counseling degree can help you aid people who are struggling with spiritual and mental health crises. This program will help build on your previous ministry experience so you can provide the best possible pastoral care to those in your church community.

The MA in Pastoral Counseling gives students the option to attend residential intensives. While not required, these intensives offer a valuable opportunity to visit our beautiful campus in Lynchburg, Virginia — and to connect in-person with other pastoral counseling students and faculty.

If you’re worried that school will get in the way of your other commitments and priorities, we have just what you need. This degree is offered 100% online, and the courses have no set login times — which means you can complete your classes from the comfort of your home and stay invested in your family and career while earning your degree.

Our pastoral counseling professors have years of experience working in professional ministry settings. They are ready and eager to share their expertise with you as you take this important next step in your academic journey. With their guidance, you can develop a deeper understanding of how to meet people’s spiritual and psychological needs.

What Will You Study in Our Master’s in Pastoral Counseling Degree?

As you pursue your masters in pastoral counseling, you will begin by studying topics that introduce biblical techniques for counseling. Additionally, you will take courses in marriage and family counseling, multicultural issues in counseling, and crisis intervention counseling. You will also have the opportunity to apply your knowledge in the pastoral counseling field with an internship experience.

Throughout your degree, you can also pick and choose courses that reflect your interests in pastoral counseling. Whether you want to take courses in human sexuality, gerontology, or marriage and family, there are a variety of courses you can choose from!

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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 Pastoral Counseling Graduate Online Degrees

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 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

Do I need to be a licensed pastoral counselor to practice counseling?

Our pastoral counseling program is not designed to lead to licensure. Many pastors adopt non-licensure counseling roles as another way to serve members of their congregation. This degree is designed to help bolster your counseling skills and prepare you for a variety of situations as a pastoral counselor in either religious settings or non-licensure agencies. If you are interested in becoming a licensed professional counselor (LPC), you may be interested in our Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

What can I do with a master’s in pastoral counseling?

With a pastoral counseling degree from Liberty University, you can be better prepared to pursue non-licensure positions as a religious counselor or as a pastoral counselor for your congregation. The need for pastoral counseling in nonprofit organizations, churches, and parachurch organizations has never been greater. With a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling, you can be better equipped to help others in your community.

What is the purpose of pastoral counseling?

The purpose of pastoral counseling is to foster and facilitate the “helping relationship” between the church and its members. In Scripture, the Holy Spirit is referred to as “Helper.” This is one of the central tenets of pastoral counseling.

One of the major goals of pastoral counseling is for a pastor to provide a safe environment for congregants or community members to discover Jesus as a Wonderful Counselor and to walk through issues with those who are struggling. In this way, you have the opportunity to help others find solutions to the difficulties that they encounter in life and point them toward the love of Christ.

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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Pastoral Counseling Degree Online – General Crafting Effective Pastoral Counseling

Prepare to Foster Spiritual and Mental Health with an MA in Pastoral Counseling – General

Accreditation

What Sets Us Apart?

Why Choose Liberty’s Master’s in Pastoral Counseling Degree?

What Will You Study in Our Master’s in Pastoral Counseling Degree?

Potential Career Opportunities

Featured Courses

Degree Information

Not sure what to choose?

Tuition & Aid

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Admission Information for Pastoral Counseling Graduate Online Degrees

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 I need to be a licensed pastoral counselor to practice counseling?

What can I do with a master’s in pastoral counseling?

What is the purpose of pastoral counseling?

Are you ready to change your future?

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