Master’s in Pastoral Counseling – Community Chaplaincy Serve Your Community
36
Credit Hours
100% online,* 8-week courses
Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total
Witness to Others with the Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Community Chaplaincy
Liberty University’s online Master of Arts (MA) in Pastoral Counseling – Community Chaplaincy is designed to train ministers and church leaders to become Christian counselors in ministry and agency-based, non-licensure settings. Students in the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling will study how psychology, human nature, theory, and practice inform biblical counseling. Additionally, students will study the mental, emotional, and spiritual needs of people.
The community chaplaincy area of study for the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling provides Christian counseling and pastoral care training designed for public or private chaplaincy roles. The community chaplaincy area of study will cover biblical counseling practices and psychological theory necessary to becoming a Christian counselor or chaplain in a non-licensure setting.
*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.
Why Choose Liberty’s Online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Community Chaplaincy?
If you are a ministry professional and find that you lack the training or counseling experience needed to help people struggling with spiritual and mental health crises, completing an online Christian counseling degree like the Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling can help. If you want to branch out into a Christian counseling role, the field-specific training and biblical counseling techniques offered in the online master’s in pastoral counseling can help you guide congregations on a variety of issues.
What Are the Benefits of Liberty’s Online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling?
- Unlike many online Bible colleges and 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 and develop effective Christian counseling techniques.
- If you choose to take advantage of the optional on-campus intensives, you will receive additional, hands-on training and meet directly with your peers and professors.
- Gain marketable, real-world experience helping people in your community with the pastoral counseling internship.
- The online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling falls within the School of Behavioral Sciences but receives the graduate tuition rate of just $395 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 $2,750 per semester!*
*Credits taken above 15 credit hours for the Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling online are charged at the part-time rate.
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 Program?
The online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling pairs a broad set of foundational Christian counseling skills and knowledge with field-specialized topics and hands-on skill areas. Students who pursue biblical counseling training in the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling can learn how the science of psychology reflects biblical principles and human nature. You will also learn how mental health treatment benefits from spiritual health.
Students in this degree program will have the opportunity to pursue hands-on training during 2 optional, on-campus intensives, and all pastoral counseling students will gain experience in their communities through the pastoral counseling internship.
Students who complete the online pastoral counseling – community chaplaincy degree will be trained to apply their pastoral care and Christian ministry skills to an official chaplain role outside of the church. Chaplain roles often differ from church leadership roles and may have restrictions based on state and federal regulations. As such, the community chaplaincy area of study provides an important overview of chaplaincy ministry and its particular requirements, as well as important, role-specific skills for professional development.
Potential Career Opportunities
- Associate pastor
- Chaplain
- Church counselor
- Non-licensed counselor
- Pastor
- Women’s ministry director
Students who complete a degree in Christian counseling can become equipped for ministry-based, non-licensure counseling roles in several areas. This degree seeks to prepare you for counseling in marriage and family settings, crisis counseling, and counseling women. Students may be eligible to pursue chaplaincy positions in many settings with the community chaplaincy area of study’s specialized content. Many chaplaincy roles, however, may require additional content and specialized chaplaincy training.
Featured Courses
Degree Information
- This program falls under the Liberty Theological Seminary.
- View the Graduate Divinity Course Guides (login required).
Degree Completion Plan
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Tuition & Aid
Your success is our success, which is why we are committed to providing quality academics at an affordable tuition rate. While other colleges are increasing their tuition, we have frozen tuition rates for the majority of our undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs for the past 9 years – and counting.
Grad & Postgrad Divinity Block Rate (9-15 credit hours) | $2,750 |
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Grad & Postgrad Divinity Part Time (0-8.99 or over 15 credit hours) | $395/Credit |
Military Grad & Postgrad Divinity Block Rate (9-15 credit hours) | $2,475 |
Military Grad & Postgrad Divinity Part Time (0-8.99 or over 15 credit hours) | $275/Credit |
Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.
All Tuition & Fees
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Admission Information for Our Master’s in Pastoral Counseling – Community Chaplaincy 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.
Dual Enrollment
Please see the Online Dual Enrollment page for information about starting graduate courses while finishing your bachelor’s degree.
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
Liberty University Online Admissions Verification
1971 University Blvd.
Lynchburg, VA 24515
Ready to Apply?
Submit your application online or over the phone.
Military
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 – $275 per credit hour for part-time graduate and postgraduate divinity courses
- Discounted divinity block rate – $2,475 per semester*
- Additional discount for veterans who service in a civilian capacity as a First Responder (less than $625 per course)**
- 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.
Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Chaplaincy?
A chaplain is a minister, pastor, or member of the ecclesiastical church body who serves in an official spiritual, mental health, and personal growth advisement role in a company, organization, or branch of government.
Students who complete the area of study in community chaplaincy will receive specialized training in the elements of psychology and spiritual growth that are needed in an official chaplaincy role. The online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Community Chaplaincy degree provides an in-depth study of pastoral care and Christian counseling to allow students to minister directly to the personal and spiritual needs of individuals and families, both inside and outside the church.
Please note that some chaplaincy roles may require a more specialized and advanced study of a particular field through a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program. Additionally, the Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling is not designed to fulfill clinical counseling requirements. For licensure information, please review the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
What is pastoral counseling?
Pastoral counseling is a form of therapy that draws on a counselor’s psychological expertise and religious beliefs to provide sound emotional and mental guidance to individuals. At Liberty, we teach our pastoral counselors to focus on the spiritual formation of the people they serve. Whether you want to serve at an agency or at a local church, Liberty’s MA in Pastoral Counseling can equip you with training that can be used to impact the world for Christ.
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