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

36

Credit Hours

View Courses

100% online,* 8-week courses

Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total

Liberty University’s 100% online Master of Arts (MA) in Pastoral Counseling is designed to train ministry professionals 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 psychology and the Christian understanding of human nature and God’s creation that informs biblical 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 Christian 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 Christian 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.

ATS Accreditation

Niche Best Colleges

Backed by a brick-and-mortar campus ranked among Niche.com’s Top 5 College Campuses in America

What Sets Us Apart?

  • Private Nonprofit University
  • 600+ Online Degrees
  • No Standardized Testing for Admission
  • Transfer in up to 75% of an Undergrad Degree
  • Transfer in up to 50% of a Grad/Doctoral Degree

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 Christian counseling degree like the Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling will help fill in the gaps and build on your ministry experience to support your Christian counseling and pastoral care ministry. 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 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 Christian 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 Christian 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 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.


The online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling provides a broad set of foundational Christian counseling skills and knowledge along with field-specialized topic courses and hands-on skill areas. If you pursue biblical 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 Christian counseling and pastoral care skills training in disaster relief efforts and trauma therapy. 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.

Degree Completion Plan (PDF)


Top 1% For Online Programs

Not sure what to choose?

Speak to one of our admissions specialists to help you choose the program that best fits your needs.


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
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.


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 serve 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.