MA in Pastoral Counseling | Leadership

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 Lead in Christian Counseling Settings by Earning a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Leadership

The online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Leadership can help provide a balanced treatment of spiritual and mental health guidance, which can help equip you as a ministry professional already in the field, or if you want to move into a non-licensure pastoral counseling role.

The leadership area of study for the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling can help prepare you to handle the administrative and organizational challenges faced by church leaders and ministry professionals. If you find yourself called to leadership in pastoral counseling or want to take on more ministry responsibility, then you may benefit from the practical and field-tested Christian leadership methods of our Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Leadership.

The online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling is not designed to fulfill clinical counseling licensure requirements. You can view Liberty University’s licensure-track Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree for more information about counseling licensure.

Your officially conferred degree name will be Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Leadership.

*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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No Standardized Testing for Admission
Transfer in up to 75% of an Undergrad Degree
Transfer in up to 50% of a Grad/Doctoral Degree

Top 10 Reasons to Choose Liberty

Why Choose Liberty’s Online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Leadership?

If you are already a ministry professional and want to help people struggling with spiritual and mental health crises, completing an online pastoral counseling degree like our Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling can help fill in the gaps by building upon your ministry experience. If you want to branch out into a pastoral counseling role, the field-specific training and pastoral counseling techniques offered in our pastoral counseling degree in leadership are designed to provide much-needed support for pastoral counseling in a variety of settings.

Liberty’s pastoral counseling degree online in leadership can benefit you with the strategic planning and administrative skills to manage the day-to-day operation and proper planning of a successful Christian organization, whether that is a church or a parachurch ministry. As a pastoral counselor who wants to build a pastoral counseling ministry, you can become better prepared with the executive skills you need for effective leadership.

Our faculty have years of experience in related fields and dedication to your success, so you can be confident that you are receiving a world-class education. As you complete your internship, you have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the field so that you can prepare for an exciting range of possibilities upon graduation.

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

Our Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling online in leadership is designed to provide a broad set of foundational pastoral counseling skills and knowledge, along with specialized topic courses and hands-on skills. As you pursue pastoral counseling training in the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling, you can learn more about how the science of psychology reflects biblical principles of personhood and human nature, and how mental health treatment benefits from spiritual health.

Additionally, you will have an internship that can be completed in your local community. An experience like this can help you turn your knowledge into wisdom as you impact the counseling field for Christ.

The leadership area of study for the online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling emphasizes biblical leadership and administrative skills needed for effective ministry organization. By pursuing the leadership area of study, you can learn from the example of great Christian leaders of the past and present while studying the biblical foundations of leadership and conflict resolution.

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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 Online MA in Pastoral Counseling

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.

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Frequently Asked Questions for the MA in Pastoral Counseling – Leadership

What are the benefits of Liberty’s online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling?

Unlike many online Bible colleges or 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 pastoral counseling with a firm biblical worldview.
Gain marketable real-world experience in pastoral counseling by helping people in your community through the pastoral counseling internship.

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App Fee Waived This Week*

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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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Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Leadership Guiding the Process of Healing

Prepare to Lead in Christian Counseling Settings by Earning a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Leadership

Accreditation

What Sets Us Apart?

Why Choose Liberty’s Online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Leadership?

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

Potential Career Opportunities

Featured Courses

Degree Information

Not sure what to choose?

Tuition & Aid

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Admission Information for Our Online MA in Pastoral Counseling

Admission Requirements

Preliminary Acceptance

Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses Policy

Transcript Policies

Admissions Office Contact Information

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Frequently Asked Questions for the MA in Pastoral Counseling – Leadership

What are the benefits of Liberty’s online Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling?

Are you ready to change your future?

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