Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling – Life Coaching Lead with Purpose, Impact with Passion
36
Credit Hours
100% online,* 8-week courses
Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total
Help People Achieve Their Goals with a Master’s Degree in Life Coaching
If you want to increase your effectiveness as a church leader or ministry professional, Liberty’s online M.A. in Pastoral Counseling – Life Coaching may be right for you. Our program can equip you to help members of your congregation grow in their faith and achieve their full potential. Upon graduation, you could pursue roles as a biblical counselor in churches and various non-licensure agencies.
Students in this program will study a biblical approach to counseling and mental health. While regular counselors focus on people’s mental and emotional needs, pastoral counselors also recognize the importance of spiritual matters. Liberty’s master’s in pastoral counseling can help provide the tools you need to offer counseling that is both clinically and biblically sound.
The life coaching cognate contains specialized training that can help you guide members of your church toward reaching their professional, financial, and relational goals. With the knowledge you will gain in this program, you can help lead others toward a brighter future using effective coaching techniques and relevant biblical advice.
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.
*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 University’s Life Coaching Program?
This degree is offered online, and the courses have no set login times. You can earn your degree at your own pace while studying under professors who have years of experience in ministry and Christian counseling.
This program contains optional intensives. While not required, these residential intensives provide a great opportunity to visit our beautiful campus in Lynchburg, Virginia. If you enjoy learning in a face-to-face environment, our intensives can help you connect in-person with other students and faculty.
Maybe you are a minister who wants to provide quality counseling to those in your congregation — or perhaps you want to work as a Christian counselor in an agency. Either way, our life coaching degree can help you pursue your goals.
Many ministry professionals want to help people who are struggling with spiritual and mental health crises. That’s why Liberty offers an M.A. in Pastoral Counseling. The courses in this program will build on your ministry experience so you can potentially branch out into life coaching or Christian counseling roles. You’ll learn how to offer quality pastoral care and lead people in your congregation toward lasting hope, peace, and healing. And, if you are specifically interested in helping others set practical goals for the future, our life coaching concentration can help.
What Will You Study in Our Master’s in Life Coaching Degree?
In this program, you can develop foundational Christian counseling skills and specialized knowledge in the area of life coaching. Ultimately, you can learn how to offer practical, biblical guidance and help others work through life’s challenges.
Your core courses will explore how the science of psychology draws on biblical principles of personhood and human nature, as well as how mental and spiritual health are intertwined. By completing a pastoral counseling internship, you can gain marketable skills and hands-on experience in your field. The internship requirement also serves as a valuable way for you to help the people in your community, even before you graduate!
If you want to become a life coach, our life coaching area of study provides the training you need to succeed. We offer a customizable completion track, which means you’ll get to select courses that are most suited to your interests and career goals. Some of the topics you might choose to study include marriage, finance, health and wellness, and professional life coaching. By learning how to help people of all ages pursue their calling, you could go on to work for a coaching agency or launch your own life coach ministry.
Our goal is to help you integrate ethical standards and biblical truth with cutting-edge psychological research. Partner with us and prepare to help people of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences pursue their goals.
Potential Career Opportunities
Students who complete a master’s degree in life coaching online can pursue many types of ministry-based, non-licensure counseling careers. Some of the roles you may qualify for include:
- Associate pastor
- Church administrator
- Church counselor
- Life coach
- Non-licensed counselor
Featured Courses
Degree Information
- This program falls under the Liberty Theological Seminary.
- View the Graduate Divinity Course Guides (login required).
- This is a non-licensure program that does not fulfill clinical counseling requirements. If you want to become a licensed counselor, you may want to consider Liberty’s Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree.
Degree Completion Plan
Not sure what to choose?
Speak to one of our admissions specialists to help you choose the program that best fits your needs.
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 |
All Tuition & Fees
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Admission Information for Liberty University’s Pastoral Counseling Degree Online
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the class structure for this program?
Our online classes are only 8 weeks long, with 8 different start dates offered each year and no set login times.
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