Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling
The Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling is designed for graduates who plan to pursue careers in congregation-related vocations and who desire to develop counseling skills that will enhance their ministry as pastors or lay-counselors in churches. This degree is also appropriate for those who want to work as chaplains in hospitals, the military, and other settings.
Admission Requirements
- Application
- Official transcripts sent to Admissions directly from the institution
- $50 non-refundable application fee
- Personal history
- Reference forms
- A professor or academic administrator
- A lay person
- The pastor of the church you attend, or another minister
- A personal friend or acquaintance
- Counseling Addition to the Reference Forms
- Completion of tests and inventories (Note: Tests and inventories cannot be scheduled until GPA has been verified.)
- Personal interview
- 3.00/4.00 grade point average
Applicants whose cumulative grade point average falls below 3.0 may not be admitted into the MAC/MAPC programs. However, applicants may begin in another Masters degree (such as the Master of Arts in Christian Ministries) degree and then transfer into the MAC/MAPC program after completing 9 hours of course work in the initial program and earning at least a 3.0. Applicants will need to schedule their personal inventories and interview with the Counseling office during their completion of the intial 9 hours of course work. - For applicants whose native language is other than English, 79 internet (550 paper) TOEFL score or 7.0 IELTS
Application Deadlines
Application materials and required inventories must be completed by February 1 for the fall semester and July 1 for the spring semester.
Course Structure (60 hours)
- M.A. Core (18 hours)
- Kingdom, Church and World
- Vocation of Ministry
- Introduction to Biblical Studies (may sub OT520 & NT520 & IBS-1)
- Turning Points in Church History
- Basic Christian Doctrine or Method and Praxis in Theology
- Counseling Core (18 hours)
- Servant as Pastoral Care-Giver
- Pastoral Crisis Intervention
- Counseling Theories and Techniques
- Ethical and Legal Issues in Counseling
- The Counseling Relationship: Process and Skills
- Marriage and Family Counseling
- Counseling Core Electives (12 hours)
- Moral or Discipleship Development
- Advanced Counseling Skills
- Counseling Practicum
- Moral or Discipleship Development
- General Electives (12 hours)
In addition to these classes, students are required to complete a Bible Competency Examination.