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MA in Pastoral Counseling

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 (MAPC)
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.

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Admission Requirements

  • Application
  • Official transcripts from all postsecondary schools where more than one semester of coursework has been completed sent to Admissions directly from the institution
  • $50 non-refundable application fee
  • Four References
    • Pastor (required)
  • 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 Apr. 15 for the fall and summer semesters and Nov. 15 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

General Electives (12 hours)

*If your GPA [or GRE scores] do not meet the minimum requirement or does not accurately reflect your ability to succeed at Asbury, you will have an opportunity to explain in your personal history essay.