Online Christian Counseling Degree Guide

If you want a career providing counseling services from a Christian perspective, an online Christian counseling program might be a good idea.

After you earn a bachelor’s degree in Christian counseling, you’ll need a master’s degree to practice as a licensed counselor.

Bachelor’s programs in Christian counseling combine theological and biblical studies with clinical counseling practice, preparing you to provide faith-based mental health support. In your program, you’ll learn how to help people strengthen their faith and work through mental health conditions.

Keep reading to learn all about Christian counseling bachelor’s degrees.

Christian counseling bachelor’s programs combine biblical and theological studies with clinical training. You’ll learn theological and psychological principles, which you can use to help people navigate psychological, spiritual, and relationship challenges.

In short, you’ll learn how to counsel clients from a Christian perspective.

Bachelor’s programs generally take four years to complete if you study full time. You’ll need to earn around 120 credits total to graduate, or 30 credits per year.

You’ll benefit most from this degree program if you want to learn to blend evidence-based therapy with spiritual guidance. The degree can prepare you for non-licensure roles in clergy, crisis intervention, case management, and community relations. It also prepares you to enter a master’s program in counseling so that you may earn licensure and practice as a counselor.

Some Christian counseling degrees allow you to earn your bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the same program.

In the following sections, you’ll learn all about being a Christian counselor, including possible career paths, the salaries you can expect, and continuing education opportunities.

With a bachelor’s in Christian counseling, you can pursue non-licensure counseling roles in advocacy, case management, or community relations. You can also pursue a role in church counseling, church administration, or lay ministry.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), social science bachelor’s degree holders, including those with Christian counseling degrees, sometimes work as social and community service managers or health education specialists.

Social and community service manager roles are projected to grow 8% from 2023-2033, faster than the average growth rate for all occupations.

Most counseling roles require a master’s degree. However, with a bachelor’s in Christian counseling, you can find work as a substance use counselor, a social and community service manager, or a health education specialist. You may also work as a member of the clergy.

Counseling roles pay less. Rehabilitation counselors earn the least at around $44,000 per year, while marriage and family therapists earn over $58,000 annually. Substance misuse, behavior disorder, and mental health counselors earn nearly $54,000 each year.

After you earn your Christian counseling bachelor’s degree, you’ll be eligible for advanced degrees or certifications.

A common next step is to earn a master’s in Christian counseling, which takes 2-3 years to complete.

Alternatively, you can pursue a master’s in biblical counseling. If your master’s program meets state licensure requirements, this degree will prepare you for licensed therapy and pastoral counseling roles.

A master’s program will also prepare you for doctoral training, whether you want a Psy.D. or Ph.D. in counseling or psychology.

You can also earn a certificate to further specialize your degree, such as the Board Certified Christian Counseling Program offered by the National Association of Christian Counselors (NACC).

Online Christian counseling degrees cost nearly $14,000 for in-state students and nearly $30,000 for out-of-state students during the 2019-2020 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Fortunately, financial aid can reduce tuition rates for many students. With financial aid, including grants and scholarships, students paid a little over $6,000 for in-state tuition and nearly $18,000 for out-of-state tuition in 2019-2020.

You can receive financial aid by filling out the FAFSA each year and applying for scholarships.

Keep reading to learn how long Christian counseling programs take and how to apply to them.

Most bachelor’s programs in Christian counseling require full-time students to earn 120 credits over the course of four years. This amounts to around 30 credits per year.

Accelerated programs in Christian counseling are typically designed for students who want to earn a bachelor’s and master’s simultaneously.

To apply for a Christian counseling bachelor’s program, you’ll need a high school diploma or GED certificate. Most programs require a minimum GPA of around 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Other common application components include:

Program cost, accreditation, length, and education content are all major factors to consider before enrolling in a Christian counseling degree program.

Cost is top of mind for many college students, and for good reason — college degrees are expensive. And if you’re like most students, you’ll have to take out student loans to pay for some or all of your education.

Try to save money on your degree by filling out the FAFSA and applying for grants and scholarships. You can also possibly save money by transferring credits and talking to your employer about tuition reimbursement.

Institutional accreditation ensures your college or university has the legitimacy and resources to give you a quality education. Programmatic accreditation does the same, but it accredits your Christian counseling program instead of the entire school.

Accreditation, whether institutional or programmatic, is a rigorous process that ensures your school and program meet the quality standards of accrediting bodies.

Program length is another crucial factor to consider before you enroll in a Christian counseling bachelor’s program. If you work, going to school full time can partially or completely limit how much time you can spend earning money. Time spent in a program also affects how much you’ll pay in tuition — the more semesters you spend in school, the more you’ll have to pay.

Bachelor’s programs in Christian counseling take around four years to complete and require around 120 credits, or 30 credits per year, for full-time students.

In a Christian counseling program, you’ll learn to counsel clients from a Christian perspective, drawing from the teachings of the Bible.

Your classes will combine coursework in counseling and religion, preparing you for Christian counseling ministries, otherwise known as biblical counseling.

Your program will also prepare you for graduate school. If you want to earn counseling licensure, you’ll need to pursue a master’s degree in counseling.

In your Christian counseling program, you might take courses such as: