Online Graduate Degree Programs at Liberty University
Liberty University appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Most Affordable Accelerated Master’s in Public Safety Administration Online
Liberty University offers 10 different graduate degree programs online that combine elements of religious education and courses in a specific subject. These programs all have the same accreditation that the main campus has and accepts students of all types. All programs feature eight-week classes and have multiple start dates available each week. One program is the university’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program which takes students around 18 months to complete. It also includes four concentrations for students: elementary, middle grades, secondary and special education. Students can also use this program to get their teaching licenses.
Students with an interest in counseling can choose from programs in professional counseling, school counseling, and human services counseling. The human services program has more than 10 specializations available, including military resilience, life coaching, criminal justice, crisis response and trauma, and addictions and recovery. Though the professional counseling program does not have any specializations, it features courses such as Crisis Counseling, Marriage and Family Counseling, and Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Planning. Students in the school counseling program will take some of the same courses as well as Career Development and Counseling and School Counseling Program Development and Evaluation.
One of the top business administration programs available on the web comes from Liberty University. This MBA program allows students to graduate once they take 36 credits of classes but also allows them to take nine or more credits from a specialization area. They can choose from options such as finance and economics. Liberty University also offers a unique specialization in strategic media and digital content that looks at how business owners can stay relevant and reach others online.
The university’s Master of Divinity is a popular online program for graduate students who want to work for the church. It includes a variety of specializations that increase the number of credits students will take up to 75, though some programs can include more than 90 credits. Those specializations include leadership, church history, global studies, pastoral counseling, and youth and family ministries. Liberty University also offers online master’s degree programs in public administration, executive leadership, education, public health, and criminal justice.
About Liberty University
Liberty University is a private university that has a close relationship with the Baptist Church. Jerry Falwell became its first president after helping establish the university while working as a pastor for that Church. He would remain the president for many years before turning over the operations of the school to his son. Known as Lynchburg Baptist College when first founded and then Liberty Baptist College, it adopted the Liberty University as a way to show that students did not need to come from the Baptist faith to enroll. Though the university now accepts a range of students, it asks that all of them sign the Liberty Way before they take a single class. This is a type of honors code that dictates the actions and behaviors of students because the university believes that they are its representatives in public. Liberty also uses the names LU and LU Online.
Liberty University Accreditation Details
All of the online master’s degree programs offered by LU have the same accreditation that the university itself has, which comes from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCC). This allows students who earned credits from another graduate program to transfer those credits to LU and allows them to get the financial aid that they might need too. Some of the university’s online graduate programs that have accreditation include those in education, counseling, and business.
Liberty University Application Requirements
The application process for graduate students at Liberty University is the same for both online and residential students. They need to submit an application but can do so in two different ways. Students have the option of using the online application or talking to an admissions counselor over the phone. The counselor will get all the information that the university requires and fill out the application for the student. LU offers a toll-free number that students can call, which will not cost them anything.
Students will then need to mail in or otherwise submit all required documents. LU asks for official transcripts from every school that the student attended and especially transcripts from the schools where they earned their bachelor’s degrees. Students can fill out a form and give LU authorization to request transcripts from their past schools. The university then recommends that they apply for financial aid and register for classes. LU will accept new graduate students into an online program in a few days after receiving their transcripts. If the university sends an acceptance letter, it gives that student up to 60 days to submit a transcript before it will withdraw them from their classes.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Most of the online graduate programs offered by LU charge $565 per credit hour for full-time students and $615 per credit hour for part-time students. The Master of Education and MAT programs charge between $415 and $615 per credit hour for full-time and part-time students, while the medical sciences program charges a flat rate of $605 per credit hour for all students. Graduate students who are on active duty status in any branch of the military receive a tuition discount that lets them pay just $275 per credit hour in an LU graduate or doctoral program. Police officers and other types of first responders also receive a discount, which reduces their tuition by 25%.
Though LU ranks as an affordable online university, it has financial aid for students. Traditional students and those who qualify for discounts can both get financial aid. With the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), students can qualify for government loans and get scholarships too. These scholarships go to students who work for partner organizations, did or will do missionary work, members of the Southern Baptist faith, and those who meet other requirements. There are also payment plans available. Students will need to go online to complete a financial check-in and select the payment plan from the options listed. Once they pay a $50 deposit, they can make monthly payments on their tuition. Between the scholarships and other financial aid options available, students can afford the cost of the online graduate degree programs available at Liberty University.
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